Jan Baptiste Lodewijk Maes

JAN BAPTISTE LODEWIJK MAES (Belgium, 1794- 1856).
"Mary Magdalene."
Oil on canvas. Relined.
Measurements: 93 x 124 cm; 96 x 127 cm (frame).
In this work, Jan Baptist Lodewyck Maes represents Mary Magdalene in an attitude of deep contemplation. The figure, bathed in a light, transmits a serene spirituality, accentuated by the softness of the shadows and the richness of the chromatic shades. The painter resorts to a restrained naturalism that avoids theatricality, favoring instead the intimate expression of religious sentiment. The treatment of the skin, the folds and the enveloping atmosphere reveal a clear attention to detail, but also a sensitivity to the emotional dimension of the scene, which appears impregnated with silence and recollection.
Jan Baptist Lodewyck Maes, also known as Maes-Canini, was born in Ghent on September 30, 1794 and died in Rome on April 7, 1856. He was a Belgian genre painter who spent most of his career in Italy. He trained at the Academy of Ghent and already in 1810 he participated for the first time in the exhibition of this city. His precocious talent allowed him to win all the prizes in the competitions he entered, and in 1820 he received a scholarship from the city of his birth. A year later, thanks to the prestigious Belgian Rome Prize, he embarked on a journey that took him first to Paris, in the company of Frans Vervloet, and then to Italy. In 1822 he devoted himself to copying works by the great masters in the Uffizi Gallery, a decisive experience for the consolidation of his style.
In 1824 he settled in Rome, where three years later he married the daughter of the engraver Bartolomeo Canini. In order to Italianize his name, Maes added his wife's surname to his own, becoming known as Maes-Canini.
Although he resided in Italy until the end of his life, Maes always maintained a close relationship with his hometown, regularly sending works to Belgian salons. His prestige led to his appointment as a corresponding member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences. Maes' career is thus part of the movement of Belgian artists who found in Rome not only artistic inspiration, but also a favorable environment to consolidate a career of international resonance.