Flemish Northern Renaissance Painter, ca.1534-1574 A native of Antwerp, he studied under his uncle, Pieter Aertsen. Many of his paintings contain scenes of kitchen and markets, with religious allusions in the background. His Four Elements series (as of 2004[update], in the National Gallery, London) exemplifies this theme on a large scale. Water, for example, shows a fish market selling twelve kinds of fish, representing the twelve disciples of Jesus. Through an archway in the background we can see Jesus walking on the Sea of Galilee after his resurrection, making fish appear miraculously in empty nets. Beuckelaer's work was influential on painters in Northern Italy, particularly Vincenzo Campi.
The Vegetable Market
1567 Oil on panel 149 x 215 cm Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp Joachim Beuckelaer took the market and kitchen painting created by Pieter Aertsen, and developed them into an independent genre which remained popular until well into the 17th century. The didactic element of Beuckelaer's paintings did not manifest itself in propaganda on behalf of Catholic orthodoxy, but in the cheerful censure of the wickedness of worldly pleasure. His paintings are full of allusions to sensuality, sexuality and fertility, with vegetables, fruit, fish, meat and cooking utensils piled up around a few figures. In his best works, Beuckelaer mixes a strong sense of space and detail on the one hand, with unity of composition on the other. Artist:BEUCKELAER, Joachim Title: The Vegetable Market, 1551-1600, Flemish , painting , still-life