Jan van Eyck was an Early Netherlandish painter, active in Bruges. He is often considered one of the most significant representatives of Northern Renaissance art.
Background
Although there is no formal documentation of the birth of the painter, most scholars believe, that he was born in the year of 1395 in Maaseik, Bishopric of Liège, Holy Roman Empire (present-day Maaseik, Limburg, Belgium).
Jan's known relatives were his two brothers, Hubert and Lambert and a sister Margareta - both his brothers were also painters and were believed to have worked with van Eyck during his early years. It is not known whether Jan was the oldest, but early documents suggested, that he wasn't.
Education
Even though Jan would go on to become one of the most significant Northern Renaissance artists of the 15th century, it was documented, that he had different aspirations as a young child - although it is not entirely clear. There isn't much known about Jan van Eyck's life as a child.
Also, Jan van Eyck was said to have an immense understanding of Latin. Besides, he is known to have used Hebrew and Greek letters in his engravings. Although it is not known, where Jan was educated, but, the evidence shows, that he was taught the basics. Early documentation suggests, that Jan attended basic courses in his birth town of Maaseik. But it's not known, how far he reached in terms of qualifications.
Career
Jan van Eyck started his career as an honorary equerry and painter of John of Bavaria, count of Holland. He continued to work in the palace of the Hague until the count's death in 1425 and then settled briefly in Bruges before he was summoned, that summer, to Lille to serve Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy. Jan remained in the Duke's employ until his death.
Jan was a painter of religious and non-religious work and also painted portraits and donor portraits. Eyck created the "Portrait of a Man (Self Portrait)", which is one of his best-known works. Together with his masters and clients, van Eyck worked on panel, triptych, diptych or polyptych. The painter created several masterpieces during the course of his career.
Also, one of his most notable paintings was the "Ghent Altarpiece", which he created for Jodocus Vijdts and his wife, Elisabeth Borluut. Jan painted the "Ghent Altarpiece" during the period between 1426 and 1432.
There are several documents, published in the 20th century, that evidence the employment of Jan by Duke Philip. He was highly regarded by Philip and undertook a number of diplomatic visits abroad, including one to Lisbon in 1428 to explore the possibility of a marriage contract between the Duke and Isabella of Portugal. Also, Jan worked for Philip, when he was given the task to paint Isabella of Portugal before their marriage, so that the Duke could visualise her before the ceremony.
Throughout his career, Jan worked in one field only - painting. It is not known, whether he had any other interests, but some reports claim, that he was particularly interested in music creation and symphonies.
As a painter, van Eyck would often sign and date his frames, which was one of the key peculiarities of his oeuvre, that set him apart from other painters. However, Jan would not make the frames himself and instead would have them made by craftsmen in different workshops - the work of a craftsman was thought to be equally important as the painting itself. However, Jan designed a few frames, usually for portraits. His signature would be engraved with a chisel into the frame, made of stone.
By the end of his career, van Eyck and his contemporaries established portraiture as a major art form. The painter held an international roster of wealthy patrons, who commissioned him to have their likenesses recorded or create devotional paintings. In his more complicated compositions, Jan was able to construct a convincingly unified and logical pictorial world with absolute physical stillness and filled with spiritual energy.
In 1431, after his many extended journeys for Philip the Good, Jan purchased a house with a stone-gabled front in Bruges, married a much younger woman, named Margareta, who gave birth to his ten children. In 1434, Duke Philip was the godfather at the christening of the couple's first child, named Philip or Philippina, increased Jan's salary and gave him six silver goblets, made by a goldsmith in Bruges especially for the baptism of the child. Two years later, van Eyck would make the last documented "secret journey" on behalf of the Duke. Philip continued to support the van Eyck family, even after the painter's death in 1441. He helped one of Jan's daughters purchase entrance to a convent and extended the payments to his widow. Upon Jan's death, his brother, Lambert, is said to have settled in his estate, took over his workshop with its many unfinished commissions and then oversaw its closing.
Achievements
Jan van Eyck was an outstanding Netherlandish painter, who perfected the newly developed technique of oil painting. His naturalistic panel paintings, mostly portraits and religious subjects, made extensive use of disguised religious symbols. Jan van Eyck was a highly influential painter and his techniques and style were adopted and refined by the Early Netherlandish painters.
"Ghent Altarpiece" (also called "The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb") is van Eyck's masterpiece. Among his other notable works are "Arnolfini Portrait", "Madonna of Chancellor Rolin", "Annunciation" and "Madonna in the Church".
It's also worth mentioning, that Jan worked as a painter for John of Bavaria, count of Holland, as well as for Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy. Jan was highly respected and well paid by Philip and made a number of diplomatic trips abroad on his belhalf.
