Bacchanal
by THOMAS VAN YPEREN, Jan, Oil on canvas, 78 x 118 cm
In the 1650s Thomas van Yperen left Antwerp for the German-speaking regions; in 1656 he finally settled in Vienna, where he painted several religious scenes in a classicist style vaguely reminiscent of Rubens. The same style characterized his cabinet-size history pictures, also produced in Vienna, as for example, his Bacchanal.
Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 7 minutes):
Camille Saint-Saëns: Samson et Delila, Act III, Scene 2, Bacchanal