The Life and Journey of Cornelis van der Meulen
Born in Dordrecht, Cornelis van der Meulen was the son of a cloth maker, Cornelis Adriaensz. van der Meulen, and Helena Gijsbrecht van der Spiegel. His artistic foundation was laid in the late 1650s while studying under Samuel van Hoogstraten, a painter who had been a pupil of Rembrandt. This training directed him toward the specialized genre of trompe-l'œil still lifes. It is possible that he traveled to Italy and spent time in Rome, as some of his works feature a statuette of Saint Susanna based on a sculpture by François Duquesnoy located in Rome.
Van der Meulen eventually moved to Sweden, arriving in Stockholm sometime in the first half of 1678. By the following year, he was a member of the Stockholm painters' guild. His career in Sweden included serving as a court painter, and in 1683, he was commissioned to assist with the decoration of Drottningholm Palace, the private residence of the Swedish royal family. He died in Stockholm and was buried there on 5 January 1692.
Artistic Themes and Subject Matter
The known works of van der Meulen consist of a limited number of pieces, many of which are still lifes. His repertoire includes:
- Trompe-l'œil still lifes: Including quod-libet compositions where objects like letters, drawings, and cutlery are depicted as if pinned to a wooden surface.
- Vanitas still lifes: Works utilizing symbols such as skulls, soap bubbles, candles, empty glasses, wilting flowers, insects, smoke, watches, mirrors, books, hourglasses, and musical instruments to evoke the transient nature of life.
- Flower and game pieces: Still life paintings focusing on flora and hunted animals.
- Portraits: Including unique vanitas still life paintings that incorporate bust sculptures of the princes Ulrik and Gustav.
- Topographical views: Specifically a panoramic view of Stockholm, likely produced using a camera obscura.
Otázky a odpovědi
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V jakém městě a z jaké země pochází Cornelis van der Meulen?
Cornelis van der Meulen se narodil(a) ve městě Dordrecht v zemi Netherlands.
Odkud pochází Cornelis van der Meulen?
Cornelis van der Meulen se narodil(a) v Netherlands.
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