The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (438 page)
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Seghers , Daniel
(1590–1661).
The leading Flemish flower painter of the generation after Jan
Brueghel
, who was his master. He worked in his native Antwerp, where he joined the Jesuit Order in 1614. The words ‘Society of Jesus’ usually follow his signature and in 1625–7 he stayed with the Order in Rome. The records of his community in Antwerp, which still survive, give an account of his considerable fame and the distinguished persons who visited him—among them the future Charles II of England. His works could not be sold like those of an ordinary artist, but were presented as gifts by the Order, and the princely patrons in return sent lavish treasures including holy relics and a gold palette and brushes. Seghers's work consists mainly of garlands or ‘swags’ (festoons) of flowers, often painted around a Madonna and Child or a
Pietà
by another artist. He collaborated with his friend
Rubens
in this way. Much rarer are his bouquets of flowers in a glass vase, where brilliant colours stand out against a dark background. Their simplicity makes it easier to appreciate his lovely creamy touch (his brushwork was broader than Brueghel's but unerringly sure) and they rank among the most beautiful flower pieces ever painted.
The leading Flemish flower painter of the generation after Jan
Brueghel
, who was his master. He worked in his native Antwerp, where he joined the Jesuit Order in 1614. The words ‘Society of Jesus’ usually follow his signature and in 1625–7 he stayed with the Order in Rome. The records of his community in Antwerp, which still survive, give an account of his considerable fame and the distinguished persons who visited him—among them the future Charles II of England. His works could not be sold like those of an ordinary artist, but were presented as gifts by the Order, and the princely patrons in return sent lavish treasures including holy relics and a gold palette and brushes. Seghers's work consists mainly of garlands or ‘swags’ (festoons) of flowers, often painted around a Madonna and Child or a
Pietà
by another artist. He collaborated with his friend
Rubens
in this way. Much rarer are his bouquets of flowers in a glass vase, where brilliant colours stand out against a dark background. Their simplicity makes it easier to appreciate his lovely creamy touch (his brushwork was broader than Brueghel's but unerringly sure) and they rank among the most beautiful flower pieces ever painted.
Seghers , Gerard
(1591–1651).
Flemish painter of religious subjects, active mainly in his native Antwerp, where he is said to have been taught by
Janssens
. At some time between 1611 and 1620 he travelled in Italy (and probably also in Spain) and he became one of the very few noteworthy Flemish
Caravaggesque
artists. By the time he painted
The Assumption of the Virgin
(Musée de Peinture et de Sculpture, Grenoble, 1629), however, he had fallen under the allpervasive influence of
Rubens
. Seghers had a successful career supplying altarpieces for churches in Antwerp and Ghent and also enjoyed considerable patronage from clients in Spain.
Flemish painter of religious subjects, active mainly in his native Antwerp, where he is said to have been taught by
Janssens
. At some time between 1611 and 1620 he travelled in Italy (and probably also in Spain) and he became one of the very few noteworthy Flemish
Caravaggesque
artists. By the time he painted
The Assumption of the Virgin
(Musée de Peinture et de Sculpture, Grenoble, 1629), however, he had fallen under the allpervasive influence of
Rubens
. Seghers had a successful career supplying altarpieces for churches in Antwerp and Ghent and also enjoyed considerable patronage from clients in Spain.
Seghers , Hercules
(1589/90–1633/8).
Dutch painter and etcher of landscapes, one of the most original and most enigmatic figures in the history of Dutch art. Few details of his life are known. He was born in Haarlem, studied with Gillis van
Coninxloo
in Amsterdam, and worked also in Utrecht and The Hague, where he is last mentioned in 1633. The woman who was evidently his second wife is described as a widow in 1638. Hardly more than a dozen surviving paintings can be securely attributed to him, although contemporary documents show he certainly painted more. None of the paintings are dated and his chronology is difficult to reconstruct. He painted almost exclusively mountainous scenes, fantastic or
Romantic
in conception but advanced in the naturalistic treatment of light and atmosphere. They are usually fairly small, but they suggest vast distances, and with their jagged rocks, shattered tree trunks, and menacing skies convey a sense of almost tragic desolation. Only
Rembrandt
and
Ruisdael
among Dutch artists attained a similar degree of emotional intensity in landscape painting, and Seghers certainly influenced Rembrandt, who owned no less than eight of his paintings. Seghers's etchings, are also rare (the latest catalogue lists 54, with 183 known impressions) and are perhaps even more original than his paintings. He experimented with coloured inks and dyed papers, so that extraordinarily different impressions could be made from the same plate, a dark paper printed with pale ink transforming a daylight scene into a haunting nocturnal view. Sometimes he printed on linen, which emphasized the vigorous and grainy quality of his work. Every print was an individual work rather than an item in a standardized commercial edition:
Hoogstraten
said that he ‘printed paintings’. They are unique in European art of the time, and it is often pointed out that some of them have a strange spiritual kinship with Chinese art. The best collection of his etchings is in the Print Room at Amsterdam. In 1678 Hoogstraten published a highly coloured account of Seghers's unhappy career, his desperate experiments with etchings, and his eventual poverty and drunkenness, adding that he was killed by falling downstairs when intoxicated. Although the account may be exaggerated, Seghers certainly had financial problems (he was forced to sell his house in Amsterdam in 1631), and it seems likely that he was little appreciated in his day.
Dutch painter and etcher of landscapes, one of the most original and most enigmatic figures in the history of Dutch art. Few details of his life are known. He was born in Haarlem, studied with Gillis van
Coninxloo
in Amsterdam, and worked also in Utrecht and The Hague, where he is last mentioned in 1633. The woman who was evidently his second wife is described as a widow in 1638. Hardly more than a dozen surviving paintings can be securely attributed to him, although contemporary documents show he certainly painted more. None of the paintings are dated and his chronology is difficult to reconstruct. He painted almost exclusively mountainous scenes, fantastic or
Romantic
in conception but advanced in the naturalistic treatment of light and atmosphere. They are usually fairly small, but they suggest vast distances, and with their jagged rocks, shattered tree trunks, and menacing skies convey a sense of almost tragic desolation. Only
Rembrandt
and
Ruisdael
among Dutch artists attained a similar degree of emotional intensity in landscape painting, and Seghers certainly influenced Rembrandt, who owned no less than eight of his paintings. Seghers's etchings, are also rare (the latest catalogue lists 54, with 183 known impressions) and are perhaps even more original than his paintings. He experimented with coloured inks and dyed papers, so that extraordinarily different impressions could be made from the same plate, a dark paper printed with pale ink transforming a daylight scene into a haunting nocturnal view. Sometimes he printed on linen, which emphasized the vigorous and grainy quality of his work. Every print was an individual work rather than an item in a standardized commercial edition:
Hoogstraten
said that he ‘printed paintings’. They are unique in European art of the time, and it is often pointed out that some of them have a strange spiritual kinship with Chinese art. The best collection of his etchings is in the Print Room at Amsterdam. In 1678 Hoogstraten published a highly coloured account of Seghers's unhappy career, his desperate experiments with etchings, and his eventual poverty and drunkenness, adding that he was killed by falling downstairs when intoxicated. Although the account may be exaggerated, Seghers certainly had financial problems (he was forced to sell his house in Amsterdam in 1631), and it seems likely that he was little appreciated in his day.
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