The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (170 page)

 
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(1615–60).
Dutch painter, active mainly in Amsterdam. He studied with
Rembrandt
in the early 1630s, and his early work was overwhelmingly influenced by his master. From the mid 1640s, however, he adopted the elegant style of van der
Helst
, with which he had great success. In 1659 he was awarded the most important commission a Dutch painter of his time could receive: he was asked to paint twelve pictures for
van Campen's
new Town Hall of Amsterdam, eight of which (each about 5m. high) were to represent the story of
The Revolt of the Batavians
. But Flinck died three months after signing the contract and the commission was divided among Rembrandt,
Lievens
, and
Jordaens
.

 
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(1880–1969).
British painter and graphic artist. He was trained as a lithographer and was a prolific book illustrator, but is now best remembered for his watercolours (particularly his mildly erotic nudes), painted in a distinctive and rather flashy style.

 
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Floris
(or Floris de Vriendt)
.

Netherlandish family of artists active in Antwerp. The most important members were the brothers
Cornelis
(1514–75) and
Frans
(
c.
1516–70). They worked in Italy in the early 1540s and returned to Antwerp with a desire to emulate the Italian
Renaissance
manner. Both ran flourishing workshops and became principal representatives of ‘Romanism’ in Flanders. Cornelis was an architect and sculptor and also published engravings of Italianate motifs, which were used by many northern artists. He is famous principally as the architect of Antwerp Town Hall (1561–5), the finest and most influential building of the 16th cent in Flanders. Frans Floris was a painter and studied with Lambert
Lombard
before going to Italy, where in 1541 he witnessed the unveiling of
Michelangelo's
Last Judgement
in the Sistine Chapel. This made an indelible impression on him and he concentrated on making large religious and mythological pictures crowded with athletic
Mannerist
nudes (
Fall of the Rebel Angels
, Musée Royal, Antwerp, 1554). In his portraits, however, he combined powerful brushwork with forthright characterization in a way that anticipates
Hals
(
Portrait of an Old Lady
, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Caen, 1558). According to van
Mander
every Flemish youth with artistic leanings studied with him, but in spite of his success he died in debt because of his extravagant lifestyle.

 
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(
c.
1495–1546).
German sculptor and engraver, active mainly in Nuremberg. He was in Italy in 1530 (perhaps following an earlier visit) and his work was important in spreading the
Renaissance
style in Northern Europe. His best-known work is the
Apollo Fountain
(Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg,1532), which is classical in inspiration but with a flowing elegance that is Flötner's own.

 
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Fluxus
.

An international avant-garde art movement founded in Germany in 1962 and flourishing until the early 1970s. Reviving the spirit of
Dada
, it was violently opposed to artistic tradition and to everything that savoured of professionalism in the arts. Its activities mainly took the form of
happenings
(usually called
Aktions
in Germany), street art, and so on. Fluxus festivals were held in various European cities (including Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Dusseldorf, London, and Paris) and also New York, which became the centre of the movement's activities. The most famous artist involved with Fluxus was Joseph
Beuys
; among the others were the Japanese-born American Yoko Ono (1933– ) and the German Wolf Vostell (1932– ). The movement's chief coordinator and editor of its many publications was the Lithuanian-born American George Maciunas (1931–78), who coined its name—Latin for ‘flowing’, suggesting a state of continuous change.