Petrus van Schendel (1806-1870) was a Dutch-Belgian

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

painter in the Romantic style who specialized in nighttime scenes, lit by lamps or candles. This led to him being known as "Monsieur Chandelle".

Biography

On the advice of a family friend, who was a retired army officer, his father sent him to study at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. He studied there from 1822 to 1828 with the history painter

Mattheus Ignatius van Bree Mattheus Ignatius van Bree (Antwerp, 1773 – Antwerp, 1839) was a Belgian painter. He was one of the founders of the historical school of painting in Belgium and played an important role as a teacher in the development of 19th-century Belgian a ...

, and received a gold medal for " Perspective" upon graduating. He made a name as a portrait painter and moved frequently, living in

Breda Breda () is a city and municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Brabant. The name derived from ''brede Aa'' ('wide Aa' or 'broad Aa') and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. Breda has ...

(1828-1829), Amsterdam (1830-1832),

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

(1832-1838), and The Hague (1838-1845). He was a regular participant in the Exhibition of Living Masters and the various "Triennial Salons" of Antwerp, Brussels and

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 ...

. In 1834, he was named a member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Amsterdam. In 1845, he settled permanently in Brussels. His studio there was divided into a well-lighted space where he actually painted, and a darkened space where his models posed. He won several medals at expositions in Paris and London during the late 1840s. Some of his works were bought by King Leopold I. He also published course books on perspective and facial expression. He painted Biblical scenes and landscapes, lit by the moon, as well as his genre works and traditional portraits. Many of his paintings were also done as

ink wash Ink wash painting ( zh, t=水墨畫, s=水墨画, p=shuǐmòhuà; ja, 水墨画, translit=suiboku-ga or ja, 墨絵, translit=sumi-e; ko, 수묵화, translit=sumukhwa) is a type of Chinese ink brush painting which uses black ink, such as tha ...

drawings and made into woodcuts. In 1869, he created a few experimental paintings lit by electric

arc lamp An arc lamp or arc light is a lamp that produces light by an electric arc (also called a voltaic arc). The carbon arc light, which consists of an arc between carbon electrodes in air, invented by Humphry Davy in the first decade of the 1800s, ...

s. In addition to his art, he was interested in the mechanics of steam engines and, in 1841, patented a device for improving the blades on steamships. He also devised suggestions for improving the lateral stability of railroad cars and reclaiming the moorlands in De Kempen. He was married three times and had fifteen children; thirteen by his first wife, Elisabeth, who died in 1850.

Selected paintings

Petrus van Schendel Der Liebesbrief.jpg, ''The Love Letter'' Petrus van Schendel - Nachtelijke marine.jpg, ''Nocturnal Marine'' Petrus van Schendel Fish seller.JPG, ''Fish Seller, Evening Market'', 1843 Petrus van Schendel Lektüre bei Kerzenlicht.jpg, ''Reading by Candlelight'' Petrus van Schendel Market.jpg, ''

Night Market Night markets or night bazaars are street markets which operate at night and are generally dedicated to more leisurely strolling, shopping, and eating than more businesslike day markets. They are typically open-air markets popular in East Asia, Sou ...

'' File:Petrus van Schendel Market by candlelight.jpg, ''Market by candlelight'', 1869 File:A Gingerbread Seller by Candlelight by Petrus Van Schendel.jpg, ''A Gingerbread Seller by Candlelight''

External links

WikiGallery: More paintings by Van Schendel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schendel, Petrus Van 1806 births 1870 deaths 19th-century Dutch painters Dutch male painters People from Drimmelen Dutch genre painters Dutch portrait painters 19th-century Dutch male artists

Biography

Selected paintings

See also

Further reading

External links