Ghent Gent (Dutch)
Belfry of Ghent. Behind it the Saint Nicholas church is visible.
Flag Coat of arms
Ghent Location in Belgium
Coordinates: 51°3′N 3°44′E / 51.05°N 3.733°E / 51.05; 3.733
Country	Belgium
Region	Flemish Region
Community	Flemish Community
Province	East Flanders
Arrondissement	Ghent
Government
• Mayor (list)	Daniël Termont (sp.a)
• Governing party/ies	sp.a, Open VLD, Pro Gent
Area
• Total	156.18 km2 (60.30 sq mi)
Population (1 January 2011)[1]
• Total	247,486
• Density	1,600/km2 (4,100/sq mi)
Demographics
• Foreigners	7.31% (1 July 2005)
Postal codes	9000–9052
Area codes	09
Website	www.gent.be
Map of Ghent

Ghent ( /ˈɡɛnt/; Dutch: Gent, pronounced [ʝɛnt]; French: Gand, pronounced: [ɡɑ̃]) (also spelled Gent) is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of northern Europe. Today it is a busy city with a port and a university.

The municipality comprises the city of Ghent proper and the surrounding towns of Afsnee, Desteldonk, Drongen, Gentbrugge, Ledeberg, Mariakerke, Mendonk, Oostakker, Sint-Amandsberg, Sint-Denijs-Westrem, Sint-Kruis-Winkel, Wondelgem and Zwijnaarde. With 240,191 inhabitants in the beginning of 2009,^[2] Ghent is Belgium's second largest municipality by number of inhabitants. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of 1,205 km² (465 sq mi) and has a total population of 594,582 as of 1 January 2008, which ranks it as the fourth most populous in Belgium.^[3][4] The current mayor of Ghent, Daniël Termont, leads a coalition of the sp.a, Open VLD and Pro Gent.

Every year the ten-day-long "Ghent Festival" (Gentse Feesten in Dutch) is held. About two million visitors attend every year.

History[link]

Ghent in 1775

Archaeological evidence shows human presence in the region of the confluence of Scheldt and Lys going back as far as the Stone Age and the Iron Age.^[5] Most historians believe that the older name for Ghent, 'Ganda', is derived from the Celtic word 'ganda' which means confluence.^[5] There are no written records of the Roman period but archaeological research confirms that the region of Ghent was further inhabited.

When the Franks invaded the Roman territories (from the end of the 4th century and well into the 5th century) they brought their language with them and Celtic and Latin were replaced by Old Dutch.

Around 650 Saint Amand founded two abbeys in Ghent: the Saint Peter Abbey (Blandinium) and the Saint Bavo Abbey. The city grew from several nuclei, the abbeys and a commercial centre. Around 800 Louis the Pious, son of Charlemagne, appointed Einhard, the biographer of Charlemagne, as abbot of both abbeys. In 851 and 879 the city was however attacked and plundered twice by the Vikings.

The city recovered and flourished from the 11th century on. Until the 13th century Ghent was the biggest city in Europe after Paris; it was bigger than London, Cologne or Moscow^{[citation needed]}. Within the city walls lived up to 65,000 people. Today, the belfry and the towers of the Saint Bavo Cathedral and Saint Nicholas' Church are just a few examples of the skyline of the period.

The rivers flowed in an area where a lot of land was periodically inundated. These richly grassed 'meersen' ("water-meadows": a word related to the English 'marsh', but not meaning exactly the same: a 'meers' is not permanently under water) were ideally suited for herding sheep, the wool of which was used for making cloth. In fact, Ghent was, during the Middle Ages, the most important city for cloth.

The wool industry, originally established at Bruges, created the first European industrialized zone in Ghent in the High Middle Ages. The mercantile zone was so highly developed that wool had to be imported from Scotland and England. This was one of the reasons for Flanders' good relationship with Scotland and England. Ghent was the birthplace of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster. The trade with England (but not Scotland) suffered significantly during the Hundred Years' War.