Adam (from the left wing of the "Ghent Altarpiece")
1429
Adoration of the Lamb
1429
Eve (from the right wing of the "Ghent Altarpiece")
1429
Ghent Altarpiece, The Virgin Mary
1432
The Offerings of Cain and Abel
1429
The Soldiers of Christ
1430
Portrait of Cardinal Albergati
1431
Angel Annunciate (from exterior of left panel of the "Ghent Altarpiece")
1432
Donor and St. John the Baptist
1432
God the Father
1432
Isabella Borluut (panel from the "Ghent Altarpiece")
1432
Left panel from the "Ghent Altarpiece"
1432
Portrait of a Young Man
1432
St. Jerome in his Study
1432
The Cumaean Sibyl
1432
The Erythraean Sibyl
1432
The Ghent Altar (detail)
1432
The Ghent Altar (detail)
1432
The Ghent Altar (detail)
1432
The Ghent Altar (detail)
1432
The Ghent Altar (detail)
1432
The Ghent Altar (detail)
1432
The Ghent Altar (detail)
1432
The Ghent Altar (detail)
1432
The Ghent Altar (detail)
1432
The Prophet Zacharias and the Angel Gabriel
1432
Virgin Annunciate (from the exterior of the right panel of the "Ghent Altarpiece")
1432
The Ince Hall Madonna (The Virgin and Child Reading)
1433
Portrait of a Man with Carnation
1435
Portrait of Baudouin de Lannoy
1435
Portrait of Cardinal Albergati
1435
Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini
1435
The Annunciation
1435
The Madonna of Canon van der Paele (detail)
1436
The Madonna of Canon van der Paele (detail)
1436
St. Barbara
1437
Madonna at the Fountain
1439
Virgin and Child with Saints and Donor
1441
Religion
It is believed, that Jan van Eyck was a follower of the Christian faith.
Politics
There is very little known about Jan's political stance. Many published reports claimed, that Jan was a non-political man. He didn't care about the political situation. However, Jan worked for Duke Philip, who was a very notable man in the 15th century. There is a possibility of a connection between the Duke's political influences and Jan. Van Eyck often spent time with the Duke, discussing issues on how to run the society. It's also worth saying, that Jan was a calm man, who distanced himself from most movements and campaigns as he feared, that the Duke may take away his belief in him.
Views
Van Eyck painted both secular and religious subject matter, including altarpieces, single-panel religious figures and commissioned portraits. His work includes single panels, diptychs, triptychs and polyptych panels. The painter's work came from the International Gothic style, but he eclipsed it, in part through a greater emphasis on naturalism and realism. He achieved a new level of virtuosity through his developments in the use of oil paint.
Almost all of Jan's religious work features the Virgin Mary as its main character. The Virgin Mary is typically shown to be seated and wearing a jewel-studded crown, and in her hands lay a young and playful Christ. Another thing, noticed in most of Jan's religious work, is a compact inner space, that is faintly organized and set up to show a homely feeling. For him, nature embodied God, and so he filled his paintings with religious symbols, disguised as everyday objects. Even the light, that so naturally illuminated Jan van Eyck's landscapes and interiors, was a metaphor of the Divine.
It's also worth noting, that van Eyck incorporated a wide variety of iconographic elements, often conveying what he saw as a co-existence of the spiritual and material worlds. The iconography was embedded in the work unobtrusively; typically, the references comprised small, but key background details.
Quotations:
"Painting is a form of profound creative release."
"I do as I can."
Personality
Jan was a man, who enjoyed painting and therefore sculpted his career around it. Since he lived in the 15th century, it is hard to make out what kind of interests Jan had except for his career in art. It is believed, that Jan enjoyed watching the court proceedings, as well as travelling on diplomatic journeys. Besides, Jan had an ability to establish relationships.
It's unknown, whether Jan practiced any kind of sport.
Physical Characteristics:
Some scholars suppose, that Jan was a reasonable-sized man with little to no facial hair.
Quotes from others about the person
"The extraordinary thing about van Eyck is how he comes out of nowhere and has somehow worked out how to translate into paint the different kinds of sheen on brocade, cloth, glass, wood, different kinds of metal, stone, wax, flesh and all sorts of diverse shine and reflections, all absolutely perfectly. It's almost unbelievable, isn't it, the more you think about it?" - David Hockney, a British painter, stage designer and photographer
Connections
It is known, that Jan was married to a woman, named Margareta, who was born in 1406. The couple's marriage produced ten children. Their first child was named either Philip or Philippina.
Sister:
Margareta van Eyck
Brother:
Hubert van Eyck
Hubert van Eyck was an Early Netherlandish painter.
Brother:
Lambert van Eyck
Wife:
Margareta van Eyck
References
Jan van Eyck: The Play of Realism
This revised and expanded edition includes many illustrations and reveals how van Eyck presented his contemporaries with a more subtle and complex view of the value of appearances as a route to understanding the meaning of life.
1992
Brief Overview: Jan van Eyck
This book on Jan van Eyck includes information on when he was born, what he was known for, who employed him and what made him famous.
Jan van Eyck's Arnolfini Portrait: Stories of an Icon
"Jan van Eyck's Arnolfini Portrait: Stories of an Icon" examines one of the earliest and most celebrated paintings in the history of European art from a variety of perspectives.
