Apostle Simon, 1619/21

The so-called Böhler series of 13 half-length portraits depicting Christ and the 12 apostles (only two of them in the KHM) belong to the early work of van Dyck. At that time the young painter collaborated with Rubens for the Antwerp Jesuit Church. He took on from Rubens the focused use of light and theatrical bright-dark effects, though not the latter’s lively, exuberant physicality. Instead Van Dyck intensified the expression of feeling. His early phase is also characterised by imposed lighting that emphasises hair and faces.