Geertgen tot Sint Jans

Geertgen tot Sint Jans (gārt'gun tôt sint yäns) [key], fl. latter half of 15th cent., Dutch painter. Geertgen is the earliest painter of record in Haarlem. He may have gone to Ghent and had some contact with Hugo van der Goes, for there are analogies in their works. Geertgen developed a bold and original style. His figures often have haunting features, particularly the eyes. Examples of his paintings are Man of Sorrows (Utrecht) and Adoration of the Kings (Cleveland Mus. of Art). He created a lyrical landscape background in St. John the Baptist in the Wilderness (Berlin) and one of the first known full-scale nocturnal scenes, The Nativity at Night (National Gall., London). His particularly striking use of monochrome detail can be seen in Virgin and Child (Mus. Boymans–van Beuningen, Rotterdam).

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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