what does "not for" mean in the beginning of a sentence? And a sentence sans a main verb?

Question

Silks, satins and brocades, elegant plumes and gemstones—details like these give Lievens ample scope to show off his flashy handling of his medium. Not for him the fastidious, enamel-smooth surfaces of the Leiden Fijnschilders—“fine painters,” in whose meticulously rendered oils every brush stroke disappeared. Lievens reveled in the thickness of the paint and the way it could be shaped and scratched and swirled with a brush, even with the sharp end of a handle. This tactile quality is one of Rembrandt’s hallmarks as well; there are now those who think he picked it up from Lievens.

First, what does "not for" mean? Is it a set phrase or indiom? (which I cannot find on dictionary) And I find this whole "sentence" without a main verb, "Not for him the fastidious, enamel-smooth surfaces of the Leiden Fijnschilders—“fine painters,” in whose meticulously rendered oils every brush stroke disappeared."

Answer 1

I think it's just a somewhat poetical way of saying "He did not use..."; I've only seen it in ficitonal writing, and perhaps older fictional writing at that. I think some people regard it as sounding literary, or lyrical, or something.