Portrait of Pieter Soutman
1626
Anthony van Dyck captured his friend and fellow artist Pieter Soutman with a striking, direct gaze in this 1626 Baroque masterpiece. Notice the bold, sweeping mustache and the loose, energetic brushstrokes that give the dark clothing a sense of movement. Van Dyck was the leading court painter in England, famous for his elegant royal portraits, but here he shows a more intimate, less formal side of his subject. It feels almost as if Soutman just turned to look at the viewer mid-conversation, breaking the fourth wall of the 17th century.
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