1575 -1632 · Antwerp, Italy and first Flemish Baroque

Small elegant figures, abundant mythologies and virtuoso collaborations make Hendrick van Balen a central actor in Rubens and Brueghel's Antwerp.

Hendrick van Balen was born in Antwerp in 1575 into a merchant family. He became master of the guild of Saint-Luc in 1592 or 1593, then undertook a trip to Italy. Late mannerism, Tintoretto and the small cabinet paintings of Hans Rottenhammer nourished his training. On his return, Van Balen reintroduced Flemish energy into his figures and established himself as a painter of religious, mythological and allegorical subjects. He was dean of the guild in 1609 and occupied an important place in the Antwerp artistic community. His workshop trained many students, including the young Antoine van Dyck. Van Balen excelled in the guild in 1609 and occupied an important place in the Antwerp artistic community. His workshop trained many students, including the young Antoine van Dyck. Van Balen excelled above all in the collaborative work characteristic of Antwerp. He paints the characters while Jan Brueghel the Elder, Jan Brueghel the Younger, Joos de Momper and other specialists create landscapes, flowers, animals and objects. This division does not fragment the work: on the contrary it allows for extraordinary richness. The Feast of the Gods combines mythological figures by Van Balen and the meticulous natural world of Brueghel. Diane discovering Callisto organizes the story through gestures and nudity, in the middle of a landscape which amplifies the scene. Diane the huntress combines mythological figures by Van Balen and the meticulous natural world of Brueghel. Diane discovering Callisto organizes the story through gestures and nudity, in the middle of a landscape which amplifies the scene. Diane the huntress combines the elegance of bodies, dogs, game and plant depth. Friend of Rubens and Jan Brueghel, Van Balen participates with them in networks of collectors, commissions and scientists who define the Antwerp cabinet. He also contributed to the first garland paintings, where a sacred image is surrounded by flowers and fruits. Died in Antwerp in 1632, he passed on to his sons and his studio an art of figure designed to dialogue with the best specialists of his time. The "Hendrick van Balen" selection notably compares The Feast of the Gods and Diane discovering Callisto. His reading favors drawing.

Van Balen paints the figure as part of an orchestra: his god, his nymph or his saint takes on its full meaning among the flowers, animals and landscapes entrusted to his collaborators.