Jan van Eyck

Biography

Jan van Eyck, born in 1390 in the Prince-Bishopric of Liège, was a prominent Early Netherlandish painter and influential figure of the Northern Renaissance. His artistic work encompassed religious painting, portraiture, and genre painting. Van Eyck was a master of portrait painting and created more than one hundred religious-themed artworks. His skills extended to architectural drawing, design, and manuscript illumination. He was the younger brother and pupil of Hubert van Eyck (1370–1426). Throughout his life, Jan van Eyck worked within the cultural milieu of the Southern Netherlands and became one of the key representatives of early Netherlandish painting. Notable works include the Ghent Altarpiece, the Arnolfini Portrait, the Madonna of Chancellor Rolin, the Dresden Triptych, the Lucca Madonna, Saint Barbara, and the Madonna of Canon van der Paele. Jan van Eyck died on July 9, 1441, in Bruges.