Van Dyck, Anthony (1599-1641)
Apostle Judas Thaddeus
1619–1621
Oil on oak, 61.4 × 49.7 × 2 cm
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
The so-called Böhler series of 13 busts depicting Christ and the 12 apostles (only two of them in the KHM) dates from van Dyck‘s early period. At that time, the young painter worked together with Rubens for the Jesuit Church in Antwerp. He took over the targeted lighting and the theatrical chiaroscuro effects from Rubens, but not his vitally brimming physicality. Rather, Van Dyck intensifies the expression of emotion. Characteristic of his early phase are also the applied lights, which emphasized the hair and facial areas. (KHM)