Andreas Lens

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This Flemish painter was a pupil of Charles Ykens and Balthazar Beschey. He reacted strongly against eighteenth century art and sought to reform painting in Flanders by embracing classical traditions that inspired him. Raphael's works sparked his creativity.The Emperor Joseph II wanted the artist who had arrived in the "Belgian provinces," but Lens refused to leave. In 1781, he settled in Brussels where he got married. He later became a corresponding member of the Institute.His involvement with Freemasonry led him to become a member of the Union lodge (painting from 1783).Lens was one of the founding members of the Brussels Society of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture in 1803, serving as its president.A. Lens is best known for his writings on "Good taste, or beauty in painting". His time in Italy led him to study Raphael and other Renaissance masters in depth, with a particular interest in Pompeii's discoveries (Colas, Bibliography of Costume, 1828).