Jacob Backer Amsterdam was a celebrated portrait painter, who enjoyed great fame among his contemporaries for his virtuoso technique.
As a history painter Backer played a leading role: he was the great pioneer of the Amsterdam classicism. With its spectacular history paintings with themes from mythology and the pastoral poetry was far ahead of his time. Backer excelled as a colorist, painter of nudes and seductive performances in large format.
In this richly illustrated edition, the latest scientific findings published. A biography written by Jaap van der Veen is followed by an overview of Backers development as a painter by Peter van den Brink and an essay about a cartoonist for Michiel Kersten Backer. Also included is a catalog of work Backers paintings, compiled by Peter van den Brink. This monograph will thus continue after the exhibition a standard.