Jan Baptist Weenix Biography
Jan Baptist Weenix (1621-1661) was a Dutch painter, printmaker and draftsman of the Golden Age. He studied first in the workshop of Jan Micker and later with Abraham Bloemaert in Utrecht and with Claes Moeyaert for two years in Amsterdam.
Once he returned to Holland from his Italian stay, he began to call himself Giovanni Battista and continued to paint Italian landscapes with ruins of ancient buildings and modernly dressed figures, characterized by a bright light and good execution, whose style is very reminiscent of that of the works of Nicolaes Berchem.
His earliest known work is a dated and signed drawing of an Italian landscape with goats and sheep, a shepherd standing by a classically pillared pillar, and a large number of trees. Among his early paintings is “Sleeping Tobias,” which shows the influence of Claes Moeyaert and Rembrandt.
In the final part of his life, he radically changed his style, dedicating himself to painting still lifes and portraits. His son Jan followed in his father's footsteps by dedicating himself to painting in this particularly detailed style.
Jan Baptist used to paint with supple outlines and using rich, liquid colors, revealing the qualities appreciated by later artists and collectors. He achieved the best results in painting pastoral and animal scenes. He painted both small and large paintings: the latter are among his best works, such as "The Prodigal Son", from which Nicolaes Verkolje obtained an engraving. He was known for his exceptional talent and facility in painting and for the speed in the execution of his works. He is considered one of the best bird painters of the Dutch school.
Among his students were Melchior d'Hondecoeter, his son Jan and perhaps Nicolaes Berchem.
His works are present in various museums in the cities of Amsterdam, Antwerp, Berlin, Brighton, Cleveland, Dresden, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, New York, Paris, Rotterdam, Utrecht and Vienna.
