1395-1441

Jan Van Eyck

Hide Bio

Jan van Eyck (1390-1441) was an early Flemish painter active in Bruch and one of the artists of the famous Northern Renaissance of the fifteenth century and the founder of post-Gothic painting in the north in the fifteenth century. He started the Netherlandish school of painting before the emergence of the Renaissance, giving the world the first glimpse of the post-medieval morning light.

A Brilliant Life

Records of Jan van Eyck's early life are scarce, and there is no historical documentation of the date or place of his birth. The few surviving records indicate that he was born between 1380 and 1390, most likely in Maaseik. His earliest record was from 1422 when he was already a master painter with several assistants in The Hague, and in 1425 Jan van Eyck's skillful painting was valued by Philip the Good, who appointed him a court painter and diplomat. He was sent to Spain and Portugal on several occasions, including to Lisbon, in 1428 in connection with the marriage of Philip III. Jan van Eyck died in 1441 before Florence reached its glory.

The Improver of Oil Paintings - Jan Van Eyck

Before Jan van Eyck, painters were more likely to use egg yolks or egg whites to mix their paints, known as Tempera. The mixing procedure and painting skills of Tempera were very complicated, different formulas and dosages would have different effects, and it would crack over time, and the painter had to wait for one layer of color to dry before he could paint another layer completely. Jan van Eyck invented an improved technique for oil painting: using dry oil as a medium, which allowed the painting to dry within a day and, more importantly, without fear of humidity.

Representative Paintings

Jan van Eyck and his brother Hubert van Eyck were known together as the van Eyck brothers. They collaborated on The Ghent Altarpiece and Turin–Milan Hours, the illuminated manuscript signed "Hand G". The Ghent Altarpiece is the first example of the oil painting technique. Begun around the mid-1420s-1429 and completed in 1432, it is the earliest surviving early Netherlandish painting with a signature. Hubert Van Eyck died in 1426, and Jan Van Eyck took over the painting afterward.

The Ghent Altarpiece is a polyptych altarpiece with paintings on both the inner and outer façades: 12 on the inner façade and 9 on the outer façade. Located in St Bavo's Cathedral, the 12 paintings on the inner façade of the altarpiece can only be seen during the festive liturgy, when the two wings of the altarpiece are opened to music. The altarpiece is considered a masterpiece of European art and a world treasure. Unfortunately, it had suffered from plunder, having been looted at least 13 times and stolen seven times. It was not until 1951, after a complete restoration, that it was returned to St Bavo's Cathedral. It is described as "the best work of art of the late Middle Ages, with the best colors and rich landscapes." In 1495, the Renaissance humanist Hieronymus Münzer considered The Ghent Altarpiece to be an expression of the teachings of the Octavo: "A work of great imagination and power. It is more than a painting; it is full of all the artistry of painting."

In addition to The Ghent Altarpiece and Turin–Milan Hours, Jan Van Eyck had around 25 other works attributed to him between 1432 and 1439. His Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and his Wife, painted in 1434, was studied by many later artists. Every detail in the painting is extremely detailed and realistic to enhance the work's realism and authentically recreate the secular life of the 15th century. The convex mirror in the painting is a clever design by the artist, in which the viewer can see not only the backs of the main characters, Mr. and Mrs. Arnolfini but also two witnesses standing in the doorway, one of whom is the artist himself. Above the mirror is a Latin inscription left by the painter: "Johannes de eyck fuit hic 1434," meaning "Jan van Eyck was here." Some later scholars have even suggested that this work is the equivalent of a legally binding marriage certificate and that the artist signed the Latin phrase as a matter of fact.

Read Bio

