Gerard van Opstal (c. 1597-1668)Gerard van Opstal was a pupil of the Brussels artist Niklaas Diodone. In Antwerp he collaborated with his father-in-law, the sculptor Hans van Mildert. Around 1642 he moved to Paris, where he remained for the rest of his life. He produced many architectural carvings, including work for the Louvre. In 1648 he helped found the royal art academy, the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, in Paris. Van Opstal's work reveals a combination of influences: lavish Baroque and classical elements. In addition to carvings in stone, Van Opstal also produced reliefsReliefThe word 'relief' is taken from the Latin 'relevare', meaning 'to raise'. In a relief design or sculpture, parts of the object are raised. In a work of art this might be a depiction, but it also includes the background. In a relief the foreground merges into the background. There are several kinds of relief. If less than half the depiction projects from the surface it is a low relief or 'basso rilievo'; 'mezzo rilievo' is when half the volume of the figures projects from the surface; if more than half is shown the term is high relief, or 'alto rilievo'. Inverted relief, in which the depiction is carved into the surface, is known as 'cavo rilievo' or hollow relief. in ivory. The latter were greatly admired. Louis XIV had 17 of them in his collection. |
