Behind the Curtains: The Secrets of the Art Gallery of Cornelius Van der Geest

Detailed and fascinating online lecture from the Wallace Collection looking at a painting from 1628 “The Art Gallery of Cornelius der Geest” by Willem Van Haecht.

Ben Van Beneden, Director of Rubenshius where the picture is on display, took us through the genre of gallery or cabinet paintings before taking us through this work in detailed. He started by identifying paintings and sculptures in the picture then moved on to the people. I loved the detail of this and the detective work involved.

He then looked at how the images of many of the people in the work were based on portraits by Rubens and Van Dyck and argued that the work could almost be considered a collaboration between them with the aim of recording their social and intellectual group. He likened this to the Stoic philosophy they admired and the idea that it shows the ingenuity of art and the art of looking.

 

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