Rogier van der Weyden (1400 - 1464)

Rogier van der Weyden

Rogier van der Weyden, birth name Rogier de le Pasture, was a Dutch painter, a classic of the Northern Renaissance.

Rogier van der Weyden was one of the most important and influential artists of the Flemish Northern Renaissance, along with Jan van Eyck and Robert Kampen. He became the official painter of the city of Brussels and executed works for the Duke of Burgundy, who ruled the region at the time. Van der Weyden's groups of figures and compositions for portraits and biblical scenes inspired subsequent generations of artists, and his ability to convey strong emotion has been recognized as one of his major contributions to European art. He is considered the first European artist to depict people crying.

The most powerful on the emotional impact on the viewer can be considered the canvas of the artist "The removal from the cross" (1435-1440), it is one of the peaks of European fine art XV century. Currently, the painting is stored in the Prado Museum in Madrid.

One of Rogier van der Weyden's sons, grandson and great-grandson also became artists.