Van Eyck: The Complete Work

From his first appearance on the cultural stage, van Eyck elicited gasps of astonishment and awe. Under his precise brush, oil on canvas became reality on canvas. Like never before, the material and physical world found its near-perfect painterly equivalent.

This new monograph allows van Eyck’s recreation of reality to live and breathe in extra-large scale. In this generous format, the deftest details of the master’s scrutiny of light, color and texture acquire their rightful impact. From mysterious reflections on opaque surfaces to sparkling highlights on opulent jewels, we see the meticulous observation that made up van Eyck’s revolutionary pictorial illusion.

With abundant images, many enlarged details and a fold-out of the Ghent Altarpiece, this volume showcases van Eyck’s mimesis not only in such famous and beloved works as The Arnolfini Portrait, but also in lesser-known treasures such as the preparatory drawing of Cardinal Niccolò Albergati, an outstanding example of a 15th-century Netherlandish drawing. The book’s expansive coverage also extends to the complete catalog of the van Eyck workshop, which continued its output for almost a decade after the master’s own death.