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Philippe Swyncop Flemish School Oil on Canvas Allegory of Peace and the Arts Philippe Swyncop
$11,624.07
£8,641.20
€9,720
CA$16,215.32
A$17,589.96
CHF 9,249.78
MX$214,034.23
NOK 115,637.18
SEK 109,060.06
DKK 74,023.69
About the Item
One of a kind and very important oil on canvas signed and dated by the Belgian artist Philippe Swyncop (1878 – 1949) in the lower left corner. The plaque at the bottom of the frame reads: “Peace and the Arts are worth more than the brutal glory of arms.” That is, Peace and the arts are worth more than the brutal glory of arms. The canvas, therefore, represents an allegory of the triumph of peace and the arts over the brutal consequences of war.
On the right side, standing, a man representing War, engulfed in shadows, holding the sword with which he has just killed a young man, whose body appears lying on the ground in a violent foreshortening, his head seeming to protrude beyond the limits of the canvas. Beside him, a woman weeps inconsolably for her loss, representing the devastation and horrors caused by war.
And opposite War, the arts. On the left side, the vegetation becomes exuberant. The color accompanies the meaning of the work. All the meaning seems contained in the infant, the only figure who looks directly at the viewer and smiles.
In this work, the characteristics of Flemish painting can be appreciated. This school originated in the 15th century and played a fundamental role in European art history during the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries, although its influence continued into subsequent centuries. During the Baroque period, Rubens was the most influential artist and the one who best expressed the tendencies of this movement. Rubens's work is marked by his time in Italy, where he devoted himself to the study of Classical Antiquity and the Italian Renaissance, especially attracted to the Venetian School and to artists such as Caravaggio and Annibale Carracci, from whom he drew his sensitivity and sense of beauty compatible with the energetic expression of emotion. Due to the influence of Flemish painting, the figures are shown to be rotund and voluminous, with a very precise anatomical study. The complexity of the composition is also notable, with numerous figures and a complicated arrangement. The importance of color over drawing cannot be overlooked, to which is added the loose, vaporous brushwork, still reminiscent of Rubens' study and assimilation of the characteristics of the Venetian School, along with the decorative sense.
In the center of the composition, the vegetation opens to reveal an open field where, in a distant plane, a couple dances. The triumph of life. It is also a reminder of the literary figure "hortus conclusus," which first appears in the biblical story of the Song of Songs, evoking Eden, the idyllic, enclosed garden created by God for man and from which he was expelled. It was precisely the desire to recover this lost paradise that drove the poetic character of this figure and made it endure over time, from the earliest medieval representations (based on Christian interpretations) to the various artistic trends of the 20th century.
Philippe Swyncop was a Belgian-born painter, draftsman, and illustrator. He trained at the Brussels Academy, although he never stopped traveling, which led to his personal style being shaped by the combination of multiple influences. His works contain constant references to Renaissance art and the nudes of the great masters of painting, demonstrating his classical and academic training. He is especially recognized for his portraits, which is why this major work stands out among his output, given its large size and subject matter. It is a blend of the modernism characteristic of the period in which he lived and his profound desire to evoke a refined, idealized classicism of exuberant beauty, thus seeking to connect with the great masters of earlier eras.
Technical details
Support technique: Oil on canvas
Title of the work: “Peace and the arts are worth more than the brutal glory of arms”
Author: Philippe Swyncop
School: Flemish School
Year: 1903
Country of origin: Belgium
Provenance: Important private collection
Good condition commensurate with age and use
Overall dimensions: 118 x 170 x 5 cm
Unframed dimensions: 100 x 150 cm
- Creator:Philippe Swyncop (1878 - 1949, Belgian)
- Dimensions:Height: 46.46 in (118 cm)Width: 66.93 in (170 cm)Depth: 1.97 in (5 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Valladolid, ES
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2885217009422
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