Jan Steen is a renowned Dutch genre painter of the seventeenth century. He painted over eight hundred paintings, which later inspired his followers.
Biography
Jan Steen was born in 1626 in the Dutch city of Leiden. His father was a successful brewer. The family has owned a tavern called "Red Halbert" for two generations.
Yang was the eldest of eight children in the family. He received his primary education in the Latin school. And in 1646 he entered Leiden University, but finished his studies. Instead, he became a student of the renowned Dutch painter Nikolaus Knüpfer.
View of the city of Leiden Photo: Vitum / Wikimedia Commons
It is not surprising that the influence of the master can be clearly seen in the work of Sten. In addition, many experts note that the artist could be inspired by the works of Adrian van Ostade and Isaac van Ostade, although it is not known for certain whether he was their student.
Career and creativity
In 1648 Jan Steen, together with Gabriel Metsu, founded the "Guild of Saint Luke" in Leiden. A year later, he became an assistant to the famous landscape painter Jan van Goyen. Sten later moved to The Hague, where he worked with Van Goyen until 1654.
City of The Hague Photo: Rene Mensen / Wikimedia Commons
He then went to Delft to help his father rent the De Slang brewery. It is said that Sten also opened a tavern in his house. But not very successful in this matter
He continued to paint and in 1655 created one of his masterpieces, The Burgomaster of Delft and His Daughter. In 1656, Steen moved to Warmond, where he lived until 1660. In his works of this period, the artist's keen interest in the depiction of still life can be traced.
In 1660 Jan Steen moved to Haarlem, where he lived for about ten years and created many of his paintings. As a rule, during this period, the artist depicted large and complex scenes in his works. For example, in 1667 the painting "The Feast of Antony and Cleopatra" was painted.
City of Haarlem Photo: M. Minderhoud / Wikimedia Commons
In 1669, his wife Margriet died, and in 1970 his father died. Then Jan Steen decided to return to Leiden, where he spent the rest of his life. In 1672, a crisis hit the art market and Sten returned to the family business, opening a tavern in his home. At the same time, the artist was engaged in painting paintings that differ in a certain grace from his earlier works.
In total, Jan Steen created more than eight hundred paintings in his life. Of these, only three hundred and fifty have survived to this day.
Family and personal life
Jan Steen's first wife was the daughter of the famous artist Jan van Goyen Margriet. They married on October 3, 1649. She bore him seven children: Eve, Constantine, Hayvik, Johann, Katarina, Cornelis and Thaddeus. In 1669, Magriet died.
Four years after the death of his first wife, in April 1673, Jan Steen married Maria Van Egmont. Mary gave birth to his son Theodore.
City of Delft Photo: Ferditje / Wikimedia Commons
Jan Steen died in Leiden on February 3, 1679 and was buried in Piterskerk in their family grave.