The city recovered in the 14th century, while Flanders was united with neighbouring provinces under the Dukes of Burgundy. High taxes led to a rebellion and eventually the Battle of Gavere in 1453, in which Ghent suffered a terrible defeat at the hands of Philip the Good. Around this time the center of political and social importance in the Low Countries started to shift from Flanders (Bruges–Ghent) to Brabant (Antwerp–Brussels), although Ghent would continue to play an important role.

Buildings along the Leie river in Ghent

Justitiepaleis, Ghent, ca. 1895

In 1500 Juana of Castile gave birth to Charles V, who became Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain. Although native to Ghent, he punished the city after the 1539 Revolt of Ghent and obliged the city's nobles to walk in front of the emperor barefoot with a noose (Dutch: strop) around the neck; since this incident, the people of Ghent have been called "Stroppendragers" (noose bearers). The Saint Bavo Abbey was abolished, torn down, and replaced with a fortress for Spanish troops. Only a small portion of the abbey was spared demolition.

The late 16th and the 17th century brought devastation because of the Religious wars. At one time Ghent was a Calvinistic republic, but eventually the Spanish army reinstated Catholicism. The wars ended the role of Ghent as a center of international importance. In 1745 the city was captured by French forces during the War of the Austrian Succession before being returned to Austria following the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle.

In the 18th and 19th century the textile industry flourished again in Ghent. In 1800 Lieven Bauwens, having smuggled the plans out of England, introduced the first mechanical weaving machine on the European continent.

Ghent was also the site of the signing of the Treaty of Ghent which formally ended the War of 1812 between Britain and the United States. After the battle of Waterloo Ghent became a part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands for 15 years. In this period Ghent established its own university (1817) and a new connection to the sea (1824–27).

After the Belgian Revolution, with the loss of port access to the sea for more than a decade, the local economy collapsed and the first Belgian trade-union originated in Ghent. In 1913 there was a World exhibition in Ghent. As a preparation for these festivities, the Sint-Pieters railway station was completed in 1912.

Geography[link]

Municipality[link]

Municipalities

After the 1965 and 1977 fusions the city is made up of:

• I Ghent
• II Mariakerke
• III Drongen
• IV Wondelgem
• V Sint-Amandsberg
• VI Oostakker
• VII Desteldonk
• VIII Mendonk
• IX Sint-Kruis-Winkel
• X Ledeberg
• XI Gentbrugge
• XII Afsnee
• XIII Sint-Denijs-Westrem
• XIV Zwijnaarde

Neighbouring municipalities[link]

• Wachtebeke
• Lochristi
• Destelbergen
• Melle
• Merelbeke
• De Pinte
• Sint-Martens-Latem
• Deinze
• Nevele
• Lovendegem
• Evergem
• Zelzate

Tourism[link]

The Graslei is one of the most scenic places in Ghent's old city centre

Architecture[link]

The Gravensteen

Historical centre of Ghent – from left to right: Old post office, Saint-Nicholas Church, Belfry, and Saint Bavo Cathedral.

Ghent at Night

Riverside in Ghent

Much of the city's medieval architecture remains intact and is remarkably well preserved and restored. Its centre is the largest carfree area in Belgium. Interesting highlights are the Saint Bavo Cathedral with the Ghent Altarpiece, the belfry, the Gravensteen castle, and the splendid architecture along the old Graslei harbour. Ghent established a nice blend between comfort of living and history – it is not a city-museum. The city of Ghent houses also three béguinages and numerous churches, among which the Saint-Jacob's church, the Saint-Nicolas' church and the Saint Michael's church are the most beautiful examples.

In the nineteenth century Ghent's most famous architect, Louis Roelandt, built the university hall Aula, the opera house and the main courthouse. Highlights of modern architecture are the university buildings (the Boekentoren or Book Tower) by Henry Van de Velde. There are also a few theatres from diverse periods.

The beguinages, as well as the belfry and adjacent cloth hall, were recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites in 1998 and 1999.

