"De Blinde - L'Aveugle"Josephus Laurentius (Jozef Laurens) Dyckmans, (
Lier,
9 augustus 1811 –
Antwerpen,
8 januari 1888) was een Belgische schilder voornamelijk van genrestukken en portretten. Door zijn zeer gedetailleerde techniek kreeg hij al snel de bijnaam de "Vlaamse
Gerard Dou".
Jozef Laurens Dyckmans studeerde aan de Koninklijke Academie voor Schone Kunsten van Antwerpen, met als docent Gustaaf Wappers. Aanvankelijk alleen als decoratieschilder, maar onder invloed van van Wappers legde Dyckmans zich toe op historieschilderkunst en de genrestukken.
Met groot succes presenteerde hij in 1834 in Antwerpen zijn schilderij 'Liefdes bekentenis', waarmee hij in 1836 door de Salon van Brussel geëerd werd met een zilveren medaille. Van 1840-1854 werkte Dyckmans als hoogleraar aan de Academie in Antwerpen. Vanaf 1843 was hij lid van de Antwerpse Academie, en vanaf 1847 was hij corresponderend lid van de Académie royale de Belgique.
Een van de beroemdste werken van de kunstenaar is het schilderij de 'Blinde Bedelaar' uit 1852 (Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen). Net als bij diverse andere werken van Dyckmans kwamen daarvan in de daaropvolgende jaren verschillende versies. In zijn portretten toonde hij mensen uit verschillende lagen van de bevolking, zonder enig maatschappijkritiek voor ogen. Zijn schilderijen verbeelden meestal harmonieuze scènes die doen denken aan Biedermeier Salonfoto's. In de meeste accurate fijne schilderijen die tentoongesteld zijn, betreffen het werken met harmonische kleuren, zoals ze ook worden gevonden in het werk van Ernest Meissonier. Naast portretten omvat omvat zijn oeuvre landschappen, stadsgezichten en bloemen. Hij maakte ook een aantal grafische werken.
Van 1846-1869 exposeerde hij regelmatig in de Londense Royal Academy of Arts en verkocht vele werken aan Groot-Brittannië. Onder zijn studenten waren Wilhelm Busch, Friedrich Karl Hausmann, Emil Hünten, Jean Moeselagen, Paul Weber en Jan Frederik Pieter Portielje.
Josephus Laurentius Dyckmans or
Jozef Laurent Dyckmans[1] (
Lier, 9 August 1811 – Antwerp, 8 January 1888) was a
Belgian painter mainly of genre scenes and portraits whose painstakingly detailed pictures earned him the nickname 'The Belgian
Gerard Dou'.
Josephus Laurentius Dyckmans was born in Lier where he received his first artistic training from the local painter Melchior Gommar Tieleman. Dyckmans started his career as a decorative painter in his native town. His local patrons recognized his talent and after he had won all the first prizes at the local drawing school, the Lier city government awarded him an allowance that permitted him to continue his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts of Antwerp. He studied at the Antwerp Academy from 1834 to 1835 and worked in the workshop of Gustaf Wappers, one of the leading Romantic and history painters of Belgium at the time.[4]
Dyckmans became a frequent contributor to the local salons (art exhibitions) early in his career. He sent in 1834 his first contribution to the Antwerp salon where his painting A confession of love was well received. In 1836 his Game of checkers won the silver medal at the Brussels salon. His 1838 submission of a Vegetable market to the Ghent salon was a sensation and was subsequently exhibited in Antwerp in 1840 and The Hague in 1841. In The Hague the painting was awarded a silver medal.[4] He exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts in London in 1846, 1860, 1863 and 1869 and participated in the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1867.[5][6]
In 1841, Dyckmans undertook a journey to Paris and the Netherlands. In November of that year he was appointed professor of painting and perspective at the Antwerp Academy. On 8 January 1847 he became a corresponding member of the Belgian Royal Academy. As he was of a timid disposition he did not participate in the meetings of the Belgian Royal Academy and never became an active member. He left his teaching post at the Antwerp Academy in 1854.[4] Dyckmans is reported to have worked in London some time during his career.[6]
Dyckmans married in 1847 and had two daughters. Despite his international success, Dyckmans lived a relatively secluded life alternating between his spacious house in Antwerp and his small country retreat in Kalmthout, near Antwerp.
Dyckmans received many official awards. The Belgian state made him a knight in the Order of Leopold in 1851 and later in 1870 an officer in the Order of Leopold.[4]
Dyckmans had many students including from Belgium and abroad such as Franz Vinck, Ernst Stückelberg, Wilhelm Busch, Paul Weber and Emil Hünten.
Dyckmans was principally a genre painter who had a preference for intimate indoor settings. He also painted a few portraits, landscapes, cityscapes and still lifes.
When Dyckmans entered the art scene, Belgian painting was dominated by the historic-Romantic school exemplified by the grandiose works of Nicaise de Keyser, Edouard De Bièfve and his own master Gustaf Wappers. The members of this school of painting chose as the subject matter of their work important historical events in Belgium’s history, which were regarded as key to the country’s national identity. The style of these works directly referenced the Flemish Baroque of 17th century Antwerp artists such as Rubens.[11] Unlike these masters, Dyckmans preferred to depict intimate domestic scenes in a refined style that was inspired by the 17th century Dutch 'fijnschilders' ('small masters') such as Gerard Dou and Eglon van der Neer.
Dyckmans painted scenes of poor people as well as of the well-to-do bourgeoisie. The drawing of his figures was slight and his painting was like enamel and porcelain in its smoothness, particularly in his later works. Dyckmans was a master in the refined art of painting which represented each reflection, wrinkle, hair, leaf of a tree etc. He paid painstaking attention to the details of body, clothing and environment. At the same time, he aimed to represent the emotional state of the persons represented.
One of his most successful paintings was The blind beggar. He painted the original in 1852 (Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp) and made a reduced copy which is in the National Gallery, London.[4] The painting was extremely popular in the 19th century and was repeatedly copied after it had entered the National Gallery's collection.[12] Dyckmans painted later a variation on the theme of the blind beggar of which he also made a reduced copy (private collections). The figure of the blind beggar in the painting is reportedly a self-portrait of the painter.[4]
Dyckmans painted also portraits and some cityscapes of Antwerp.[13] He further painted a still life of flowers entitled Spring flowers.