Twentieth century art historians coined the term “primitives” to describe the artists who came before and paved the way for the Renaissance. Like Italy, Flanders was a centre where new ideas were being tried out in the art of painting during the 15th century. This territory (now the Netherlands, Luxemburg and Belgium) was part of the estates of the powerful and prosperous Duchy of Burgundy.
The Flemish Primitives were active at the same time as the Italian Quattrocento artists and like them, were interested in pictorial innovations such as the representation of perspective; however they kept certain elements of Late Gothic such as slender figures and architectural design more in keeping with medieval taste than Antiquity.
The most striking innovation was without doubt the use of oil painting which allows meticulous rendering of detail and translucent effects called glazes. The polishing of this technique is attributed to the painter Jan Van Eyck (c. 1390-1441) who worked in The Hague, Tournai and then Bruges: he is regarded as the father of the new painting, and his luminous effects and realistic representations were generally admired. Most notably he was responsible for The Arnolfini Portrait and together with his brother, completed the Ghent Altarpiece, also known as The Adoration of the Lamb.
Campin (c. 1375-1444), also known as the “Master of Flémalle” opened a flourishing workshop in Tournai; he revealed himself in his interpretation of religious episodes which he represented as everyday scenes (such as the Annunciation Triptych). Van der Weyden (1399-1464), who trained in Campin’s workshop, put the emphasis on realism by giving his figures greater emotional expression. He worked in Brussels, and his fame opened the doors of European courts to him.
