Maerten De Vos: Drawings & Paintings (Annotated)

Maerten de Vos was mainly a painter of religious scenes. He was also a portrait painter. In the 1580s he produced many designs for prints and book illustrations. Beginning with style of Mannerism, his style evolved to become clear and descriptive, which fully corresponds to the ideas of Counter-Reformation. He is not an innovative artist, but rather an eclectic figure who has borrowed from the Italian masters. His work owes much differently to one or more Italian artists like Veronese, Tintoretto, and Michelangelo, as well as the Flemish's painters. His style is very recognizable, and his iconography and theme are in a clearly expressed Counter-reformation manner. Although in his style there was little evolution, his late altars recall the work of the earlier Flemish masters. In this later period, his palette became softer and more tonal.
De Voss was very prolific, and his large production was popularized and widely circulated through engravings. He also designed for the publishers in Antwerp Plantin Press and made the illustrations for the Triumphus martyrum, a series of 13 wood-prints showing martyrs of the Old Testament as well as 78 drawings for the illustrated Biblical dictionary. The export of this illustrated Bible has contributed to the popularity of de Voss illustrations throughout Europe. His drawings are known for his lively and generally positive character.