Rogier van der (1399) Weyden

(b Tournai, Belgium 1400; d Brussels 1464) Netherlandish Painter. Rogier Van Der Weyden is believed to have begun his life as Rogelet de la Pasture. Under this name he was apprenticed, at the late age of nearly twenty-seven, to the Painter Robert Campin. Upon the completion of his apprenticeship he moved to Brussels where he became quite successful and was ultimately appointed the official painter of the city. Van Der Weyden was commissioned to create many religious scenes for churches and monasteries, as well as a number of secular portraits for noblemen and women. His distinctive style was less concerned with realistic intricacies but focused instead on conveying a scene’s emotional significance. None of Van Der Weyden’s works were signed, so today we cannot definitively attribute any existing works to his hand, however his style can be discerned as a strong influence in the work of many artists in the generations that followed him.