A fresh look at the astounding innovations of Netherlandish
Renaissance painting through 48 case studies
This sumptuous publication opens our eyes afresh to the revolution that
took place in the Low Countries in the 15th and 16th centuries, and
which shaped the course of European art. In 48 lavishly illustrated
analyses, Matthias Depoorter explores how painters such as Jan van Eyck,
Rogier van der Weyden, Quentin Massys, Hieronymus Bosch and Pieter
Bruegel reached unprecedented heights of technical and aesthetic
facility and are rightly considered key innovators in the story of
Western painting to this day.
A defining factor in their innovations was the perfecting and mastery of
oil painting technique, as well as their groundbreaking attention to
optical lighting effects. The new technical possibilities offered a
different way of looking at the world, and ultimately a new way of
painting. No less innovative was the level of detail achieved by these
artists (most famously, perhaps, by Van Eyck). These painters were
thoroughly acquainted with one another's work, and The Flemish Masters
explores this artistic cross-fertilization. Altogether this volume
constitutes a must-read for anyone who wants to fall in love with the
old masterpieces anew.
