The Temptation of St. Anthony (Joos van Craesbeeck)

The Temptation of Saint Anthony is a (circa) 1650 painting by the Flemish artist Joos van Craesbeeck.

The Temptation of Saint Anthony
ArtistJoos van Craesbeeck
Year1650
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions78 cm × 116 cm (31 in × 46 in)
LocationStaatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany

History

After the Netherlands split into Calvinist and Catholic areas, Flemish artists were keen to revive Catholic motifs and traditions through their paintings. Craesbeeck painted this oil on canvas circa 1650.[1]

The painting was featured on the dust jacket of an edition of the novel Generation "П".[2]

Description

Artists and authors have long represented the temptation of St. Anthony in their art. Many homages to Bosch's Triptych of the Temptation of St. Anthony were made, of which Craesbeeck clearly draws inspiration.

A large screaming head dominates the painting, spewing forth many devils as a metaphor for evil thoughts given physical form. It has an open forehead which contains a miniature artist. This use of a human head as a container is likely derived from Bosch's iconography.

St. Anthony is seen in the front of the painting, sitting in a shelter and holding the Scriptures to fortify himself. The sea in front of him washes up a variety of evil spirits and other temptations.[3]

References
  1. "The Temptation of Saint Anthony - Joos van Craesbeeck". Google Arts & Culture.
  2. Pristed, Birgitte Beck (2017). The New Russian Book: A Graphic Cultural History. Springer. ISBN 9783319507088. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  3. "BBC Radio 4 - Moving Pictures, Series 2, The Temptation of Saint Anthony by Joos van Craesbeeck". BBC.
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