Lievin Cruyl
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Lievin Cruyl or Lieven Cruyl (name variations: Levin Cruijl, Lievin Cruijl, Levin Cruyl, Livinus Cruylius, Cruylius Livinus) (5 September 1634 – before 1720) was a
Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...
priest and a draughtsman and
etcher Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...
of landscapes, seascapes, and architectural views. The drawings and etchings he made during his extended stays in Italy and Paris contributed to the development of the topographical views known as
veduta A ''veduta'' (Italian for "view"; plural ''vedute'') is a highly detailed, usually large-scale painting or, more often, print of a cityscape or some other vista. The painters of ''vedute'' are referred to as ''vedutisti''. Origins This genre ...
.


Life

He was born in
Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...
, the illegitimate (later legitimised) son of Joannae (Joanna) Meyerts and Guglielmus (Willem) Cruyl. The details about his life are not always clear, including with respect to the periods of his overseas residences. He studied theology, architecture, drawing and
etching Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...
at the University of Leuven.Lieven Cruyl’s veduti (or city views)
/ref> He was a priest in
Wetteren Wetteren () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Province of Belgium , image_flag = Flag of Oost-Vlaanderen.svg , fl ...
near Ghent from 1660 to 1664.Biographical details
at the
Nouvelle Biographie Nationale Nouvelle is a French word, the feminine form of "new". It may refer to: ;Places * Nouvelle, Quebec, a municipality in Quebec, Canada * Nouvelle-Église, a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department, France * Port-la-Nouvelle, a commune in the Aude depa ...
He was involved as an architect in the completion of the
Saint Michael's Church, Ghent Saint Michael's Church (Dutch language, Dutch: ''Sint-Michielskerk'') is a Roman Catholic church in Ghent, Belgium built in a late Gothic architecture, Gothic style. It is known for its rich interior decoration. History Documents from 1105 testif ...
, the construction of which had been interrupted because of the
iconoclastic Iconoclasm (from Greek: grc, εἰκών, lit=figure, icon, translit=eikṓn, label=none + grc, κλάω, lit=to break, translit=kláō, label=none)From grc, εἰκών + κλάω, lit=image-breaking. ''Iconoclasm'' may also be conside ...
troubles of the 16th century. He made a design for the unfinished western tower in a
Brabantine Gothic Brabantine Gothic, occasionally called Brabantian Gothic, is a significant variant of Gothic architecture that is typical for the Low Countries. It surfaced in the first half of the 14th century at St. Rumbold's Cathedral in the City of Mechele ...
style in 1662. The design was finally not implemented due to cost concerns. He travelled to Rome where he resided from 1664 to 1675.Lieven Cruyl
at the
Netherlands Institute for Art History The Netherlands Institute for Art History or RKD (Dutch: RKD-Nederlands Instituut voor Kunstgeschiedenis), previously Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (RKD), is located in The Hague and is home to the largest art history center i ...
He travelled in Italy and was in Venice in 1676. He spent time in France between 1680 and 1684 and returned to Ghent in 1684. He made trips to France and is recorded in Paris in 1688. In Ghent he was again involved in an architectural design project, this time for the spire of the
Belfry of Ghent The Belfry of Ghent ( nl, Belfort van Gent) is one of three medieval towers that overlook the old city centre of Ghent, Belgium; the other two belonging to Saint Bavo Cathedral and Saint Nicholas' Church. Its height of makes it the tallest ...
. His design for a Baroque spire dated 1684 was finally not implemented. He died in Ghent.


