Happy Halloween!

All Hallows' Eve and the Harvest is Splendid!

Nice, tall pumpkins from the field and

 a market of color and shapes just waiting for faces.

Jan Lievens

Jan Lievens, a Dutch painter, the son of a tapestry worker, was born on October 24, 1607 in the city of Lieden, Dutch Republic.  He began a formal study of art at the age of eight and was apprenticed to Pieter Lastman two years later.  Lievens began working and making a living as an artist at the age of twelve.  This early display of talent made him a celebrity and brought him attention from influential political figures.

Self Portrait of Jan Lievens

From 1626 to 1631 Lievens collaborated with Rembrandt van Rijn, sharing models, subject matter, and possibly a studio.  Lievens painted several portraits of Rembrandt.  His work has often been confused with that of Rembrandt; it was only in the twentieth century that "The Feast of Esther," long attributed to Rembrandt, was finally determined to be the work of Lievens.

The Feast of Esther

Jan Lievens

North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, NC

Lievens subjects ranged from formal portraits and character studies to classical mythology, Biblical scenes, and landscapes.

Landscape with Hagar and the angel

Jan Lievens

Musée de Beaux-Arts, Rouen, France

At the age of 31 Lievens was invited to the British court.  Later he served as a court painter in The Hague and in Berlin.  He returned to Amsterdam in 1655 and died there in 1672.