The biographical data about Flemish artist Cornelis Heysmans are fairly scarce. It is known that he learned in Brussels from a famous landscaper Jacob Artois who worked in three cities of Flanders — Antwerpen, Brussels and Mechelen. The paintings of Heysmans decorate the expositions of the largest museums of the world — the Hermitage, Dresden Gallery, Munich Pinacotheca and others. All pictures are dissimilar; however, the main thing that combines them is a feeling of harmony and perfection of the surrounding world and contemplation of its beauty and grandeur.
On the painting from the collection of the Radishchev Museum deer hunting is depicted. The scenes of hunting — favorite entertainment of the nobility — were very popular in the art of the 17th century in all European countries. However, for Heysmans the reference to this theme is only a cause to depict a magnificent forest landscape. The staffage (figures revitalizing the picture) with the hunting scene are apparently depicted by another artist.
Light is an important picturesque instrument for the master. From the elucidated fragment of the rock and hunter in a red justicoat in the foreground, the spectator’s sight follows the hunter’s gun and the running deer moving along diagonal to a miniature castle in the distance but then stops and goes backward to the tree crown distinguishable with a black silhouette against the background of a cloud under a pink light. The contours of the rock in the foreground are echoed by the contours of the clouds and tree crowns. The contours of all items are melting and airy.
The light refracting in the clouds creates an overall warm reflex. The artist addresses a very complex picturesque task — shows the forest at sunset when the sun itself is already over the horizon and the forest is illuminated by the refracted light of the clouds. The coloristic and light-to-dark oneness of the painting is attained through its complex picturesque structure. The instrumental role in the tonal color build-up of the painting is played by red soil shining through multiply imposed thin glazed and semi-finishing layers. For instance, in the shaded parts he amplifies the depth and warmth of shades.
And on a dark-blue section of the sky or in a green plentitude of leaves the red soil visible in author’s omissions amplifies the intensity of dark-blue or green tone and emphasizes the contrasts. The painting of Heysmans is an example of “classical landscape”, the core of which is formed by the principles of rationality, beauty and harmony. In this aspect Heysmans is close to masters of classical French landscape of the 17th century, primarily, to Nicolas Poussin.
