Flemish Primitives

Painting of the 15th and early 16th Century in the Southern Low Countries is a brilliant high point in the history of art. These painters are generally referred to as the "Flemish primitives". It is an artistic flourishing period that is distinguished by a highly-permeating refinement of oil painting and by an assiduousness to reproduce the visible world in as detailed manner as possible. This realism is also applied to the religious imagery or iconography. Moreover, the Flemish primitives emphasise a previously unseen religious expressivity that ushers in a new tradition in painting. The commissions not only came from the various courts and religious institutions, but also from the cities and their citizenry. For the first time, the painter received a very prominent position in the society. Through contacts amongst Flanders, Northern Italy and other regions on the continent, this typical Flemish art of painting influenced all of Europe.

In 1902, a large exhibition was organised in Bruges entitled Les Primitifs flamands et l'art ancien. On exhibit were nearly 400 paintings, amongst which were works by (or attributed to) Van Eyck, Van der Weyden, Memling, Bouts, David and Matsys. Over 35,000 people viewed the exhibition. Never before had so many Flemish paintings of this period (15th and early-16th Century) been seen together. Many of the works came from private collections and thus could be seen for the first time in a public context. The impact of this exhibition was unique in scope in that it subsequently stimulated the preservation, acquisition, and research of and on the art of this period and geographic area across all of Northern Europe.

The 'Flemish primitives' were also called 'Les peintres des anciens Pays-Bas méridionaux', or their art in German 'Altniederländische Malerei', while in English it was considered 'Early Netherlandish painting' or, when comprising more than the area of Flanders, 'Northern Renaissance painting'. With so many different labels, what then unifies this art of the late-Middle Ages and /or early Renaissance in Flanders? In defining a research area, three aspects can be considered as determiners: stylistic characteristics, geography and chronology.

Read the article 'Flemish Primitives: what's in a name?'

Dieric Bouts, Triptych of Saint Erasmus, ca. 1460-1464, M Leuven (Saint Peter's Church) - CC0, image artinflanders.be, photo Dominique Provost

Website 'Flemish Primitives'

The website 'The Flemish Primitives' guides you through the world of painting in the Burgundian Netherlands, from Jan van Eyck to Quinten Massijs.

Collection

In addition to the Flemish Primitives collections from the established partner museums of the Flemish Art Collection (KMSKA, MSK Gent, Musea Brugge and M Leuven), the collection from the Museum Mayer van den Bergh in Antwerp is also displayed, along with the collections from the Saint Bavo Cathedral in Ghent and the Sint-Salvator Cathedral in Bruges.

The website does not limit itself, however, to the group of painters who are relatively easy to group stylistically together from the southern Low Countries in the 15th Century and the first quarter of the 16th Century. There are four additional categories distinguished by artists or works of art: the few examples of pre-Van Eyck painting in our region has a spot, as do Northern or Southern Low Country painters who have furthered the stylistic traditions of the Flemish Primitives later in the 16th Century. The paintings from the 15th and early-16th century artists from other locales, present in the Flemish collections, such as Madonna Surrounded by Seraphims and Cherubims by Jean Fouquet are also shown.

De website also sheds light on the history of the collections and the collection policy.

In the thematic collection presentations, the oeuvres of the Flemish Primitives are approached from no less than 18 different angles. In this way we gain insight into the world image of the late Middle Ages, the role of religion, the techniques used and how and why the works of art were utilised or ordered.

Discover the Flemish Primitives collection

Jan van Eyck, Portrait of Margareta van Eyck — CC0, Image artinflanders.be, photo Hugo Maertens

Rogier van der Weyden, Diptych of Philippe de Croy — CC0, image artinflanders.be, photo Hugo Maertens

Hans Memling, Diptych of Maarten van Nieuwenhove — CC0, image artinflanders.be, photo Hugo Maertens

Jan Provoost, Crucifixion — CC0, image artinflanders.be, photo Hugo Maertens

Jean Fouquet, Madonna surrounded by Seraphim and Cherubim — CC0

Hugo van der Goes, The Dormition — CC0, foto Dominique Provost

Unknown painter, Birth of Jesus, Panel of the Antwerp-Baltimore Polyptych — CC0, photo Ans Brys

Biographies

This section provides insight into the lives of the most famous masters of the Burgundian Low Countries. The history of the lives of the Flemish Primitives is difficult to reconstruct. There are precious few archival sources that have remained preserved from the 15th and 16th centuries. Yet, in the 15th and mostly in the 16th centuries, there were humanist writers who saw it as their charge to write about artists and art.

Read more about the live and work of amongst others: Jan van Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden, Dieric Bouts, Joos van Wassenhove, Petrus Christus, Hans Memling, Hugo van der Goes, Gerard David, Jan Provoost en Quinten Massijs.

In-depth information

Whoever wishes to go further in-depth can go directly to the website for specialised information on the research libraries, the manner in which the collections came into being, the resumes of the curators and researchers involved and a number of comprehensive and richly illustrated web publications with texts on the artists, works of art, restorations, and so forth. The Flemish Research Centre for the Arts in the Burgundian Netherlands of the Bruges museums and the Centre for the Study of Flemish Primitives of the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK) are responsible for the guarantee of the scientific and art historical correctness of the information provided.