Jan van Eyck

Jan van Eyck (before 1395 - 1441) was an Early Netherlandish painter from the Southern Netherlands, now Flemish Belgium. He perfected the newly developed technique of oil painting. His naturalistic panel paintings - mostly portraits and religious subjects - made extensive use of disguised religious symbols. He is considered one of the most significant representatives of Early Northern Renaissance art. His masterpiece is the altarpiece in the cathedral at Ghent, known as The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb or the Ghent Altarpiece (1432). Jan van Eyck’s brother, Hubert van Eyck, is also thought to have been an artist.