Jan van de Venne - Artist Info

About Jan van de Venne

Name variants

Jan Venne, Jan van de Vinnen
  • Biography

    JAN VAN DER VENNE, CALLED PSEUDO VAN DE VENNE (CIRCA 1600-BEFORE 1651), A FOOL, SEEN IN PROFILE, OIL ON PANELRepresentations of madness and madmen have spanned the centuries, reflecting society's changing perceptions of insanity. The Musée du Louvre (Paris) recently explored this theme in its exhibition Figures du fou - Du Moyen Âge aux Romantiques (October 2024-February 2025).In the Middle Ages, the madman was often seen through a religious lens. He embodied the fool who turned away from God, a depiction inspired by Psalm 52: ‘The fool said in his heart: There is no God!' Over time, the figure of the madman moved out of the strictly religious sphere and into ...

    But wait, there's more...

    Displaying 2,230 of 2,230 characters.

    Subscriber Members, please Sign In for full artist biographies and all services.

    For non-paying users, good news! Full text bios for all artists are available every Friday.

    If you are not currently a member, please See Details about membership.

** If you discover credit omissions or have additional information to add, please let us know at .

Share an image of the Artist: .