1586-1667 Dutch Thomas De Keyser Gallery De Keyser excelled as a portrait painter, and was the most in-demand portrait painter in the Netherlands until the 1630s, when Rembrandt eclipsed him in popularity. Rembrandt was influenced by his work, and many of de Keyser's paintings were later falsely attributed to Rembrandt. His portraiture is full of character and masterly in handling, and often distinguished by a rich golden glow of color and Rembrandtesque chiaroscuro. Some of his portraits are life-size, but the artist generally preferred to keep them on a considerably smaller scale, like the famous Four Amsterdam burgomasters assembled to receive Marie de Medici in 1638, now on display at the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague. In addition to portraits, he also executed some historical and mythological pictures, such as the Theseus and Ariadne in the Amsterdam town hall, now the Royal Palace. De Keyser also worked as an architect. From 1662 until his death in 1667 he oversaw construction of the new Amsterdam town hall, now Royal Palace. De Keyser was a son of the architect and sculptor Hendrik de Keyser. We have no definite knowledge of his training, and but scant information as to the course of his life. Aert Pietersz, Cornelis vander Voort, Werner van Valckert and Nicolas Elias are accredited by different authorities with having developed his talent. In the 1640s, de Keyser received very few painting commissions, and was forced to seek income elsewhere. He owned a basalt business from 1640 until 1654, when he returned to painting. The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has the largest collection of paintings by de Keyser. His work can also be seen at the Louvre in Paris, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg and the National Gallery in London, among others. The Stedelijk Museum modern art museum in Amsterdam carries a statue of de Keyser on its facade. A street in Enschede is named for him. A contemporary namesake of the painter was Thomas de Keyser (Utrecht, 1597-1651), an actor and nephew of Hendrick de Keyser.  Related Paintings of Thomas De Keyser :. | Portrait of a Man | The Burgomasters of Amsterdam Gathered fro the Arrival of Queen Marie des Medicis of France | The Orient and the Occident | Portrait of a Woman Holding a Balance | Pieter Schout |
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Alexander Theobald Van Laer
Alexander Theobald Van Laer (1857-1920) was an American painter, born at Auburn, New York. He studied at the Art Students League of New York
Juan Manuel Blanes
(June 8, 1830 - April 15, 1901) was a noted Uruguayan painter of the Realist school. Blanes was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1830. He was raised by his mother, with whom he relocated to the countryside in his early teens. Blanes took an interest in drawing at this point, and shortly afterwards, was hired as an illustrator for a Montevideo newsdaily, El Defensor de la Independencia Americana. Earning extra income with watercolors, he returned to his mother and, in 1854, established his first atelier. He married Marea Linari, and in 1855, the couple settled in Salto, where he worked as a portrait painter. They relocated to Concepcien del Uruguay (across the Uruguay River, in Argentina) in 1857, and Blanes was commissioned by Argentine President Justo Jose de Urquiza to complete a number of portraits, allegories and landscapes to grace his nearby estancia, the Palacio San Jose. Returning to Montevideo in 1861, the talented painter obtained a scholarship from the Uruguayan government, and with it, traveled with his family to Florence, Italy, where he studied under Antonio Ciseri until 1864. The experience became a valuable calling card for Blanes, who became of Uruguay's most sought-after portraiteurs. The 1871 outbreak of a yellow fever epidemic in Buenos Aires inspired his first renowned work, which he exhibited to acclaim in the recovering city. His 1872 portrait of the Argentine War of Independence hero, General Jose de San Marten (The Review in Rancagua), was also a success in Buenos Aires, and Blanes was invited to Chile to display the historic depiction.
Jacob Ferdinand Voet
(c. 1639 - c. 1689/1700) was a Flemish Baroque portrait painter. According to the Netherlands Institute for Art History (RKD) he was born at Antwerp as the son of the painter Elias Voet.[1] He travelled to Rome in 1679-1680, Milan in 1680, Florence in 1681, Turin in 1682-1684, and returned to Antwerp in 1684. While in Rome he lived with the painter-engraver Cornelis Bloemaert until he was banned for his portraits of women portrayed with unseemly decollet, whereupon they left Rome together. He undertook a journey to Paris in 1686 where he became court painter until he died there.He is registered as a painter of miniature portraits. According to Houbraken, he made his return journey to Antwerp from Turin in the company of Jan van Bunnik, who he had already met in Rome in the company of Cornelis Bloemaert. From Turin they set out for Lyons, where they met Adriaen van der Cabel, Peter van Bloemen, and Gillis Wenix. They set off for Paris in the company of a third painter who was a good painter of "bataljes" or battle scenes. Houbraken reports that this was Jacob, Jan van Bunnik's brother, but had not mentioned him earlier in his Jan van Bunnik biography. The RKD makes no mention of a Jacob van Bunnik.