Hans Memling was one of the greatest artists working in northern Europe in the late medieval period. He made his home and his name in the city of Bruges; Belgium; where he lived and worked for almost 30 years. Often described as a Flemish Primitive; he almost singlehandedly transformed Bruges into the most prestigious location for northern European artists and craftsmen working at that time. Memling developed what became known as the Bruges Style; celebrated for its quiet perfection; refinement; and sophisticated compositions. Although filled with people; his works are largely static; always meticulously arranged narrative compositions presented in unvarying light. Symmetry plays an important part in his paintings; which glow with color and are distinguished from earlier medieval works by their lack of gold leaf and silver paint. The Madonna became something of a specialty for Memling and he always presents her as a serenely idealized figure completely untroubled by reality or events around her. As well as his main devotional subjects and portraits of the rich; Memling painted the Virgin and child time and again and remarkably about 15 different individual paintings survive.
#2303180 in eBooks 2013-12-16 2013-12-16File Name: B00HDE2GJY
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Size countsBy Timothy RamzykI have one criticism of this book; but its not unfortunately a minor one; and thats its scale. These paintings cry out for larger reproductions in order to be appreciated; and I would gladly have paid more for a larger book. Though the text is illuminating and comprehensive it comprises over half the total pages of the book. The paintings on the other hand are displayed at an average size of 5" x 7".Though Im enthused to finally see all these paintings (I initially tried to fund this project on kickstarter); I feel a larger format would have struck a better balance between word and image. Its still worth having for sure; but I hope they do a more art-focused hardcover some day.
