How did Anthony van Dyck’s early painting style differ from Peter Paul Rubens’s style?

In his early career, Anthony van Dyck emulated the melodramatic style of Peter Paul Rubens but employed distinct technical and stylistic differences.1

While Rubens was known for his use of enamel-like glazes, Van Dyck painted directly with a coarser texture. Van Dyck’s early color palette was darker and warmer than his mentor’s, and his work featured more abrupt transitions between light and shadow. Furthermore, Van Dyck’s figures were often more angular in their gestures and lacked the harmonious proportions characteristic of Rubens’s work.1

Van Dyck also tended to exaggerate the expressions of his figures, ranging from intense fanaticism and ecstasy to scenes of brutality or drunken stupor. While he adopted props like columns to enrich his settings under Rubens’s influence, his early portraits remained distinct for their guarded, calm, and dignified tone, reflecting a quieter and more introspective personality compared to the forceful, restless movement found in Rubens’s High Baroque style.12