Lucas Achtschellinck facts for kids
Lucas Achtschellinck (born 1626 – died 1699) was a Flemish painter. He was known for painting beautiful landscapes. He was part of a group of artists in Brussels who loved to paint scenes from the Sonian Forest. This forest is a large, old forest near Brussels.
Life of a Landscape Painter
Lucas Achtschellinck was born in Brussels. He might have been the grandson of another landscape painter, Lukas Achtschelling. When he was young, he started learning to paint. On October 26, 1639, he joined the Brussels Guild of Saint Luke. This was like a special club or union for artists. He was a student of Pieter van der Borcht.
Some people say Lucas also studied with another Brussels landscape artist, Lodewijk de Vadder. Even though the official records don't confirm this, their painting styles were very similar.
After finishing his training, Lucas probably traveled to other countries. He became a master painter in the Brussels guild in 1657. This meant he was a fully qualified artist. On March 13, 1674, he married Anna Parys.
Lucas stayed active in Brussels throughout his life. In 1687, he became a "deacon" of the Brussels guild. This was an important leadership role. He was a successful artist and taught eight students between 1659 and 1686. One of his students was Théobald Michau. Lucas Achtschellinck passed away in Brussels.
Lucas Achtschellinck's Artworks
It's a bit tricky to know for sure which paintings Lucas Achtschellinck created. This is because he didn't often sign his artworks. However, some paintings have his special mark, called a monogram. These are usually smaller paintings. One example is a landscape painting at the Fondation Custodia.
There are also some larger paintings that people believe Lucas painted. For example, some works in the Groeningemuseum in Bruges are thought to be his. But it's hard to be completely sure. This is because his style was very similar to other famous landscape painters of his time, like Lodewijk de Vadder and Jacques d'Arthois. Sometimes, their paintings might even be mistaken for each other!
Lucas Achtschellinck had a special way of painting. He used broad brush strokes, especially when painting roads, grassy areas, and trees. He was also very good at showing how light and shadow fell on tree trunks, especially on birch trees. This gave his paintings a soft, silvery look.
He was inspired by the famous painter Peter Paul Rubens and also by Jacques d'Arthois. Lucas often painted large forest scenes for churches and monasteries. Other artists would then add people or scenes from the Holy Bible into his landscapes. He also painted the backgrounds for many works by the Antwerp painter Gaspar de Crayer.
Lucas Achtschellinck was one of the best landscape artists in Brussels during his time. He was part of a group called the "School of Painters of the Sonian Forest." This group included artists like Lodewijk de Vadder, Jacques d'Arthois, Philip van Dapels, and Cornelis Huysmans. They all loved to paint the woods and sandy areas of the Sonian Forest near Brussels.
Besides paintings, Lucas Achtschellinck also designed pictures for tapestry workshops in Brussels. Tapestries are thick, woven cloths with pictures on them. He helped create designs for big tapestry series, like those about "Dido and Aeneas" and "Perseus and Andromeda."
