Rogier

We do not talk about Rogier van der Weyden enough.

If van Eyck showed the world as it looks, Rogier showed the world as it feels. His paintings — above all his shattering “Descent from the Cross” — achieve an emotional intensity that is almost unbearable, channelling grief and compassion through figures of extraordinary elegance and psychological truth.

Arguably the most influential painter of the fifteenth century, Rogier shaped the development of European art for a hundred years after his death, yet we seldom talk about him.

This talk asks why he was so long overshadowed, and makes the case for his full restoration to greatness.