JAN VAN EYCK, MASTER PAINTER

The prime virtue of this biography is the emphasis on the individual paintings by the artist. The story of the Flemish painter's life is too sketchy and disorganized to be very useful. His years of apprenticeship to brother Hubert, his intensive work for the Count of Holland and his overall relationship to the society in which he lived are hastily outlined. But masterpieces like The Holy Lamb, Van Eyck's magnificent portraits, and St. Jerome in His Study are fully detailed in an effort to promote appreciation. Full color and black and white reproductions offer an opportunity for close scrutiny in a volume which is successful as a guide to specific works.