Hugo Van Der Goes: Between Pain and Bliss

This volume explores the work of one of the greatest painters of the Netherlands: Hugo van der Goes. Hugo van der Goes (c.1440-1482) was the most important Flemish artist of the second half of the fifteenth century. His innovative pictorial compositions are characterized by monumental figures and realistic narrative moments. Van der Goes's works were admired by his contemporaries and were copied countless times until well into the seventeenth century, and they paved the way for the development of Flemish painting during the following centuries. This volume is published to accompany an exhibition of van der Goes's work at the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin and pays tribute to the character and importance of his surviving works. In this book, his great altarpieces are juxtaposed with more intimate panels, drawings, and miniatures as well as works from his immediate circle. Lavishly illustrated and rich in expert commentary, it presents a comprehensive overview of the creative oeuvre of a magnificent artist.