Jan Peter van Bredael (Antwerp, 1683 – Vienna, 1735), Cavalry Clash

Jan Peter van Bredael (Antwerp, 1683 – Vienna, 1735)

Cavalry clash

Oil on canvas, 48 x 63 cm

With frame, 61 x 76 cm

Critical notes by Dr. W. Bernt and Dr. R. Colace

Bibliography:

G. Sestieri, 'The Battle Painters, Italian and Foreign Masters of the 1999th and 544th Centuries', Rome 545, pp.XNUMX-XNUMX

Trained in the family workshop under the aegis of his father Joris van Breddel, in 1706 the artist left Antwerp to move to Prague and, subsequently, to work in the service of Prince Eugene of Savoy, a general and statesman close to the Austrian monarchy, stationed in Vienna in the early decades of the eighteenth century. In 1720, Bredael returned to his homeland where he was registered in the Guild of Saint Luke; however, he soon returned to Vienna, where he worked for the rest of his life and where he died in 1735. It is clear that the artist's fortune was dictated by the wars against the Ottoman army that took place during the early years of the eighteenth century, generating the fashion for the battle genre especially in Eastern Europe: it is no coincidence that among his most famous works we remember two paintings depicting The Battle of Petervardino (1714) and The Battle of Belgrade (1717), both today kept at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. However, it is necessary to remember that most of his compositions depict ambushes and skirmishes not specifically linked to real episodes. The works are characterised by a lively palette of Venetian taste and by a battle iconography closely connected to the pictorial tradition of Northern Europe, with particular reference to the area of ​​Flanders.

The painting in question depicts a chaotic and dynamic battle scene. In the foreground, a fight between knights takes place, with figures on horseback clashing and facing each other with swords and lances. The ground is strewn with the bodies of fallen men and animals, suggesting the violence and extreme ferocity of the battle. The composition is crowded and complex, with numerous human and animal figures filling the pictorial space. The scene is set in an open landscape, with a fortified city in the background, located on the shore of a lake. The dramatic tone of the scene is also emphasized by the sky under which the battle takes place, with white clouds standing out against an intense blue. The color palette is rich and varied, with warm and earthy tones for the human and animal figures, and cooler and brighter tones for the sky and water. The colors are applied with rapid and decisive brushstrokes, creating a sense of movement and dynamism. The details are numerous and meticulous, from the knights' armor to the horses' harnesses to the waving flags and the landscape in the background. The atmosphere that emanates from the painting is one of chaos and violence, but also of drama and pathos. The battle scene is depicted with great realism and intensity, and the viewer is involved in the scene as if he were present.