Frans Franken II (Antwerp, 1581 - 1618)

FRANS FRANKEN II (Antwerp, 1581 - 1618)
"Ascent to Calvary".
Oil on copper.
Measurements: 70 x 85 cm; 102 x 117 cm (with frame).
The Flemish painters of the late mannerism and the first baroque demonstrated a special mastery in the simultaneous treatment of the group composition or of great masses and the individualized characterization of gestures and attitudes, aspect that in this painting of Frans Franken son is magnificently manifested. In the foreground, Jesus, on his way to Calvary, has stopped to be helped by Veronica, who is about to dry his face with the cloth she spreads before him. Alongside this main scene, other contemporary narratives unfold, and behind it the crowd climbs the slope to attend the crucifixion, which leads us to cross another temporal threshold. If the vivid colors and lively expressions of the foreground capture the agitation of the present, the range of grisaille fleeing to the top of Golgotha symbolizes the transition to the next episode of Christ's Passion. In the background, the city of Jerusalem can be seen, its detailed urban outline outlined under a mottled cerulean sky. The descriptive naturalism is expressed in the eagerness to detail every quality and texture of fabrics and garments, tunics and headdresses, but it is also expressed in the variety of gestures before the event. And from this desire to capture the group and instantaneous behavior, he passes to a second term where the instantaneous vivacity and color leaves its place to a gray mantle of dreamlike character and a dreamy orography.
Flemish painter born in Antwerp, son of Frans Francken I and nephew of Hieronimus Francken. In 1605 he entered the Guild of Painters of St. Luke of his native city, beginning a career that would last until 1640 in which he specialized as a painter of cabinet works. Very important is his contribution to the genre of the paintings of painting galleries, which would influence artists like Teniers. His work is based on that of Jan Brueghel de Velours, although it also has evident influences of his ancestors of the Francken family. The debts of his earliest productions with Mannerism and 16th century painting can be seen in the structure of the compositions, as well as in the rhythm and expression of his figures. In addition, these include evident allusions to the work of Italian artists such as Raphael, Veronese or Zuccaro. Likewise, the use of prints by Dürer or Lucas of Leyden for some of his figures has been demonstrated. Francken II's rich production can be divided into four stages. The first works denote his initial connection with the painting and style of the 16th century. In a second stage, from 1610 onwards, his palette becomes clearer, while the themes and interpretations, tirelessly repeated through various replicas, provide him with an immense and easily recognizable pictorial corpus. This is the time of the inclusion of figures, especially stereotypical women who will be repeated throughout his work. In a third moment, from 1620 onwards, typical male figures wearing turbans or Phrygian hats begin to appear, while his compositions denote a profoundly eclectic character. The general luminosity now reaches its zenith, determining the chromatic scheme of the work, partly influenced by the general harmonization that occurred at the same time in history painting in the Flemish school. He was commissioned to paint the altar of the Guild of the Four Crowned Martyrs in Antwerp Cathedral (Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp). Also noteworthy is his collaboration with other artists, in whose landscapes or interior scenes he painted the figures, being common his cooperation with Tobias Verhaecht, Joost de Momper II, Pieter Neefs or Paul Vredeman de Vries, among others.