Descrizione
Storia dell’Arte 141, Maggio – Agosto 2015
Tania De Nile
“Fantasmi notturni” dopo Bosch: la nascita di un nuovo canone nelle tentazioni di Cornelis Saftleven e David Teniers II
The article discusses the changes and innovations brought about by Cornelis Saftleven and David Teniers the Younger to the 17th century genre of spoockerijen. By the beginning of the century the representations of monsters and St. Anthony’s temptations had come to form a well defined artistic genre, that reached far beyond the mere imitation of Hieronymus Bosch’s and Pieter Brueghel the Elder’s works. Despite the undeniable link with these painters, the author intends to show that 17th century artists have played an important role in the categorization and evolution of this genre. The most significant innovation was the rising of a new model in Teniers’ temptations, which were imitated by the majority of the Antwerpen artists. The article sheds light on the Dutch painter Cornelis Saftleven, who was one of the most influential spoockschilders and the main source of inspiration for Teniers’ temptations. Finally, it explains why Teniers’ works were so successful and widespread: they were based on a closed iconographic system, therefore easily replicable within the art market.
