LLEI D'ART 13

Rogier vanderWeyden (c. 1399-1464) TheMadridgallery shows theworks of one of history’s most famous painters Museo del Prado (Madrid) Until the 28th of June 2015 Born inTournai between 1399 and 1400 anddying inBrussels in1464, Rogier vanderWeydenwas a Flemishpainter whowas prestigious inhis own lifetime, andwhosework has had apowerful influence on the history of art. Althoughhewas an excellent portrait artist, themainbody of hiswork has a religious or devotional theme, but remains unsigned and undated. Thus thework has been attributed to him using stylistic analysis of the threemainworks that make up the exhibition. CommissionedbyDr. LorneCampbell and Juan JoséPérezPreciado, the head conservationist at theDepartment of Flemish andNorthernSchools Painting at theMuseodel Prado, the gallery puts on amagnificent showorganized around the recent restorationof the Calvary at El Escorial, awork closely linked to the history of Spain and itsmonarchy donatedby the artist to theScheutmonastery close to his death andofficially handed to theSan Lorenzode El Escorial Monastery in 1574. Next to the Calvary we can see TheDescent , created for Leuven’sOur LadyOutside TheWalls church and currently held at thePrado and TheMiraflores Triptych , donated to theMirafloresMonastery in Burgos by John II of Castile, currently at Berlin’s Gemäldegalerie These threeworks are the only ones considered signedby the artist, and canbe found next toone of the sculpture groups of the so-called BethlehemAltarpiece , fromLaredo’sSaintMary of the Assumption church, painted in about 1440 inBrussels. Theworkprovides a suggestive visual confrontation between the figures of thiswork, which are very similar to those of TheDescent and the Calvary , andbetween the small reliefs of the arquivolts, which themselves are similar to those of the Miraflores Triptych . The show also considers thepossibility of contemplating the same iconographic subject as the Calvary inother versions previously paintedby the artist, such as the CrucifixionTriptych with saints anddonors. In this casewe can find the copy of theMaster of the Legend of Saint Catherine at thePrado, and the Altar of the SevenSacraments at Antwerp’sKoninklijkMuseum. This is one of VanderWeyden’smost exquisite original pieces, not only for its quality, but also for inspiring a versionof the same topicpaintedby one of his direct disciples, theMaster of theRedemption at the Prado, so called for hismasterpiece TheRedemption Triptych . The central piece, TheCrucifixion , is also part of the exhibition, andunderlines the relevance and important role of the artist’s contemporary patrons and collectors. Theportraits of Philip theGood and his sonCharles theBold appears in a historical Florentine manuscript copyingoriginals by VanderWeyden. Rogier vanderWeyden Altar de losSieteSacramentos Altar of the sevenSacrament 1445-1450. KoninklijkMuseum voor SchoneKunsten, Anweres. 109