Description of the picture:
Portrait of a Knight with a Red Bandage – Anthony Van Dyck. 1625-1627. Canvas, oil. 90×70
If we very briefly identify the difference between Dutch and Flemish art of the 17th century, then we can say that in the first still lifes predominate, called “trompe l’oeil” due to realistic features and amazingly detailed images brought to illusory, in the second – ceremonial portraits. Anthony Van Dyck is the brightest representative of the genre, a master of ceremonial portraiture and religious subjects in the Baroque style.
“Portrait of a Knight with a Red Bandage” – one of the best examples of Van Dyck’s work. Compositionally, it was built beautifully: the face of the model is in the center of the horizontal of the picture, energy, strength and courage are felt in its rotation, it catches the eye of the viewer. The texture and brilliance of the knight’s lat is remarkably conveyed.
The portrait was painted during that period of life when Van Dyck (1599-1641) created unusually easily, quickly, and at the same time achieved the ideal elaboration of the works. At the end of his life, a financially constrained master was forced to write too much to manage to do so with complete artistic perfection. From 1621 to 1627 he lived in Italy, spending most of his time in the higher circles of Genoese society. Many representatives of the aristocracy became models for him. However, it has still not been possible to identify the character on this canvas. It is even possible that this is not a portrait of a real person, but some kind of allegory."