Van Dyck stars at Turin show

(ANSA) - Turin, November 16 - Anton van Dyck, the Flemish master who revolutionized portrait painting, is the protagonist of an exhibit on November 16-March 17 at Turin's Galleria Sabauda.
    The show, called 'Van Dyck, pittore di corte' (Van Dyck, court painter), showcases 45 paintings and 21 etchings of the artist whose work was described by Charles I of England as giving an insight into 1600s courts, "discovering the ambitions" of its protagonists.
    Organized by the Musei Reali (Royal Museums) of Turin and by the Arthemisia Group with the patronage of the Piedmont region and the City of Turin, the exhibit showcases masterworks across the painter's career, from his training to the collaboration with Peter Paul Rubens, until his years in London.
    Van Dyck's life and artistic activity was connected to the main courts of Italy and Europe of which he became the official painter - an exclusive relationship at the forefront of the show. Characterized by great formal perfection as well as the natural and spontaneous nature of his portraits, the artist's work focused on the ruling class of the time, from Prince Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia to Charles I and Mary Stuart and William II, Prince of Orange, a painting that ends the exhibit.
    Other important works at the exhibit include paintings dedicated to myths such as Venus, very much in fashion at the time.
    Enrica Pagella, the director of the Royal Museums in Turin, said the project for the show started over a year and a half ago and was "conceived to start valorizing a group of paintings at the Galleria Sabauda".
    "Along with representing the art of a great artist, this show is about the history of a royal family that succeeded in building a great museum".
    The four sections of the exhibit open with a focus on the training of the great artist and his relationship with Rubens, including some of his paintings such as Susanna and the Elders.
    The second part is dedicated to van Dyck's activity in Italy, where the artist worked on a new form of portrait painting and created an elegant language by studying the work of local artists, in particular Titian and Veneto painters.
    The years spent in Antwerp come next, at the court of Archduchess Isabella Clara Eugenia, where he replaced Rubens.
    Thirteen paintings and eight incisions are on display in this portion of the show.
    The last section is dedicated to the artist's work at the court of Charles I where he remained from 1632 until his death nine years later.