Alexander Casteels

ALEXANDER CASTEELS THE ELDER (Antwerp, ca. 1635-1681-82).
"Battle."
Oil on canvas.
Relined.
Signed with monogram in the lower margin, in the central-right part.
Measurements: 97 x 133 cm; 113 x 148 cm (frame).

This battle scene of the painter Alexander Casteels gathers several elements of the great works of the Flemish baroque: the great number of figures multiplying the scenes in the bosom of a scenographic landscape, the dramatic choreography that draw the falling bodies and the rearing horses, the expressive dramatism of the stormy sky? Silver lights shine on the metal of the armor and rifles, as well as on the smooth fur of the foreshortened horses. The cavalry, if we pay attention to the clothing, could respond to armies contemporary to Casteels. The author lived through turbulent times, as endless battles were taking place between the Netherlands and the troops of Philip II of Spain. However, Casteels used to treat the war theme in an abstract way, devoid of historical or local references, since his intention was to exalt the epic of war itself. His great interest was to capture the din of battle and the sublimity of the wooded landscape. Both aspects have been amply achieved in this scene.

Alexander Casteels the Elder was a Flemish painter, mostly known for his battle scenes and landscapes with hunters. Casteels trained in Antwerp, where he entered the guild of St. Luke in 1658/59. He worked with the Antwerp art dealer Forchondt, who traded his works throughout Europe. He was one of the leading artists of the Forchondt firm in the second half of the century. They sold his works mainly in Central and Eastern Europe, where his hunting and battle scenes were in demand among the local aristocrats. He belonged to the highest paid artists working for Forchondt. His cavalry battles do not depict any recognizable historical event, but are imaginary, as in the case of "Joshua Fighting the Amalekites" (National Gallery of Slovenia), which depicts a story from the Bible. In this work, the artist has been inspired by the engravings made from the paintings of Antonio Tempesta. This is visible in the composition, the treatment of the landscape and the arrangement of the horses and riders. He also often painted the then popular theme of the battle between Christians and Turks, of which two examples are preserved in the collection of the Bavarian State Paintings Collections. The son of the founder of the Forchondt firm, who lived in Vienna, expressly requested that small and large battle scenes by Alexander and another battle painter active in Antwerp named Pauwels Casteels, possibly a member of the family, be sent to Vienna, as there was a great demand for his battle scenes in central and eastern Europe.