Rogier Van Der Weyden: Masters of Dutch Art

by Stephan Kemperdick

Rogier van der Weyden (1399/1400-1464) is one of the central figures of early Netherlandish painting. He was described by his contemporaries as the most important of all painters, and his pictures were treasured and much sought after not only north of the Alps, but also in Italy and Spain. Members of the brilliant court of Burgundy, including Duke Philip the Good himself, and the de'Medici family of Florence were among the patrons who commissioned works for him. His sophisticated painting combined naturalistic detail with expressive composition, and his works frequently represented a new approach to the great themes of Christian art. Rogier demonstrated exceptional skill in the creation of striking figures and groups of figures that embodied the emotional content of scene, and he was an example to countless painters both in and beyond the Netherlands.

Genres: Art

140 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Marc Lamot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Handsome overview in a startling visual series. Rogier van der Weyden is one of my favorite painters.

[Sebastian Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning art!

Having recently (at the time of first writing this review) enjoyed Andrew Graham Dixon's High Art Of The Low Countries TV series, and seen both an original van der Weyden and a copy of this book at the National Trust property Upton House, my wife and I - both art makers and art lovers - thought we'd check and see if the book was available on Amazon.

We looked, and it was. And for just over a fiver! Okay the text is in German, but this nonetheless remains a sumptuously illustrated and richly rewarding feast for the eyes and the mind. As well as quite a bit of work by the titular 'Meister', including some of uncertain pedigree, and some attributed not to him as such, but to his studio, there are also a number of incredible tapestries and pages from illuminated manuscripts, as well as several works by other artists showing his influence.

Amongst his most famous works are a number of crucifixion scenes, with vividly tearful Marys in feinting fits, and a truly spectacular last judgement, known as the Beauner Altarpiece, in which a rainbow riding red robed Jesu presides over the risen dead, some going to the heavenly city, whilst others grimace and grasp at each other as they plunge, terror-stricken into the maw of hell. This incredible work is, quite rightly, given several pages, shown both in completely opened form, and in several detailed and reverse-panel views. His individual portraits are also amazing, and, as with a number of drawings, are gathered into a separate section.

Rogier van der Weyden was close contemporary to the Van Eycks, and his (and his workshops) is a similar style: with intense precision, detail is rendered with an almost hallucinatory clarity. Colour is intoxicatingly rich, rendering is exquisite, and design and modelling of form are enough to take your breath away.

An amazing artist, well-represented by an excellent selection of superbly reproduced artworks. I only wish I could read German better!

[Mary Warnement · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rogier van der Weyden is an artist whose works I seek in any museum I visit. I recall being in the Ca d'Oro in Venice with Jim who talked intelligently about him because he'd taken a class at Holy Cross on medieval art. Jim, who usually has no time for anything that isn't ancient Rome. That was almost 20 years ago. Why did it take me so long to follow up? Life is short. I sought books last summer about Rogier and Hans Memling. All the art books were huge and heavy. I asked for one for Xmas and let Jim decide. He found a slim one on Rogier by Stephan Kemperdick, a German art historian. This book was slim and able to be held easily in bed, but there was a lot of small print on each page. And many reproductions. I had to flip back and forth a lot, but it was great to see so many and be able to compare. This was a succinct overview of the few facts we have about the artist's life, descriptions of his major works, comparisons to his influences and his successors. Now I need to find a manageable one about Memling.

[Troy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite painters!

[Mary Warnement]

This isn't the edition I was reading, so I put it back on the shelf. I'm enjoying the one I'm reading.