Van de Venne was born in
Delft. According to Houbraken he learned Latin in
Leiden. He learned to paint from the master goldsmith and painter Simon de Valk, and afterwards learned engraving from Jeronimus van Diest, a good painter of
grisailles. He then moved to
Middelburg in 1614 where he was influenced by
Jan Brueghel the Elder and
Pieter Brueghel the Elder. His political painting
Fishing for Souls, 1614, is an ironic commentary on the Catholic and Protestant troubles of the
Eighty Years War that split the border between the Northern from the Southern Netherlands along the
Schelde river, very close to his home in Middleburg. When he painted this picture, the
Twelve Years' Truce was in effect since 1609. The influence of Jan Brueghel the Elder is particularly evident in this allegory of religious fanaticism. From 1620 until his death van de Venne made many grisailles and
engravings of
genre subjects, featuring peasants, beggars, thieves and fools as illustrations of current proverbs and sayings, mostly by
Jacob Cats. This work made him famous during his lifetime, and remained popular throughout the 18th century after his death. Van de Venne also worked as a book illustrator and print designer. Van de Venne moved to
The Hague and joined the
Guild of Saint Luke in 1625, taking the position of dean in 1637. He was a founding member of
Confrerie Pictura, a group bent on improving the independent status and social position of the artist in Dutch society by encouraging a more academic approach to the arts. He died in The Hague. File:Van den Venne dodo.jpg|
A Dodo (1626) File:Adriaen van de Venne - Woman and a jester - M.Ob.1720 MNW - National Museum in Warsaw.jpg|
Woman and a jester. (1630s) File:Adriaen Pietersz. van de Venne - An Amorous Peasant Couple Conversing - WGA24547.jpg|
An Amorous Peasant Couple Conversing (1631) File:Adriaen Pietersz. van de Venne - A Cavalier at His Dressing Table - WGA24549.jpg|
A Cavalier at His Dressing Table (1631) File:Adriaen van de Venne (Dutch - A Merry Company in an Arbor - Google Art Project.jpg|
A Merry Company in an Arbor File:Adriaen Pietersz. van de Venne - Fools Have the Most Fun - WGA24552.jpg|
Fools Have the Most Fun File:Adriaen Pietersz. van de Venne - "Where There Are People Money May Be Made" - WGA24557.jpg|
Where There Are People Money May Be Made, 1652 (
private collection) File:De zielenvisserij - Fishing for souls (Adriaen Pietersz. van de Venne).jpg|
Fishing for Souls (
Zielenvisserij), 1614, a satirical allegory of Protestant-Catholic struggles for souls during the
Dutch Revolt (
Rijksmuseum) File:Adriaen Pietersz. van de Venne - Landschap met figuren en een dorpskermis (Rijksmuseum).jpg|
Landscape with figures File:1614 van de Venne Winter anagoria.JPG|
Winter ==Notes==