Frans (the Younger) Francken
(1581 - 6 May 1642) |
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genre scenes, cabinet paintings, altarpieces Art Work
| Name: |
Frans (the Younger) Francken |
| Gender: |
Male |
| Place of Birth: |
Antwerp, Netherlands |
| Nationality: |
Flemish |
| Birth: |
1581 |
| Death: |
6 May 1642 |
| Website: |
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| Past Auctions: |
Click Here |
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Quick Facts
| Known For: |
genre scenes, cabinet paintings, altarpieces |
| Medium: |
oil painting |
| Method: |
oil painting |
| Style: |
Baroque |
| Fine Art Profession(s): |
Painter
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Biography
Frans the Younger's work is notable for his mingling of genre and histories, making traditional religious subjects come to life by crowding scenes with figures and activity. Frans also specialized in painting art collections. He endowed his characters with vivid expressions and painted his scenes with lively colors and smooth, if painterly, surfaces.
The pupil of his father, Frans the Elder, he joined the Antwerp Guild in 1605. The son's style is so close to that of other members of his family that their works are often confused. Moreover, he collaborated frequently, particularly with his brother Ambrosius II and his sons Frans III and Hieronymus III. To distinguish himself from his father, the second Frans added The Younger to his signature until about 1616. Thereafter he signed himself The Older in order to distinguish his work from that of his own son.
Besides large altarpieces, such as that Four Crowned and Condemned Martyrs signed and dated, 1624, Antwerp, Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, or The Assumption dated 1628, Amiens Cathedral, Frans Francken the Younger authored many smaller cabinet sized mythologies, allegories, and biblical subjects. It is on his cabinets that his reputation now rests. His Allegory of Fortune Compiegne, Musde National du Chateau is a wonderful picture, admirably juxtaposing open space and a single silhouetted figure with a densely packed scene below. He made particularly notable contributions to the development of picture gallery themes and scenes of contemporary high society. His portrayal of 4 Collector's Gallery Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum is a marvelous example of visual reportage. |
Samples of Work
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