B. van der Helst (1613-1670)Bartholomeus van der Helst, who was born in Haarlem in 1613, learned his trade as a painter in Amsterdam. As a young artist he soon enjoyed considerable fame, as his prestigious commissions testify. The enormous civic guard portraits that he painted in the early 1640s reveal Van der Helst's talent for composing large groups of figures. He was also gifted in portraying his subjects in confident poses. Van der Helst's 'Celebration of the Peace of Munster' ranked for many years alongside Rembrandt's 'Night Watch'. Until his death in 1670, Van der Helst remained the leading portrait painter of Amsterdam's patrician class. Beside portraits, Van der Helst also painted genre pieces, a few biblical scenes and various depictions of mythologicalClassical mythology'Mythology' comes from the Greek word 'muthos', meaning the spoken word, or story. A myth is a story about gods or deities. Mythology is all the stories combined. In theory, all cultures have their own mythology. Usually, however, the word mythology refers to the stories of classical antiquity. In these the main protagonists are the gods of Greece and Rome. themes. |
