A cosmopolitan trading centre, Bruges attracted an international merchant clientele, as well as the Burgundian rulers of the Netherlands. Their magnificent court included great painters such as Jan van Eyck and Hans Memling, whose masterpieces, interwoven with sculptures, illuminated manuscripts, and the buildings of Bruges itself, conjure up life in this medieval metropolis.   

Paula’s second lecture will give an overview of Van Eyck and his art and importance. Internationally regarded as the greatest painter of his day, Jan van Eyck was an innovative and technically brilliant observer of reality in an era when naturalism was becoming the goal of every artist. His paintings still astonish on account of their dazzling evocations of textiles, metalwork and distant landscapes, and their sophisticated illusionism, as well as for their sheer ingenuity and virtuosity. This lecture will discuss Van Eyck’s works, including the celebrated Ghent Altarpiece and the so-called Arnolfini Marriage in the National Gallery. 

A more detailed look at the Ghent Altarpiece is the focus of our third lecture. Completed in 1432, the altarpiece is the first datable painting of the Northern Renaissance, and a milestone in the history of art. Paula will unravel the meaning of the altarpiece’s complex imagery, explore its later history and highlight some of the discoveries to have emerged during its current restoration.