The Arnolfini Portrait, depicting the wedding of a young couple, is one of the most famous paintings of the Early Renaissance. With its unprecedented precision and masterful use of color (down to the most minute details reflected in the background mirror), the painting is a testament to the mastery of Flemish painter Jan van Eyck (c. 1390-1441), leader of the Early Netherland School. Though he cannot be credited, as many have claimed, as the inventor of oil painting, his use of the medium was highly innovative, allowing for great intensity and depth of color. Often imitated but never equaled, van Eyck left an indelible impression on Renaissance art and paved the way for future realist painters.
About the Series:
Each book in TASCHEN’s Basic Art Series features:
- a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance
- a concise biography
- approximately 100 colour illustrations with explanatory captions
Till-Holger Borchert studied art history, musicology and German Literature at the universities of Bonn and Bloomington (IN). An acknowledged expert in Early Netherlandish paintings, he has been chief curator at the Groeningemuseum in Bruges since 2002. He has also curated numerous exhibitions in the sphere of art and cultural history, including in Brussels, Maastricht, Rotterdam, Madrid and New York. Borchert teaches art history at the universities of Aachen and Memphis (TN) and heads the Flemish Research Centre for the Arts in the Burgundian Netherlands.