1607 -1674 · Leiden, London, Antwerp and Amsterdam

Child prodigy, artistic companion of Rembrandt then international painter, Jan Lievens goes from powerful chiaroscuro to Flemish elegance without losing the intensity of the faces.

Jan Lievens was born in Leiden in 1607, the son of an embroiderer. A child prodigy, he began his training around the age of eight with Joris van Schooten, then worked in Amsterdam in the studio of the history painter Pieter Lastman between 1618 and 1620. At twelve years old, his paintings already surprised Leiden lovers. In the 1620s, he adopted the close figures, impasto and powerful contrasts of the Caravaggios of Utrecht. In the 1620s, he adopted the close figures, impasto and powerful contrasts of the Caravaggios of Utrecht. His relationship with Rembrandt, almost of the same age, then became decisive. In the 1620s, he adopted the close figures, impasto and powerful contrasts of the Caravaggios of Utrecht. His relationship with Rembrandt, almost of the same age, then became decisive. The two young painters shared subjects, models and research, to the point that certain works were long confused. The Young Designer belongs to this studio universe: the boy leaning over his work, absorbed by gesture, transforms learning into an autonomous subject. Noticed by Constantijn Huygens, Lievens aspired to a career at court. He left for London, where the elegance of Antoine van Dyck modified his portraits, then settled in Antwerp in 1635. There he joined the guild of Saint-Luc, frequented an environment dominated by Rubens and voluntarily adapted his manner to the genres practiced. The Visitation shows this maturity: monumental figures, gesture of welcome and warm light give the religious story an immediately readable emotion. The Visitation shows this maturity: monumental figures, gesture of welcome and warm light give the religious story an immediately readable emotion. The Visitation shows this maturity: monumental figures, gesture of welcome and warm light give the religious story an immediately readable emotion. The Visitation shows this maturity: monumental figures, gesture of welcome and warm light give the religious story an immediately readable emotion. The Visitation shows this maturity: monumental figures, gesture of welcome and warm light give the religious story an immediately readable emotion. The Visitation shows this maturity: monumental figures, gesture of welcome and warm light give the religious story an immediately readable emotion. Installed in Amsterdam in 1644, Lievens received large commissions for the town hall, the Estates General and the House of Orange. An extraordinarily versatile painter, designer and engraver, he creates portraits, landscapes, sections, biblical stories and allegories. His mobility and his changes in style have long blurred his reputation, but they constitute precisely the originality of a European artist. He died in Amsterdam in 1674, in a difficult financial situation despite the prestige of his career. The "Jan Lievens" selection notably compared The Young Designer and The Visitation. His reading favors atmosphere.

Lievens changes in ways without losing his gaze: from Leiden to London, the face remains the place where light becomes emotion.