1593 -1678 · Antwerp, Flemish Baroque and proverbial culture

Popular feasts, family proverbs, carnal mythology and vast settings make Jacob Jordaens one of the three great masters of Flemish Baroque alongside Rubens and Van Dyck.

Jacob Jordaens was born in Antwerp in 1593 into a family of cloth merchants. In 1607, he entered the studio of Adam van Noort, a master also linked to Rubens' training. Received at the guild of Saint-Luc in 1615 as a painter of tempera and watercolor, Jordaens married Catharina van Noort, daughter of his master, the following year. Unlike Rubens and Van Dyck, he did not lead a major Italian trip. He discovered Antiquity, Caravaggio and the Renaissance through collections, engravings and especially through the extraordinary circulation of models in Antwerp. His first paintings adopted close, brightly lit figures, which filled almost the entire surface. This proximity becomes his brand. In The Satyr and the Peasant, the ancient fable enters Flemish cuisine; gestures, food and expressions give the proverb popular evidence. The King drinks transforms the feast of Epiphany into an explosion of voices, laughter and looks. As the elders sing, so the young play shows how behaviors are transmitted from one generation to the next, with an irony that is both joyful and critical. Jordaens frequently uses his family as models, which gives his scenes remarkable individuality. He also paints altarpieces, portraits, mythological subjects and dramatic compositions like Prometheus Chained. His workshop produces boxes tapestry and responds to major international commissions. Jordaens collaborated on the sets of the Torre de la Parada, worked for Greenwich and for Queen Christine of Sweden. After the death of Rubens in 1640 then that of Van Dyck in 1641, he became the main active painter in Antwerp. Converted to Protestantism in a Catholic city, he nevertheless continued religious and public commissions until an advanced age. He died in Antwerp in 1678. His power was due to this singular union between baroque monumentality and familiar experience. He died in Antwerp in 1678. His power was due to this singular union between baroque monumentality and familiar experience. He died in Antwerp in 1678. His power was due to this singular union between baroque monumentality and familiar experience. He died in Antwerp in 1678. His power was due to this singular union between baroque monumentality and familiar experience. He died in Antwerp in 1678. His power was due to this singular union between baroque monumentality and familiar experience. He died in Antwerp in 1678. His power was due to this singular union between baroque monumentality and familiar experience. He died in Antwerp in 1678. His power was due to this singular union between baroque monumentality and

Jordaens brings everything together: the myth enters the kitchen, the proverb becomes a family portrait and the large baroque painting takes on the noisy warmth of an Antwerp table.