Plooistudie 1610 - 1641

Anthony van Dyck made this ‘Plooistudie’ or ‘Study of Drapery’ with black chalk and brush on gray paper around 1613-1621 in the Netherlands. This is a work that gives us a glimpse into the artistic training of the time. Van Dyck was a leading painter in the Flemish Baroque style, a style promoted through the powerful institution of the Catholic Church. As such, he would have trained as an apprentice in a studio from a young age. Careful study of fabrics, such as we see here, would have formed an important part of this education. Note how the artist has carefully rendered the fall of light and shadow on the folds of cloth. This is an artwork that gives art historians insight into the social conditions that shape artistic production. By studying the works and teaching methods of influential artists, and by looking at archival documents, we can better understand the period. The meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.