Rogier van der Weyden
Born – Tournai, Belgium 1400
Died – Bruges, Belgium 1464
The pre-eminent artist of mid-fifteenth-century Flanders, Rogier van der Weyden is believed to have begun his career as an apprentice to Robert Campin. He later became Town Painter of Brussels from 1433 to 1464. As such, he would have been in charge of a workshop with at least four or five apprentices producing numerous designs for altarpieces and sculpture. He was the originator of a style of portraiture in which individual complexities were reduced to standard types, easily recognisable by the contemporary viewer. This technique, evident here in the plainness and flatness of the portrait, culminated in the work of Hugo van der Goes. Van der Weyden used slightly tinted layers of primer to soften the intensity of his colours. His simple, emotional style was popular in Italy, where many artists, such as Cosima Tura, were influenced by him. Antoine de Bourgogne, the illegitimate son of Philip the Good, was born in 1421; in this portrait he is in his mid-30s. Here, van der Weyden emphasizes the characteristics thought to signify good breeding – fine bone structure and sensitive features.
Masterpieces:
- Deposition
- Braque Triptych
Text: The A-Z of Art, Nicola Hodge and Libby Anson.
Books About rogier van der weyden
Rogier van der Weyden 1400-1464: Master of Passions
Waanders
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Rogier Van Der Weyden: The Complete Works
Dirk De Vos
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Van Der Weyden
Lorne Campbell
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