Joseph Denis Odevaere, or Joseph-Désiré Odevaere (2 December 1775, in

Bruges Bruges ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is in the northwest of the country, and is the sixth most populous city in the country. The area of the whole city amoun ...

– 26 February 1830, in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

), was a Neo-Classical painter from the Southern Netherlands (now Belgium). He served as court painter to King William I.

Biography

His first art lessons came at the , where he studied with . He then moved to Paris, continuing his studies with Joseph-Benoît Suvée and

Jacques-Louis David Jacques-Louis David (; 30 August 1748 – 29 December 1825) was a French painter in the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical style, considered to be the preeminent painter of the era. In the 1780s, his cerebral brand of history painting marked a change in ...

. In 1804, he was awarded the Prix de Rome for his painting ''The Death of Phocion''. This earned him his first commissions, which he spent a year fulfilling prior to his departure. He then spent eight years at several locations in Italy, copying the old masters and taking particular inspiration from

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), now generally known in English as Raphael ( , ), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of paintings by Raphael, His work is admired for its cl ...

. While there, he was one of a large group of artists chosen to provide decorations for

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

's visit at the Palazzo del Quirinale although, as it turned out, he never produced more than sketches. After that, he spent some time in Paris and received a Gold Medal from Napoleon. While there, he also worked with Godefroy Engelmann, one of the first lithographers in France. An exhibition in Ghent two years later led to his appointment as court painter to King William I of the Netherlands in 1815. In this position, he began a campaign for the return of several major art works that had been looted from Bruges by the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

; including pieces by

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (6March 147518February 1564), known mononymously as Michelangelo, was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was inspir ...

Jan van Eyck Jan van Eyck ( ; ; – 9 July 1441) was a Flemish people, Flemish painter active in Bruges who was one of the early innovators of what became known as Early Netherlandish painting, and one of the most significant representatives of Early Nort ...

Hans Memling Hans Memling (also spelled Memlinc; – 11 August 1494) was a German-Flemish people, Flemish painter who worked in the tradition of Early Netherlandish painting. Born in the Middle Rhine region, he probably spent his childhood in Mainz. During ...

, and Gerard David. In thanks for his successful efforts, the City Council of Bruges voted to award him a gold medal in 1816. He was elected a fourth class corresponding member living abroad of the Royal Institute of the Netherlands in 1816. From 1825 to 1829, he painted several works in support of the

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. In 1826, the Greeks were assisted ...

and styled himself "Joseph Dionysius Odevaere". He also wrote some treatises on art and was a regular, highly opinionated contributor to local periodicals. Lord Byron on his Death-bed c

In 1818, he married Sylvie de la Rue (1796–1845). After his death, in 1835, she married , Secretary of the Provisional Government of Belgium. He was a founding member of the first '' Société des douze''.

References

External links

Entry on Odevaere
from the ''Biographisch Woordenboek der Nederlanden''.
Obituary
@ Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen (KNAW).
ArtNet: More works by Odevaere
{{DEFAULTSORT:Odevaere, Joseph Denis 1775 births 1830 deaths Dutch painters Neoclassical painters Painters from Bruges Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences Prix de Rome for painting Artists from the Austrian Netherlands

Biography

References

Further reading

External links