He had not Van Eyck's
skill, nor his detail, nor his color. More of a draughtsman than a
colorist, he was angular in figure and drapery, but had honesty,
pathos, and sincerity, and was very charming in bright background
landscapes. Though spending some time in Italy, he was never
influenced by Italian art. He was always Flemish in type, subject, and
method, a trifle repulsive at first through angularity and emotional
exaggeration, but a man to be studied.
By Van der Goes (1430?-1482) there are but few good examples, the
chief one being an altar-piece in the Uffizi at Florence. It is
angular in drawing but full of character, and in beauty of detail and
ornamentation is a remarkable picture. He probably followed Van der
Weyden, as did also Justus van Ghent (last half of fifteenth century).
Contemporary with these men Dierick Bouts (1410-1475) established a
school at Haarlem. He was Dutch by birth, but after 1450 settled in
Louvain, and in his art belongs to the Flemish school. He was
influenced by Van der Weyden, and shows it in his detail of hands and
melancholy face, though he differed from him in dramatic action and in
type.
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