Joris van Son

Joris van Son or Georg van Son was a Flemish still life painter who worked in a number of sub-genres but is principally known for his fruit still lifes. He also created flower still lifes, banquet still lifes, vanitas still lifes and pronkstillevens. He is known to have painted fish still lifes representing the Four Elements. He collaborated with figure artists on 'garland paintings', which typically represent a devotional image framed by a fruit or flower garland.

Joris van Son was born in Antwerp as the son of Joris and Catharina Formenois and was baptized on 24 September 1623 in the Antwerp Cathedral. It is not clear with which artist he trained. His work shows a strong influence of Jan Davidszoon de Heem, a Dutch still life painter who was active in Antwerp from the mid-1630s. This may be an indication that van Son studied with de Heem or was an assistant in de Heem's studio and was very familiar with de Heem's work in his formative years. He became a master in Guild of Saint Luke of Antwerp in the guild year 1643/1644.

In 1647, he became a member of the pious bachelor society, de 'Sodaliteit van de Bejaerde Jongmans', a fraternity for bachelors established by the Jesuit order. This did not stop him from seeking out the company of women. He started a relationship with Cornelia van Heulens. Their relationship produced a daughter, Maria Chatharina, who was born on 3 August 1656. The still life painter Jan Pauwel Gillemans the Elder was her godfather. Not long thereafter, on 22 October 1656, van Son married the mother of his child. Two years later a son, who was named Jan Frans, was born. The last child of the couple, called Maria Chatharina, was baptized on 5 October 1660.

Van Son's work was much appreciated by collectors and his paintings were in the collections of artists such as Victor Wolfvoet and traders such as Geraert van Dorth. The pupils of van Son were Frans van Everbroeck, Jan Pauwel Gillemans the Younger, Cornelis van Huynen, Norbert Montalie and Abraham Herderwijn (Aberam Herderwyn). His son Jan Frans was only nine when he died and was therefore not trained by Joris. Rather, Jan Frans was a pupil of Jan Pauwel Gillemans the Elder. Jan Frans became a still life painter and worked in England.

Van Son died prematurely at the age of 44. He suddenly took ill in May 1667 and died in his native city where he was buried on 25 June 1667.

Text courtesy of Wikipedia, 2023