| RENAISSANCE ARTISTS |
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Jan van Eyck was born in Belgium, though the exact year of his birth is unknown. Some sources say 1370, others say 1390. He was supposedly the brother of fellow painter Hubert van Eyck. Very little is known about this man except that they painted the masterpiece The Ghent Altarpiece together. Only nine of Jan van Eyck's paintings are signed and only 10 are dated, including Madonna of Autun and The Arnolfini Marriage. In 1422, he served the Duke of Holland in The Hague. For the rest of his life he served Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy. Under his service, he went on missions to Spain and Portugal. During the span of his career, his art changed heavily. Van Eyck was a portraitist (Man in a Red Turban, Arnolfini Marriage). He always examined the human face to try to show the thoughts of the person he was painting. He more than enjoyed the idea of homeliness, and would sometimes add more moles or more wrinkles to a person's face than was realistic. He was not the first to use oil paints - they were originally used to protect tempera paintings; rather, van Eyck was the first to mix glazes of pigment with linseed oil, apply that to the canvas, and then coat it with varnish. The Flemish painter also completely changed the notion of landscape since the Medieval Ages. He was and still is best known for his use of color and light. On July 9, 1441, Jan van Eyck died in Brugge (Bruges), Belgium, and was buried in the Church of St-Donatian. Sadly, it was destroyed in 1799. Nevertheless, a statue of van Eyck stands in Brugge, in memory of his contributions to society.
Johannes of Bruges, the ornament of painting.
-Ciriaco d'Ancona, in c. 1450, quoted in Lightbown, Mantegna (1986)
The Ghent Altarpiece: altar wings closed
1432
Cathedral of St. Bavon, Ghent
The Ghent Altarpiece: altar wings open
1432
Cathedral of St. Bavon, Ghent
A Man in a Red Turban
1433
The National Gallery, London
Madonna from the Inn's Hall
1433
The National Gallery, Melbourne
The Virgin of Chancellor Rolin
1433-1434
Musée du Louvre, Paris
The Arnolfini Marriage
1434
National Gallery, London
Saint Barbara
1437
Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp
Madonna by the Fountain
1439
Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp
 
The Annunciation: left and right
1440
Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection
Lugano-Castagnola, Switzerland
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