Johannes Neyt (1661-1724), commonly known as "the Younger" (de Jongere) was a Brunanter painter during the Golden Age of Art in Brunant.
Biography[]
Neyt was born in Grijzestad in the Neyt family. His father, Johan Alexander Neyt, was a notable military commander during the Brunanter Civil War. His grandfather, Johannes Neyt the Elder, was a notable portraitist in the 17th century. Neyt inherited his passion for painting and learned under his grandfather's assistant, Anton Castelle. Many of his work dealt with the Civil War period, farm work and countryside scenes. He was also known for using lots of yellow tones.
With the death of his father in 1686, he inherited the family house, but also his father's high debts. During his early life, he lived in relative poverty and only made about €120 (in 2008) per painting. He died in 1724 as a poor man, and still owed about Th. 2,700 to various merchants and bankers. In the next decades, the sale of his artwork and the exploitation of his father's farm contributed to the financial success of his descendants.
Legacy[]
Neyt would become known for his landscape pictures and has often been cited as the man who started the Golden Age; indeed van Helsinger, Ricard and even Blomefont van Stein's early work was heavily based on Neyt's style. By 1800, his work was being sold for over Th. 1,000 each; The Resilient Patriot (1707) was purchased by King Adrian II in 1796 for Th. 3,900. Much of his work has been lost over the years, and his work can command upwards of €80,000.
Selected works[]
