The Grandeur of the Flemish Baroque: The Life of Godfried Maes In the vibrant, artistic heart of seventeenth-century Antwerp, a period defined by the dramatic interplay of light and shadow, Godfried Maes emerged as a master of the grand narrative. Born in 1649 to a lineage of artists, Maes was steeped in the traditions of the Southern Netherlands from his very first breaths. As the son of the painter Godfried Maes, his apprenticeship began within the intimate confines of his father's studio, where the fundamentals of form and color were etched into his developing mind. This early immersion p…