Alexander Adriaenssen Circle

Circle of ALEXANDER ADRIAENSSEN (Antwerp, 1587- 1661); XVII century.
"Still life".
Oil on panel.
It has a frame of the nineteenth century.
Measurements: 64.5 x 48 cm; 85 x 70 cm (frame).
This canvas depicts a still life of kitchen, composed of numerous elements located mostly in the foreground, with a style that relates directly to the school of Haarlem. The scene is divided into two levels, one lower and one upper. We see the elements that make up the still life arranged in a disorganized, although clear, on a flat surface that runs parallel to the lower margin of the painting. A resource that defined the Dutch school.
Alexander Adriaenssen was a Flemish Baroque painter, known especially for his still lifes of fish and game, although he also painted banquet compositions that included food and flowers.
Born in Antwerp, he was the son of the well-known composer and lutenist Emmanuel Adriaenssen and Sibilla Crelin. He had two brothers who also devoted themselves to painting. Alexander began his artistic training in 1597 as an apprentice to Artus van Laeck. In 1610 he became master of the Guild of St. Luke in Antwerp. He was initially registered as a watercolor painter, specializing in coats of arms on parchment, but later developed great skill in oil painting, focusing his production on still lifes. His talent earned him the admiration of figures such as Rubens, who acquired two of his works, and Anthony van Dyck, who even painted his portrait.
His work spanned from 1623 to 1661, with his period of greatest activity between 1630 and 1650. He was particularly noted for his still lifes with fish, the subject of more than 60 compositions, making him the painter who dealt most extensively with this motif in 17th century Antwerp. His still lifes were influenced by Frans Snyders and often include elements such as artichokes, birds and live cats. He also produced pronkstillevens, ostentatious still lifes with luxurious tableware and glassware, a subgenre developed in Antwerp in the 1640s.
Stylistically, his work reflects the influence of the Haarlem school, with compositions marked by an asymmetrical diagonal arrangement, spatial depth through the superimposition of objects on different planes and a sober palette, tending towards monochromatism. One of the most notable characteristics of his painting was chromatic purity.