Lucas van Uden

Lucas van Uden (18 October 1595 – 4 November 1672) was a leading Flemish landscape painter, draughtsman and engraver, who lived and worked in Antwerp.

His technique with its attention to detail, particularly in his smaller works, and his search for decorative elements in the larger paintings place him in the same tradition as Jan Brueghel the Elder and Joos de Momper.

[4] General characteristics of is work are a tonally-green recessive view punctuated by slender trees and populated by incidental pastoral and peasant figures.

[1] His compositions are usually built up as follows: in the foreground there is a bank with leafy trees, one of which is inclined in order to break the monotony and lead the view of the spectator towards the center of the composition, in which appear as the main motive groups of trees, fields or villages, which are shown cut out against a background of mountains, lacking any dramatic allusion.

[4] While his landscape paintings are rather schematic, his drawings which were reportedly made directly from nature are more spontaneous and realistic and display his true talent.

[1] Van Uden is often associated with fellow landscape painter Jan Wildens who frequently collaborated with Rubens.

Lucas van Uden produced many etchings some of which are part of the collections of the Rijksmuseum and the British Museum.