Author Description

"Although Dieric Bouts (1410/20-1475) was most probably born and bred in Haarlem, he spent most of his working life in Louvain. His fame is primarily based on the works he painted for institutions in that Brabant town, the Holy Sacrament altarpiece--better known as the Last Supper--and the panels of the Justice of Emperor Otto. For all the charm of his artistic personality and his innovations in a number of areas, Bouts has not always been valued at his true worth. Profoundly influenced by the spatial qualities in the art of Van Eyck and the plastic strength in that of Van der Weyden, he developed an original synthesis of these two opposing modes of expression, in which the luminous landscape serves as a unifying element. Instead of the pathos of Van der Weyden's figures, he offers an interiorized form of emotion imbued with a strong sense of piety. And while his interest in the rendering of detail and texture is something he shared with Van Eyck, the subtlety of his effects of light and texture are very much his own. Catheline Périer-D'Ieteren, who has long been renowned for her technical and sociological approach to early Netherlandish art, brings out Bout's true position in the painting tradition of his day. She describes the typical features of the master's style, and analyses these with great precision in order to highlight his technical innovations. Her critical interpretation casts a fresh new light on the fundamental aspects of the artist's creative methods, especially his use of underdrawing. Catheline Périer-D'Ieteren also offers a bold and substantiated reconsideration of authorship issues, bringing out the essential role played by Bout's studio in the works traditionally attributed to him. In the process the author also delineates the artistic personality of Bout's main collaborator, the Master of the Munich Betrayal. Finally, she also assesses the extent of Bout's influence in the art of the late fifteenth century. This is the first comprehensive monogr