A self-portrait of 1614, made when he was just 15 years old, reveals Anthony van Dyck to have been a prodigy. The waves of ginger hair behind his left cheek suggest we’ve caught him mid motion, but the work as a whole is one of remarkable poise – a quality that distinguishes the many portraits of royals and aristocrats he painted over the course of his life. Like his teacher Rubens, Van Dyck criss-crossed Europe: at the age of 21 he spent a year at the court of James I in England before moving to Italy, where he lived until his late twenties. He spent his thirties moving between Antwerp, Brussels, the Hague and Paris before settling in England – working as court painter to Charles I – where he died at the age of 42. This exhibition in Genova presents van Dyck as a painter who soaked up influences, and made a mark, wherever he went. But rather than being arranged by place, the show explores his work by theme, showing us how he depicted family, patriotism and religion, among other things (20 March–19 July).
Find out more from the Palazzo Ducale’s website.
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