Anthony Van Dyck Analysis

The artist of this famous artwork was Anthony Van Dyck. Anthony Van Dyck was a Flemish baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England. It was a oil-on-canvas portrait of Charles 1 of England by Anthony Van Dyck in the year 1635.The title of this artwork was “Charles 1 at the hunt.” The 207cm length and 266cm height painting depicts Charles in lighter colors to the left of the painting, standing out against the darker background. The current location of the painting is Paris, France and was displayed at Musee du Louvre. (article)

Anthony Van Dyck was a famous leading court painter in England. He was particularly well known for redefining the iconographical style as well as his fresh approach to new color schemes. Furthermore he also painted biblical and mythological subjects and was an accomplished engraver in his own

In this portrait, he is towering over the landscape, in fact his head is seen against the sky below the high boughs of that tree, Van Dyck very cleverly framed his face by his hat, so that the face is not lost against the brightness of the sky. The image of Charles 1 is a symbol of power, his informal hunting costume is enough to express his complete control of the state. The painting describes Charles in lighter colors to the left of the painting, standing out against the darker ground and the shadowed servants and horse under a tree to the right. He stands dismounted as if surveying his domain and the sea beyond. (video)His overall pose is a subtle compromise between gentlemanly nonchalance and regal assurance: one hand proudly on his hip, the other resting on his walking stick, as noble an attribute as the sword at his side. The low angle viewpoint accentuates the king’s haughty expression. The color palette for this painting is dark and the artist only uses dashes of bold and bright colors to lighten certain areas of the canvas those surrounding the king.