The artist of the Low Countries during the 15th century tried to paint things exactly as they looked. When you look at the work of these artists, you can almost feel the softness of velvet, the hard crust of a loaf or bread, the fuzz on a peach. They painted the tiniest details of objects around them: wrinkles in a face, the feathers of a bird, the folds of a dress. They painted everyday objects with the same loving attention they gave to the glow of gold and radiance of precious jewels.

Thanks to the oil technique the Dutch developed and perfected, painting became more realistic.

 The greatest Flemish painter of the 15th century was Jan van Eyck (1370?-1440?). He was born in a Dutch town but set up his workshop in the city of Bruges in Flanders. He was the official court painter of the Duke of Burgundy. With his older brother, Hubert van Eyck (1366?-1426), about whom we know very little, Jain painted the famous altar-piece in Ghent, The Adoration of the Lamb. Finished in 1432m this large detailed work is one of the masterpieces of early Flemish painting.

 The Van Eycks perfected the technique of oil painting. It was Jan’s use of this medium that made possible the many details in his paintings. Some details are so small that a magnifying glass must be used to see them. Jan’s technique was to put layer upon layer of oil paint over a white base.

In this way got bright jewel-like colors. He is probably most famous for his amazing ability to make such objects as cloth, jewels, marble, and flowers look real. He also knew how to paint landscapes that seem filled with real air and light. He knew that colors in the distance look paler and that things look hazier near the horizon. All this attention to detail does not, however, detract from the main of his paintings. The religious story or the personality of the people in his portraits remains most important.

 Another artist who helped form the tradition of Flemish realism and influenced Jan van Eyck is known as the Master of Flemalle. It is not certain, but he was probably Robert Campin (1375?-1444), who had a successful workshop in Tournai, Flanders. He was the first to paint religious stories in the setting of an ordinary home. He also showed landscapes and city views through an open window.

While Jan van Eyck painted the Virgin Mary as the Queen of Heaven, the Master of Flemalle pictured her as a middle-class mother. Although the settings are simple, the paintings are filled with many symbolic details. Symbolism—using one object to stand for another object or an idea—is used in all Flemish paintings of the century. For example, the dig stands for loyalty. Realism and symbolism were perfectly expressed with the use of the oil technique.