Robert Campin
(c. 1375 - 26 April 1444) |
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panel painting Art Work
| Name: |
Robert Campin |
| Gender: |
Male |
| Place of Birth: |
Netherlands |
| Nationality: |
Dutch |
| Birth: |
c. 1375 |
| Death: |
26 April 1444 |
| Website: |
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| Past Auctions: |
Click Here |
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Quick Facts
| Known For: |
panel painting |
| Medium: |
tempera painting, oil painting |
| Method: |
tempera painting, oil painting |
| Style: |
Realism |
| Fine Art Profession(s): |
Painter
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Biography
Today, Robert Campin, 1375-1444, is usually identified as the Master of Flemalle, an unidentified painter of a body of influential works of the early 15th century. The veracity of this attribution is still debated, however. Despite there existing a unusual wealth of biographical information on Campin, there are no mentions of Campin's specific works and none of paintings by the Master of Flemalle are directly attributable to Campin. The tightest definition of the works of the Master of Flemalle, however, is restricted to three panels whose origin was said to be from an Abbey of Flemalle, which has been discovered not to exist. Other works attributed to the Master of Flemalle were identified through analysis and comparisons of style. Nevertheless, Campin, or the Master of Flemalle, is recognized as being one of the first great masters of art in the Netherlands.
Though born in Valenciennes, Campin spent most of his life in the city of Tournai, where in addition to deanship of the painter's guild, he held many political and civic posts. When in 1432, he was sentenced with exile for adultery and political corruption, Jacqueline of Bavaria, daughter of the Count of Holland, intervened and had his sentence mitigated to a fine.
As a painter, Campin produced primarily on panel altarpieces, and is credited with introduction of innovative techniques used in contemporary illuminated manuscript illustrations to panel painting. These include an emphasis on realistic observation, disguised symbolism, and complex perspectives. Campin was also an early user and experimenter of oil paints rather than the egg-based tempera paint that was popular in the period. His earliest works are usually agreed to be the Entombment Triptych, dated around 1415-1420. The most important work attributed to Campin is the Merode Altarpiece from 1428, which reveals an incredible eye to detail and use of a wealth of religious symbolism, the influence of which is also evident in the work of Jan van Eyck and the tradition of later Dutch painting. |
Samples of Work
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