David Teniers II (baptized December 15, 1610 in Antwerp, died April 25, 1690 in Brussels) - Flemish painter and printmaker of the Baroque period, representative of genre painting. He was the most famous member of a family of Flemish painters. The painters were also his father - David Teniers I (the elder) (1582-1649), uncle - Julien Teniers I (1572-1615), father-in-law - Jan Breughel Velvet (1568-1625), nephew - Jan van Kessel St. (1626-1679), three brothers - Julien Teniers II (1616-1649), Abraham Teniers (1629-1670) and Theodoor Teniers (1619-1697), and a son - David Teniers III (1638-1685).
He was a very prolific and versatile artist. He left about 2,000 paintings (including copies, replicas and imitations), mostly small in size, painted on wood, canvas or copper. He painted genre scenes, religious scenes, mythological scenes, historical scenes, allegorical scenes, landscapes, portraits, still lifes and so-called singeries - scenes depicting monkeys dressed as humans, mocking human stupidity (Monkey Banquet, Monkeys in the Kitchen, Monkey Painter). His main specialty was genre scenes from the life of various social classes, mainly villagers, in interiors (kitchens, inns, stables, guardhouses) or outdoors (fairs, festivals, fairs, indulgences, social games, weddings). He was the author of 12 small copper plates (27 × 39 cm) depicting the story of Armida from Torquat Tasso's poem "Jerusalem Liberated" (now in the Prado). He also designed tapisseries. In his first period of work he was influenced by Jan Brueghl St. (Witches' Sabbaths, numerous Temptations of St. Anthony), later he was influenced mainly by Adriaen Brouwer. He was an accomplished painter of "amateur cabinets." This genre of painting was born in 1620-1640 as a specialty of the artistic Antwerp Francken family. It combined elements of interior view, genre scene and portrait. It was a valuable document of the artistic tastes of the era. They were created by, among others: Hieronymous Francken II (1578-1623), Frans Francken the Younger (1581-1642), Willem van Haecht (1593-1637), Hans Jordaens III (1595-1643). Teniers painted 10 paintings showing the gallery of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm.
His paintings are characterized by refined colors, an accurate sense of form and aerial perspective and chiaroscuro. Teniers' work is of great documentary value, especially to researchers of the history of material culture and collecting. His commissions included the Bishop of Bruges - Antoine Triest, Archduke Leopold William's successor Don Juan d'Asturias, Prince William II of Orange, King Philip IV of Spain and Queen Christina of Sweden. The largest collections of Teniers' works are held by the Prado (about 50), Louvre (about 40) and Hermitage (about 30) museums. Several of his paintings are also in Polish collections (Christ Risen at Lake Gennesaret, Daniel in the Cave of Lions, Ecstasy of St. Francis, Landscape with Gypsies, Kitchen, Operation, Vodka Seller, Laughing Peasant, Village Doctor). source: wikipedia
