Jan van Eyck Facts for Kids

Portrait of a Man in a Turban, it may have been a self-portrait, painted in 1433

Jan van Eyck or Johannes de Eyck (before c. 1395 – before July 9, 1441) was an Early Netherlandish painter active in Bruges and considered one of the best Northern European painters of the 15th century.

There is a common misconception, which dates back to the sixteenth-century, that Jan van Eyck invented oil painting. It is however true that he achieved, or perfected, new and remarkable effects using this technique. Thus, due to his early mastery of the technique, he has often been referred to as the "father of oil painting." He was interested in art since he was a child and was encouraged in this career by his older brother, Hubert.

Jan van Eyck died in Bruges in 1441 and was buried there in the Church of St Donatian (destroyed during the French Revolution).

Images for kids

The Arnolfini Portrait, oil on oak, 1434. National Gallery, London
Hubert and Jan van Eyck, Ghent Altarpiece, completed 1432. Saint Bavo Cathedral, Ghent
Portrait of Margaret van Eyck, Groeningemuseum, Bruges, 1439
Annunciation, 1434–1436; National Gallery of Art, Washington
Bas-de-page of the Baptism of Christ, Hand G, Turin. Milan Filio 93v, Inv 47.
Dresden Triptych. Oil on oak panel, 1437. Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden
Madonna of Chancellor Rolin, c. 1435. Musée du Louvre, Paris
Madonna in the Church, c. 1438–1440. Gemäldegalerie, Berlin
Ghent Altarpiece, detail showing the Virgin Mary
The Arnolfini Portrait, detail showing the female subject and convex mirror
Virgin and Child with Canon van der Paele, c. 1434–1436. Groeningemuseum, Bruges. Van Eyck's Marian paintings are suffused with iconographic detail
Detail with mirror and signature; Arnolfini Portrait, 1434
Copy of a van Eyck, Portrait of Isabella of Portugal (original lost). Private collection
Crucifixion and Last Judgement diptych, c. 1430–1440. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Jan van Eyck facts for kids

Images for kids

See also