Jan van Eyck
Born 1390 Maastricht, Netherlands- Died 1441
The Life of the Artist
Most of his life was spent working in Burgundy for his close friend and patron, Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy. He had a wife and two children, but he died when his children were young. His skills and knowledge of geometry, astronomy, theology, and palaeography are shown in his art works. He created paintings using a technique of oil paint that he perfected, some of his works are: St. Barbara, Madonna by the Fountain, Portrait of Margaretha van Eyck. He made many paintings with idealism by creating flawless religious scenes. He made many portraits of people, one of which was his wife, which is humanism.
The Crucifixion; The Last Judgement
This painting was made in 1430. It is currently held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Jan van Eyck rediscovered the ancient way to use oil paints that Apelles, the court artist of Alexander the Great, used. This piece depicts the image of Jesus Christ dying on the left. On the right, it shows heaven over the horrors of hell. It shows Christianity's beginning on earth next to the end of the world. This religious piece of art most has idealism in it because it creates a perfect scene.
Citations
The Crucifixion and The Last Judgement. Jan van Eyck. 1430. In ARTstor History. 3 December 2015. Available from ARTstor, Inc., New York, New York.
"Jan van Eyck." International Dictionary of Art and Artists. Gale, 1990. Biography in Context. Web. 3 Dec. 2015.