Smarthistory with Flemish Master Jan van Eyck

Groeningemuseum (c) Musea Brugge
(c) Musea Brugge

Jan van Eyck, The Virgin and Child with Canon Joris van der Paele

Together with Smarthistory, an American not-for-profit organization for the study of art history, and the Center for Netherlandish Art at Museum of Fine Arts Boston, we are bringing a series of video conversations with curators on important Flemish paintings by artists such as Jan van Eyck, Hans Memling, Peter Paul Rubens, and James Ensor.

In this video Dr. Anna Koopstra, Curator of Early Netherlandish Painting at Musea Brugge and Dr. Beth Harris discuss the artwork ‘The Virgin and Child with Canon Joris van der Paele’, 1436, by Flemish Master Jan van Eyck (1390-1441).

Van Eyck was a leading light amongst the Flemish Primitives, a term formerly used to refer to the painters active in the Burgundian and Habsburg Netherlands during the 15th- and 16th-century Northern Renaissance period. He won international renown even in his own lifetime. Van Eyck’s paintings featured an unprecedented degree of realism. Using sophisticated oil painting techniques, he created accurate representations of reality.
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Interested in seeing this masterpiece by Van Eyck up close and personal and meet Margaret van Eyck? Make sure to visit the Groeningemuseum on your next trip to Bruges! His magnum opus, ‘The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb,’ can be admired in Saint Bavo’s Cathedral in Ghent.  

Van Eyck, Portrait of a Man (Self Portrait) © Jan van Eyck. Portrait of a Man
© Jan van Eyck. Portrait of a Man (Self Portrait_). 1433. © The National Gallery, London

Jan van Eyck

The genius behind the Ghent Altarpiece, still on display in Ghent’s Saint Bavo’s Cathedral. In Bruges, the Groeninge Museum honours the master.
The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb (Ghent Altarpiece) – Ghent ©www.lukasweb.be - Art in Flanders vzw
© www.lukasweb.be - Art in Flanders vzw, foto Dominique Provoost

Van Eyck in Flanders

Jan van Eyck is known for quality over quantity. At least, that is what we can conclude from his remaining body of work.
Bruges reie in the evening_© Tomas Kubes
Scenic view of Bruges at dusk, with historic brick buildings reflecting in a tranquil canal. The Belfry tower is illuminated against the twilight sky.
Tomas_Kubes

Bruges

Bruges, Picture Perfect

Jan van Eyck in Situ

Read more
Ghent Altarpiece Lam Gods 1_© Art in Flanders, foto Cedric Verhelst
Ghent Altarpiece (Lam Gods) in Ghent
Art in Flanders, foto Cedric Verhelst,foto_Cedric_Verhelst | Art_in_Flanders

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De Intrige van James Ensor zaalfoto
(c) KMSKA

Smarthistory with Flemish Master James Ensor

What’s the story behind the masked faces and did Ensor really find inspiration in a work by Peter Paul Rubens? Discover more in this video about ‘The Intrigue’.

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