Jan van Eyck
Jan van Eyck was a Flemish artist (which is modern day Belgium) who lived from approximately 1390 to 1441. He worked in the International Gothic style, though during his career, his art advanced beyond that style.
Most of what is known from van Eyck’s early life derives from court records, which isn’t very much. Early in his career, van Eyck worked as a court artist for multiple rulers, including John III “the Pitiless” in the Hague, Netherlands, and Philip “the Good”, who was the Duke of Burgundy, in Lille of modern-day France. He had a wonderful working relationship with Philip. He was paid a salary, which is notable as most other artists worked solely on commission. The duke even sent van Eyck on tasks that were political in nature, including one to check out a potential marriage proposal for the duke himself.
In 1429, van Eyck moved to Bruges in Belgium where he would live and work the rest of his life. Jan van Eyck died in 1441 at approximately 50 years old. At that time, he was really well-respected. After his death, his legacy continued to grow, so much so that a year later, in 1442, his body was exhumed to be reburied within St. Donatian’s Cathedral in Bruges, Belgium.
Van Eyck’s most famous paintings by far are the “Ghent Altarpiece” from 1432 and the “Arnolfini Portrait” from 1434. Unfortunately, not much else of his work survives and today, scholars attribute just 23 pieces still in existence to him. Van Eyck is often credited with discovering oil paints as a medium. This is not quite true, though, as oil had previously been used as a medium to paint statues and touch up tempera pieces. However, van Eyck did develop the use of linseed oil as a varnish to use with oil paints, which solidified its applicability for canvas art. Van Eyck may have been the first artist to paint with oils in this manner, forever changing the art world.
As his work matured, van Eyck’s painting style became more naturalistic, advancing beyond the International Gothic art style in which he was trained. This is likely due to his use of oil paints, which allowed a blending of colors not previously had by artists. His style was emulated by his peers who saw him as an art master. Van Eyck was also one of the first artists to sign his work. From 1433 onward, he signed his paintings with “ALS IK CAN”, which translates into “as I can” and is a pun on his name, van Eyck.
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