Papers by robert schillemans
Jaarboek Oud Utrecht Issn 0923 7046 1993 P 5 18, 1993
Journal of Historians of Netherlandish Art
Just after his arrival in Amsterdam, Lairesse painted an impressive series of six paintings on th... more Just after his arrival in Amsterdam, Lairesse painted an impressive series of six paintings on the infancy of Jesus. This article argues that the series must have been made for the Catholic South, presumably for an ecclesiastical institute in Liège or vicinity. Its character connects his painted cycle with the Counter-Reformation. Lairesse involves the viewer closely with the religious content, encouraging meditation, contemplation, and reflection. Despite his flight to Protestant Amsterdam, and his joining (as a full member) the Francophone Walloon Reformed Church, Lairesse continued to maintain warm links with the highest circles in his native Liège. In the Infancy of Jesus, Lairesse thoroughly studied the engravings of Goltzius's Life of Mary (as well as Rubens and Rembrandt). He always added grace, idealism, and decorum to a setting and composition that he himself described as "genuinely Antique.".
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Papers by robert schillemans