Work

Lieven Cruyl is mainly known for his drawings and graphic work depicting cityscapes. He made series of drawings as well as individual renderings of the landmarks of Rome. Several of the drawings were later engraved by himself and others including by
Giulio Testa Giulio () is an Italian given name. Notable people with the name include: * Giulio Alberoni (1664–1752), Italian cardinal and statesman * Giulio Alenio (1582–1649), Italian Jesuit missionary and scholar * Giulio Alfieri (1924–2002), Italian ...
. His drawings were dated, frequently by month, between 1664 and 1666 and convey a picture of a busy living city filled with ruins. This was a change from the more staged approach of classicizing painters. The panoramic settings of the drawings and the precise technique are believed to have set a standard for veduta designers and painters after him such as the Dutchman
Gaspar van Wittel Caspar van Wittel or Gaspar van Wittel (born Jasper Adriaensz van Wittel; 1652 or 1653 – September 13, 1736), known in Italian as Gaspar Vanvitelli () or (), was a Dutch painter and draughtsman who had a long career in Rome. He played a p ...
.Egbert Haverkamp-Begemann, Sir John Wyndham Pope-Hennessy. Fifteenth- to Eighteenth-century European Drawings: Central Europe, the Netherlands, France, England
Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1999, p. 280
He also had a subtle influence on
Giovanni Battista Falda Giovanni Battista Falda ( Valduggia 7 December 1643 – 22 August 1678 Rome) was an Italian architect, engraver and artist. He is known for his engravings of both contemporary and antique structures of Rome. Biography Falda was sent as a b ...
's engravings of contemporary and antique structures in Rome.Elisa Silva, The Space of Representation and Falda’s Images of Rome
Cruyl's drawings depict the topographical aspects of the urban landscape. He preferred unusual and complex perspectives which reflect the scientific construction of his drawings. His drawings reconstruct the city anew according to a specific aesthetic taste and guidelines of a graphic structure. Rome's cityscape was undergoing significant changes at the time because of the extensive building works promoted by pope
Alexander VII Pope Alexander VII ( it, Alessandro VII; 13 February 159922 May 1667), born Fabio Chigi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 April 1655 to his death in May 1667. He began his career as a vice- papal legate, an ...
to enhance the dignity of Rome and himself as the Head of the Catholic Church. Cruyl's drawings with their idealised view of Rome can to a certain extent be regarded as propaganda for pope Pope Alexander VII's urban vision of Rome.Lievin Cruyl, ''Prospectus Locorum Urbis Romae Insignium''
/ref> The views of Lieven Cruyl were also published to meet the demand of foreigners who wanted to keep souvenirs of their visit. He also made drawings of other Italian cities such as
Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
and
Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400  ...
and of places in Paris. He further drew a number of imaginary cityscapes of Jeruzalem. A drawing of the ''View of the construction of the Pont-Royal, Paris, in 1687'' was sold at
Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is ...
in London in 2009 for £97,250.


Selected works

*''A set of Twenty-three Plates of Ancient and Modern Rome''; L. Cruyl del. et scul. 1665. *''A set of Views of Roman Ruins &c.''; 1667. *''The Triumphs of the Roman Emperors''; after
Andrea Mantegna Andrea Mantegna (, , ; September 13, 1506) was an Italian painter, a student of Roman archeology, and son-in-law of Jacopo Bellini. Like other artists of the time, Mantegna experimented with perspective, e.g. by lowering the horizon in order ...
; ten plates.


Notes


Bibliography

* Benezit (2006)
"Cruyl, Liévin"
vol. 4, p. 249, in ''
Benezit Dictionary of Artists The ''Benezit Dictionary of Artists'' (in French, ''Bénézit: Dictionnaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs'') is an extensive publication of bibliographical information on painters, sculptors, designers and engravers created ...
''. Paris: Gründ. . * Esther, J.-P. (1996)
"Cruyl, Lieven"
vol. 8. p. 220, in ''
The Dictionary of Art ''Grove Art Online'' is the online edition of ''The Dictionary of Art'', often referred to as the ''Grove Dictionary of Art'', and part of Oxford Art Online, an internet gateway to online art reference publications of Oxford University Press, ...
'', 34 volumes, edited by Jane Turner. New York: Grove. . *
Jatta, Barbara Barbara Jatta (born 6 October 1962) is an Italian art historian who has been the director of the Vatican Museums since June 2016. Early life and education Jatta has joked that she was born among the smell of solvents. Her mother was a painter an ...
; Connors, Joseph (1989). ''Vedute romane di Lievin Cruyl: paesaggio urbano sotto Alessandro VII'' (exhibition catalog). Rome: Accademia americana in Roma. . * Jatta, Barbara (1992). ''Lievin Cruyl e la sua opera grafica: un artista fiammingo nell'Italia del seicento''. Brussels/Rome: Institut historique belge de Rome. .


External links

*
Facsimile of the ''Prospectus locorum urbis Romae insicnium''Works of Lieven Cruyl at The Cleveland Museum of ArtLievin Cruyl
on
artnet Artnet.com is an art market website. It is operated by Artnet Worldwide Corporation, which has headquarters in New York City, in the United States, and is owned by Artnet AG, a German publicly traded company based in Berlin that is listed on t ...

Colin Eisler – Power to Europe's Chosen Peoples. A New Maccabean Page for Louis XIV by Liévin Cruyl, in: Artibus et Historiae no. 17 (IX), 1988, pp. 31–38
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cruyl, Lieven 17th-century engravers 18th-century engravers Flemish engravers Clergy from Ghent 1634 births 1720 deaths Artists from Ghent Flemish priests