Abstract
Jan van Eyck, in collaboration with his brother Hubert, is at the beginning of the great era of Netherlandish realism. It marked the beginning of the era of the Transalpine Renaissance and manifested itself in an unprecedented painterly interest in the illusory depiction of reality, captured in the smallest material details and material nuances.
His art was permeated by a deep religious faith, through which he was able to imprint an irresistibly earthly form. The Ghent Altar was followed by several generations of "Netherlandish primitives" and gradually stimulated new painterly thinking not only in Germany, Spain and France, but also in artistically completely different Italy of the 15th century.
The lecture is realized for the cultural public within the third role of the university in the original author's cycle Artist and Man.