The Age of Van Eyck: The Mediterranean World and Early Netherlandish Painting 1430-1530 [Anglais] [Relié]

This luscious book is true eye candy, but it's not just another pretty picture book. The text, compiled by the exhibition curator at the Groeninge Museum in Bruges, Belgium, is revealing as well as refreshingly stirring. Written for the general reader, this volume accompanies the large-scale exhibition Jan Van Eyck, 1430-1530 held at the Groeninge Museum last spring. Intended to illustrate the revolution in oil-painting sparked by the work of van Eyck and to present the interaction between the north and south of Europe during this pivotal period, this book invites readers to look, reflect, and draw conclusions on their own. Sixteen signed chapters, such as "Art Markets," "Princes, Patrons and Eclecticism: Naples and the North," and "A New Look on the World: The Invention of Landscape," set a big-picture stage. The catalog section, which follows, is divided into geographical sections (Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal) and is concise and just as well written. Roughly 130 paintings from the 15th century (almost all on panel) generously fill the pages; some are reproduced here for the first time in color. No book has so thoroughly covered this subject in at least 20 years, and the quality of the images makes this more than worth the price. Highly recommended. Jennifer Moldwin Gustafson, Detroit Inst. of Arts
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

No book has so thoroughly covered this subject in at least 20 years....more than worth the price.

The emergence of early Netherlandish painting and its dissemination throughout Europe took place during one of the most intriguing epochs in the history of Western Europe. This age of transition from the late Middle Ages to early modern times was characterized by fundamental changes in economics, politics, religion, society, and—in its broadest sense—culture.

It is no coincidence that the art of Jan van Eyck, the Master of Flémalle, Rogier van der Weyden, Hugo van der Goes, Hans Memling, and Gerard David flowered in the period that saw the formation and expansion of a mighty Burgundian state in the prosperous provinces of the Netherlands and the neighboring regions. The ever-growing political significance of Burgundy was reflected by the success of Burgundian culture abroad. From the outset, members of the Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese business communities residing in Flanders, such as the Arnolfini and Portinari, took pride in commissioning works by Netherlandish painters that were eagerly sought after by the princes and urban entrepreneurs of their homelands. The Sforza of Milan sent their court painter to Bugatto to train with Rogier van der Weyden; Alphonso V of Aragon ordered his painter Dalmau to travel to the Netherlands; and Isabella of Castile appointed Juan de Flandes alongside other Northerners as her court painter. The presence of Netherlandish works of art in the South inspired Iberian, French, and Italian artists such as Jean Fouquet, Filippino Lippi, Antonello da Messina, Bartolomé Bermejo, and Nuño Gonçalves.

This book explores the complex artistic, cultural, socioeconomic, and political relationships between Burgundian Netherlands and the Mediterranean. It offers a lavishly illustrated panorama of the work of Jan van Eyck and his followers, and focuses on their share in the development of painting in southern France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal, reproducing many of the finest works of European Renaissance painting. 380 illustrations, 220 in color.

Till-Holger Borchert is Exhibition Curator at the Groeningemuseum, Bruges, and co-organizer of the cultural festival Bruges 2002.