The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (9 page)

(1502–
c.
1555).
German engraver and painter. He worked mainly in Soest and was one of the leading artists in Westphalia in his day. His numerous engravings, usually of religious subjects, betray the all-pervading influence of
Dürer
. Little is known of his activity as a painter.

 
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(1927– ).
Belgian painter and graphic artist. In 1947 he became a member of
Jeune Peinture Belge
and in 1949 joined the
Cobra
group. He left Cobra in 1951 and settled in Paris, where he studied graphic techniques under S. W.
Hayter
. In 1955 he travelled to the Far East and produced a film
Calligraphie japonaise
. Alechinsky paints in a style of vigorous, even violent, expressive abstraction which has close affinities with Nordic
Expressionism
. Residual figurative motifs remained constant to his work, and these were redolent of a turbulent fantasy, often approaching
Surrealism
and also showing a strong debt to
Ensor
.

 
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(1598–1654).
Italian sculptor, born in Bologna, where he had his initial training in the
Carracci
academy. He settled in Rome in 1625 and became, apart from
Bernini
, the leading sculptor in the city. During the pontificate of Innocent X (1644–55) Bernini was out of favour and Algardi replaced him at the papal court. His three most prestigious commissions were the tomb of Leo XI (Alessandro de'
Medici
) (1634–44) and the huge relief of
Pope Leo driving Attila from Rome
(1646–53), both in St Peter's, Rome, and the free-standing group of
The Decapitation of St Paul
(1641–7) in S. Paolo, Bologna. He was a prolific sculptor of portrait busts, and these are his works that are now generally most admired—indeed he ranks as one of the greatest portrait sculptors of all time. His style was generally more sober and classical than Bernini's (although portraits have occasionally been disputed between them), reflecting his Bolognese upbringing, his work as a restorer of antique statuary, and his friendship with artists such as
Domenichino
,
Duquesnoy
,
Poussin
, and
Sacchi
.

 
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(1712–64).
The foremost Italian art critic of his day, a cosmopolitan snob of great charm, whose friendship with some of the leading men of Europe—notably the French philosopher Voltaire and Frederick the Great of Prussia—played a part in spreading Venetian culture. His writings proclaimed a watered-down version of the
Neoclassicism
which was then gaining ground in Europe (though not yet in Venice). For some years he influenced the practice of his friends Giambattista
Tiepolo
(‘restraining his wilder fantasies’ as he claimed) and
Canaletto
(encouraging his architectural
capricci
), as well as
Piazzetta
and other Venetian painters. He was also a notable collector of paintings and drawings.

 
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Alken
.

Family of British sporting artists of Danish origin.
Samuel Alken
senior (1750–1815) did hunting and sporting landscapes in the manner of
Stubbs
. He was the father of
Samuel
junior (1784–1825) and of
Henry
(1785–1851), the latter of whom became one of the most prolific sporting painters and illustrators of his time. His gaunt but sprightly style was already archaic in his day, but he excelled at representing the life and movement of the hunting field. The great popularity of coloured
aquatints
after his paintings (some of them produced under the name ‘Ben Tally-Ho’) has persisted. His publications included
National Sports of Great Britain
(1820) and
The Art and Practice of Etching
(1849). He had four sons, among them
Henry Gordon Alken
(1810–92), with whose work his own is often confused.

 
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