Otto Pacht's studies of the Early Netherlandish painters are the fruit
of a lifetime's research. Following his book on the brothers Van Eyck
and their circle, this volume deals with the next generation of artists,
the great figures of the 15th and early 16th century: Rogier van der
Weyden, Petrus Christus, Aelbert van Ouwater, Dieric Bouts, Justus van
Gent, Hugo van der Goes, Geertgen tot Sint Jans, Hans Memling and Gerard
David. In the tradition of the Vienna School, Pacht's approach puts
emphasis on formal analysis and on direct contact with the works of art
themselves. Taking certain key works by each artist as examples, he
discusses every facet of the work including style, mood, iconography,
symbolism and construction of space. The chapters are linked by the
theme of imitation and continuation: the author compares the same
subject as treated by various artists and shows how artists adopted
developed ideas and motifs first employed by their predecessors.
Although his touchstone was the evidence of his eyes, Pacht was always
responsive to the theories of other scholars, and this volume is a
gateway to an influential period in the history of art. The proximity of
the illustrations to the text enhances his account of the great figures
of the period, and there is a folding plate, in colour, of Rogier van de
Weyden's Last Judgement alterpiece for the chapel of the hospital, the
Hotel-Dieu, in Beaume.
