Gerard van Zyl
Encyclopedia
Gerard Pieter van Zyl, Gerrit Pietersz van Zijl, or Gerards (c.1607, Haarlem
– December 19, 1665, Amsterdam
) was a Dutch Golden Age
painter of portrait
s and genre scenes
.
. A pupil of Jacob Pynas
in Amsterdam, he worked in London from 1639 to 1641, where he was a friend of Anthony van Dyck
. His portraits were popular in his own lifetime, and according to Houbraken's biography of Jan Verkolje, he was an inspiration to aspiring portrait painters. He painted a now-lost portrait of Govert Flinck which Abraham Blooteling
made into a print.
Haarlem
Haarlem is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland, the northern half of Holland, which at one time was the most powerful of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic...
– December 19, 1665, Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
) was a Dutch Golden Age
Dutch Golden Age
The Golden Age was a period in Dutch history, roughly spanning the 17th century, in which Dutch trade, science, military and art were among the most acclaimed in the world. The first half is characterised by the Eighty Years' War till 1648...
painter of portrait
Portrait
thumb|250px|right|Portrait of [[Thomas Jefferson]] by [[Rembrandt Peale]], 1805. [[New-York Historical Society]].A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness,...
s and genre scenes
Genre painting
Genre works, also called genre scenes or genre views, are pictorial representations in any of various media that represent scenes or events from everyday life, such as markets, domestic settings, interiors, parties, inn scenes, and street scenes. Such representations may be realistic, imagined, or...
.
Biography
He is the best-known member of a family of painters active in the 16th and 17th centuries during the Dutch Golden AgeDutch Golden Age
The Golden Age was a period in Dutch history, roughly spanning the 17th century, in which Dutch trade, science, military and art were among the most acclaimed in the world. The first half is characterised by the Eighty Years' War till 1648...
. A pupil of Jacob Pynas
Jacob Pynas
The brothers Jan Symonsz Pynas and Jacob Symonsz Pynas were Dutch painters of the Baroque period. Their sister Meynsge married the artist Jan Tengnagel in 1611...
in Amsterdam, he worked in London from 1639 to 1641, where he was a friend of Anthony van Dyck
Anthony van Dyck
Sir Anthony van Dyck was a Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England. He is most famous for his portraits of Charles I of England and his family and court, painted with a relaxed elegance that was to be the dominant influence on English portrait-painting for the next...
. His portraits were popular in his own lifetime, and according to Houbraken's biography of Jan Verkolje, he was an inspiration to aspiring portrait painters. He painted a now-lost portrait of Govert Flinck which Abraham Blooteling
Abraham Blooteling
Abraham Blooteling was an eminent Dutch designer and engraver.He was born at Amsterdam. From the style of his etchings it is not unlikely that he was brought up under the Visschers. On the inroad of the French into Holland in 1672, he came to England, where he met with encouragement, but did not...
made into a print.