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Jan van Eyck 1395-1441 One of the Greatest Painters Of All Time
Stylistically influenced by the following painters; Melchior Broederlam, Hubert van Eyck, and Robert Campin Cause of death: White Plague - Tuberculosis Jan Van Eyck was a good-natured man with a curious nature. In his art every brush stroke is as keen and biting as a sharp knife. He was always creating; rethinking problems, and breaking new ground as an artist. Everyone who came in contact him admired his intellect and engaging wit. In a time where the average peasant was lucky to receive a bowl of thin gruel and crust of bread for a hard days work, Van Eyck lived high on the hog. He regularly dined on stuffed pigeons (a delicacy way back then), caviar, extravagantly made cakes and imported liquors. The artist was paid enormous sums for his incredible paintings and lived a lavish lifestyle. Jan van Eyck was not concerned with painting suffering or misery; his masterpieces appealed only to the wealthier classes, who required of art a feast for the eye but no spiritual emotion. With him everything is delicate and bright; the flowers are in bloom, jewels sparkle, and a idyllic atmosphere pervades his world. According to art historian Clara Erskine Clement "Jan van Eyck was something of a diplomat as well as a painter, for when he was in the service of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, he was sent on several secret missions, and in 1428 he accompanied the ambassadors of the duke to Portugal in order to paint the portrait of Isabella of Portugal, who was betrothed to the duke. There is a goodly number of works by Jan van Eyck in various galleries. The portrait of himself and wife in the National Gallery, London, is very interesting; they stand hand in hand, with a terrier dog at their feet; their dress and all the details of their surroundings are painted with great care. It is said that the Princess Mary, sister of Charles V., gave a barber who owned it a position with a handsome salary in exchange for the picture. Jan van Eyck, being twenty years younger than his brother Hubert, naturally learned all that the elder knew, and the story of his life gives him the appearance of being the more important artist, though in point of highest merit he was not the superior." The prevailing characteristic of Van Eyck's work being slender, supple grace. In his Arnolfini Portrait panel, The couple are noble and dignified, but temperate and gracious. The palette is lush, characterized by warm hues of brown, powerful reds, moss greens, gauzy yellows and muted grays. Like all great painters of his day an Van Eyck was a master of Biblical symbolism. William H. Hunt asserted "When language was not transcendental enough to complete the meaning of a revelation, symbols were relied upon for heavenly teaching, and familiar images, chosen from the known, were made to mirror the unknown spiritual truth." Van Eyck explored in his own art a new world of mathematically precise perspective but also emotion and passion. He was drawn to both the natural and spiritual realm.
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