Spanish school following models by PAUL DE VOS (Antwerp, 1591/95 - 1678); 17th century."The

Spanish school following models by PAUL DE VOS (Antwerp, 1591/95 - 1678); 17th century.
"The hunting of the wild boar".
Oil on canvas. Re-drawn.
It has perforation and repainting.
It has faults in the frame.
Provenance: Marquises of Cortina.
Measurements: 119 x 162 cm; 142 x 187 cm (frame).
We see in this canvas a hunting scene with only animals, a particularly violent moment, full of tension and even pathos, features that are reflected both in the composition, the light and the chromatism and in the expressions of the animals. During the 17th century, in Flanders there was an increasing demand for paintings to decorate the houses of the bourgeoisie. In addition to portraits and large canvases with religious, historical or mythological themes, artists specialised in painting medium-sized works that gradually increased in size, including still lifes, animals, landscapes and genre scenes.
The present work continues the aesthetic models of Paul de Vos, an artist who specialised in hunting scenes among animals. His works are characterised by compositions with pronounced diagonals, as we see here, and by the frequent presence of live animals. In his compositions zigzags are formed to provide movement. Paul de Vos was a painter trained with Snyders who throughout his career incorporated innovative features into his work, with various variations on his hunting scenes, a genre in which he specialised. Vos was more velvety in his textures than Snyders and was characterised by a greater development of the landscape, particularly in his hunting scenes. In addition, he used a personal chromaticism based on warm tones, ranging from ochres to earthy tones, but lighter and paler than Snyders. His technique is also looser, blurring the contours and rich textures of Snyders in favour of a more atmospheric and diffuse overall appearance. Vos's work is also more dramatic and tense, as he always preferred scenes of great violence, often depicting animal struggles in a bloody and ferocious manner. His images are therefore highly pathetic, particularly evident in his hunting scenes, which are endowed with a dramatic quality that was also reflected in his illustrations of fables featuring animals. He also took a different approach to the anatomy of animals, depicting them in a less naturalistic manner, with more elongated bodies.