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John Wilden ( Antwerp, 1585/6 - 1653) was a Dutch landscape painter in the studio of Peter Paul Rubens from the Southern Netherlands.

Biography
Jan Wildens was probably born in 1585 (maybe 1586) in Antwerp. He was the son of Henry and Magdalena Wildens Vosbergen. His father died young and his mother remarried Cornelis Cock; their daughter Susanne Cock married Cornelis de Vos in 1617. Cornelis de Vos was the brother of Paul de Vos and the brother-in-law of Frans Snyders: a family of painters.

Wildens' artistic training started with Pieter Verhulst in 1596, when he was ten or eleven years old. Works of the latter are little known or not. He became a freemason in the Sint-Lucasgilde of Antwerp in 1604. The effigy of Wildens is known through a portrait by Peter Paul Rubens that was probably made in the first couple of years that Wildens was working in his studio, specifically 1616 or 1617. Remarkably, the portrait seems to have been used in the work De galerij van Cornelis van der Geest by Willem van Haecht in 1628. This portrait and the portrayal of Wildens in the gallery are almost identical.

Wildens lived in Italy from 1613 to 1616 (historians disagree about the exact dates: Adler 1613-1616 Sutton, Devisscher 1614-1616). As evidence for this period in Italy, the series of engravings "de 12 maanden" (1614) is cited upon which later paintings, in slightly modified form, for the Palazzo Bianco in Genoa are based. It is in this series he goes through a clear evolution in style. Before he went to Italy he was strongly influenced by an older generation of landscape painters, Jan Brueghel the Younger Hans Bol, Joos de Momper and Adriaen van Stalbemt. The first works of the series (januari, april, juni) still show this influence. They are characterized by extensive details. In augustus, september and november these schematic compositions disappear, they become more realistic and the influence of the landscape painter Paul Bril becomes apparent. In 1616 he returned to Antwerp, and was working in the studio of Rubens.

In a series of paintings made by the studio between 1616 and 1620 his hand is clearly recognizable, he contributed wide and peaceful landscapes to the Decius Mus tapestry series, de piëteit van de Graaf van Habsburg, de verkrachting van de dochters van Leukippos, Cimon en Efigenia, …. De piëteit van de Graaf van Habsburg'(1616) dates from just after Wildens return from Italy. Experts disagree about the question of who painted the figures in the painting. L. Burchard and Evers believe that the figures are painted by Wildens because there is a later version in which Wildens reuses the entire composition with slight modifications. The composition of de verkrachting van de dochters van Leukippos was Rubens idea and allegedly he also altered the landscape made by Wildens. In a sketch for Cimon en Efigenia (1616-1618) Rubens left the left-hand side of the foreground blank and relied upon Snijders for the design and execution of the still life (the fruit, birds and monkey). Rubens reserved part of the canvas for Snijders, but not for Wildens.

It can be concluded that the contributions of Wildens to the studio of Rubens had merit but he had less freedom compared to Snijders. Even so, the relationship between Rubens and Wildens must have been rather close because Rubens was a witness on the marriage contract between Wildens and Maria Stappaert on October 26, 1619.

That they moved in the same circles can be derived from the fact that Rubens later married the daughter of the sister of Mary Stapp Standaert, Hélène Fourment. Furthermore, this close relationship is also supported by the fact that Rubens appointed Wilden, along with Snijders and Moermans, as 'art experts for the execution of his will' in 1640. Wildens was relevant in the studio initially to create landscape backgrounds but also for the many copies he made to the work of Rubens. He worked in the studio together with Frans Snyders, Jacob Jordaens and Anthony van Dyck.

After 1620, when he no longer works would have been in the studio (Rubens would paint landscapes from yourself), there is talk of a direct influence of Rubens's landscapes. This would have led to a global approach to composition that emphasized the global organization and decorative beauty of the scene. Wildens was his best work between 1625 and 1635 have made; it comes to large sizes lying rural roads, forests and pastoral scenes, often with tall trees and a view of rolling hills and ponds, portray. The influence of Rubens' landscapes would always evident but was not matched by Wilden.

The work Landscape with a shepherd refers Devisscher at work Landscape with shepherds dancing that in the KMSKA located. It is dated 1631. As Devisscher puts it is the work of Wildens partly inspired by the more dynamic work of Rubens' Landscape with a shepherd and his flock, which is located in the National Gallery in London. There seems something wrong, because the work of Rubens Devisscher quotes does not really show a dynamic composition and is also dated around 1638. Fezien the date, the work of Rubens impossible Wildens influenced.

It is likely more likely Devisscher means the work A shepherd with his flock in a woody landscape (which is also in the National Gallery). This work is dated around 1615-1622 and the compositions are much more alike. Devisscher made a mistake as regards the titles. Titles are not always fixed, but in this case it is confusing because there is effectively a work is that bears the name Landscape with a shepherd and his flock.

Both Devisscher, Sutton and Adler believe that only Wildens in the period from 1616 to 1620 worked with Rubens. Purely hypothetical terms, he might be found somewhere an indication that this period may be classified as arbitrary. There is a work of Die Verspottung Latona durch that lykische Bauern that the hand of Wildens and an unknown employee studio of Rubens. The date is unknown. The figuration of the employee and the scenery of course Wilden. The figures on the left to do quite a Bosch-like in that sense and stand in stark contrast to the female figure and the child. The Latona figure with his child taken from a work by Rubens, in particular, the reconciliation between Esau and Jacob (National Gallery, Scotland). This work has the date 1624 and thus provides a terminus post quem for the work of Wildens and the unknown employee. It could be argued that it is not because Wildens worked with an employee of Rubens that he therefore is in direct contact with the studio can be placed. It is true that he seems to have maintained good contacts and in that sense, he might speak of an implicit link between Wildens and the studio (or employees) after 1620.

Work with other artists
Besides Rubens, he worked for several other artists including:
 * Jacob Jordaens
 * Frans Snyders
 * Paul de Vos
 * Jan Boeckhorst
 * Cornelis Schut
 * Theodore Rombouts
 * Joos de Momper
 * Jan Brueghel the Elder