Hugo van der Goes

Death of the Virgin, around 1480, Groeninge Museum , Bruges

Hugo van der Goes (* about 1435 / 1440 presumably in Ghent , † 1482 in Oudergem in Brussels ) was a Flemish painter and chief master of Early Netherlandish painting in the second half of the 15th century .

Life

On May 4, 1467 he became a master in the “Lucas painters' guild” in Ghent (this event made van der Goes historically tangible for the first time). His witness and guarantor is Joos van Wassenhove , better known as Justus van Gent. There are no indications of previous painting activity. In 1468 Hugo van der Goes was called to Bruges together with Jacques Daret and other artists to decorate the city for the wedding celebrations of Charles the Bold with Margaret of York .

From 1474 to August 15, 1476 he was dean of the painters' guild. Already during his lifetime he achieved far-reaching fame, which is evidenced by his few surviving works for the bourgeoisie and the nobility.

Shortly before November 1, 1475, he entered the Roode Clooster near Brussels as an Augustinian brother , but did not give up painting during his stay in the monastery. Here, too, the painter received high-ranking visitors: even the Archduke and later Emperor Maximilian came to look at paintings and order paintings. The external reason for his withdrawal is unknown.

In 1481 he went on a trip to Cologne with some brothers, on the return of which he suffered a suicidal attack. It is not known whether he recovered completely before his death. After arriving at the monastery, he changed his behavior: he renounced the privileges and privileges that he had received from the prior because of his well-known reputation. Van der Goes died in 1482.

Works (not chronological)

Adoration of the Magi

• Portinari triptych , around 1475, Uffizi Gallery , Florence ,
• Monforte Altar , Gemäldegalerie , Berlin,
• The Adoration of the Shepherds , Gemäldegalerie, Berlin,
• Viennese diptych , Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna ,
• Marientod , Groeninge Museum , Bruges ,
• Hippolytus Altar , St. Salvator, Bruges,
• Marien altars , Städel , Frankfurt am Main .

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  Portinari Altar , Uffizi Gallery, Florence

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  The Adoration of the Shepherds , Gemäldegalerie Berlin

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  One wing of the Vienna Diptych

literature

• Günter Arnolds (Ed.): Painting of the Occident. A collection of pictures from early Christian to contemporary painting , FA Herbig Verlagbuchhandlung, Berlin-Grunewald 1955
• KA Beutler: Hugo van der Goes: The Adoration of the Magi . In: Lichtwark Special Edition No. 3. Ed. Lichtwark Committee, Bergedorf, 1951. See now: Verlag HB-Werbung, Hamburg-Bergedorf. ISSN  1862-3549 .
• Rudy van Elslande, Het Clair-obscure in de 'Kerstnacht' van Hugo van Der Goes Vernieuwer en voorloper van het 17de-eeuwse caravaggisme - chiaroscuto in 'The Navity' bij Hugo van der Goes Innovator and precursor of the 17th century Caravaggist style, Hoogstraten , 2011.
• Friedemann Fichtl: Let's hear what happened , Christophorus Verlag, Freiburg im Breisgau 1978, ISBN 3-419-52947-3 .
• Susanne Franke: Space and Realism. Hugo van der Goes' image production as a process of knowledge , Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main 2012. ISBN 3-631-63264-9 .
• Jochen Sander: Hugo van der Goes, style development and chronology , Mainz 1992, ISBN 3-8053-1226-1 .
• Adolphe Siret, Alfred Woltmann:  Goes, Hugo van der . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 9, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1879, p. 322 f.
• Dirk de Vos: Flemish Masters: Jan van Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden, Hans Memling , DuMont, Cologne, pp. 143–156, ISBN 3-8321-7201-7 .

Web links

Commons : Hugo van der Goes  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Works by Hugo van der Goes at Zeno.org .
• Olga's gallery: Hugo van der Goes