Sunday 21 April 2013

The High Art of the Low Countries: Dream of Plenty

 
 There's some great art programming on BBC4 and after Italy Unpacked (see Emiliga Romagna, Lombardy and Piedmont) I've become a bit of a fan of Andrew Graham-Dixon, he has an enthusiasm that is real and knowledgeable while still being down-to-earth with it. So I've just found a great little series on the High Art of the Low Countries (Belgium, Netherlands & Luxembourg).... & here's the art you must see:

Amazing 15th Century building housing the collection and workshops 


 
De Wit Tapestries in Mechelen, Belgium (take a virtual tour)

 

The Christmas Story...

  
 Jewel decoration...

 The apostles and Mary watching the Ascension...

 with Christ's feet ascending into heaven... and his footprints left behind on earth.

Illuminated manuscripts at the Museum Mayer van den Bergh in Antwerp, Belgium (This one was for the Queen of Portugal)

 
  
 
 

Jan Van Eyck's Altarpiece in Ghent Cathedral finished in 1432. (Van Eyck is said to be the 'inventor' of oil painting)


Christ's descent from the Cross by Rogier van der Weyden (now in the Prado Museum, Madrid. But you can see it in minute detail & other masterpieces from the Prado with Google Earth)

 
Arnolfini Portrait by Jan Van Eyck (in the National Gallery, London )


 

The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch in the Prado Museum, Madrid
 

Christ carrying the Cross by Bosch in the Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent, Belgium



Landscape with the fall of Icarus by Peter Bruegel in the Van Burren Museum, Brussels, Belgium
(can you spot Icarus?)


 'Landscape with a Rainbow' by Reubens in the Wallace Collection, London

I've been wanting to visit the Prado Museum for ages and now there's two more reasons to persude me to go! and a revisit to the National Gallery is in order and the Wallace Collection. 

Next up? Boom and Bust with art from Rembrandt & Vermeer.
What art would you see?


{all images via the episode on BBCiplayer}





No comments:

Post a Comment