Anthony Van Dyck: A Life, 1599-1641 by Robin Blake
This superb new biography provides the fullest narrative of Van Dyck's life and personality to appear in English. Commonly pigeonholed as a follower of Rubens or as the court painter of the Stuarts, Van Dyck here appears not only as a remarkably individual portraitist but as a fully rounded baroque artist of memorable power. With 32 pages of black-and-white illustrations. A thorough biography...comprehensive and fascinating.O-New York Times Book Review.