Museums[link]

Important museums in Ghent are the Museum voor Schone Kunsten (Museum of Fine Arts), with paintings by Hieronymus Bosch, Peter Paul Rubens, and many Flemish masters; the SMAK or Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst (City Museum for Contemporary Art), with works of the 20th century, including Joseph Beuys and Andy Warhol; and the Design Museum with masterpieces of Victor Horta and Le Corbusier. The Huis van Alijn (House of the Alijn family) was originally a beguinage and is now a museum for folk art where theatre and puppet shows for children are presented. The Museum voor Industriële Archeologie en Textiel or MIAT displays the industrial strength of Ghent with recreations of workshops and stores from the 1800s and original spinning and weaving machines that remain from the time when the building was a weaving mill. STAM, the new Ghent City Museum, is committed to recording and explaining the past of the city and its inhabitants, and to preserve the present for future generations.

Restaurants and culinary traditions[link]

In Ghent and other regions of East-Flanders, bakeries sell a donut-shaped bun called a "mastel" (plural "mastellen"), which is basically a bagel. "Mastellen" are also called "Saint Hubert bread", because on the Saint's feast day, which is 3 November, the bakers bring their batches to the early Mass to be blessed. Traditionally, it is thought that blessed mastellen immunize against rabies.

Other local delicacies are the praline chocolates from local producers such as Leonidas and Dascalides, the 'neuzekes' ('noses'), cone-shaped purple jelly-filled candies, 'babeluten' ('babblers'), hard butterscotch-like candy, and of course, on the more fiery side, the famous 'Tierenteyn', a hot but refined mustard that has some affinity to French 'Dijon' mustard.

'Stoverij' is a classic Flemish meat stew, preferably made with a generous adittion of brown 'Trappist' (strong abbey beer) and served with French fries. 'Waterzooi' is a local stew originally made from freshwater fish caught in the rivers and creeks of Ghent, but nowadays often made with chicken instead of fish. It is usually served nouvelle-cuisine-style, and will be supplemented by a large pot on the side.

The city promotes a meat-free day on Thursdays called Donderdag Veggiedag^[6][7] with vegetarian food being promoted in public canteens for civil servants and elected councillors, in all city funded schools, and promotion of vegetarian eating options in town (through the distribution of "veggie street maps"). This campaign is linked to the recognition of the detrimental environmental effects of meat production, which the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization has established to represent nearly one-fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Festivities[link]

The city is host to some big cultural events such as the Gentse Feesten, I Love Techno in Flanders Expo, "10 Days Off" musical festival, Flanders International Film Festival Ghent (with the World Soundtrack Awards) and the Gent Festival van Vlaanderen. Also, every five years, a huge botanical exhibition (Gentse Floraliën) takes place in Flanders Expo in Ghent, attracting numerous visitors to the city.

The Festival of Flanders had its 50th celebration in 2008. In Ghent it opens with the OdeGand City festivities that takes place on the second Saturday of September. Some 50 concerts take place in diverse locations throughout the medieval inner-city and some 250 international artists performs. Other major Flemish cities hold similar events, all of which form part of the Festival of Flanders (Antwerp with Laus Polyphoniae; Bruges with MAfestival; Brussels with KlaraFestival; Limburg with Basilica, Mechelen and Brabant with Novecento and Transit).

Economy[link]

The port of Ghent, in the north of the city, is the third largest port of Belgium. It is accessed by the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal, which ends near the Dutch port of Terneuzen on the Western Scheldt. The port houses, among others, big companies like Arcelor-Mittal, Volvo Cars, Volvo Trucks, Volvo Parts, Honda, and Stora Enso.

The Ghent University and a number of research oriented companies are situated in the central and southern part of the city, such as Ablynx, Innogenetics, Cropdesign, Bayer Cropscience.

As the biggest city of East-Flanders, Ghent has many hospitals, schools and shopping streets.

Flanders Expo, the biggest event hall in Flanders, second biggest in Belgium, is also located in Ghent.

Tourism is increasingly becoming a major employer in the local area.^{[citation needed]}

Transport[link]

As one of the largest cities in Belgium, Ghent has a highly developed transportation system.

• By car the city is accessible by two of the country's main roads:
  • The E40: connects Ghent with Bruges and Ostend to the west, and with Brussels, Leuven and Liège to the east.
  • The E17: connects Ghent with Sint-Niklaas and Antwerp to the north, and with Kortrijk and Lille to the south.

• In addition Ghent also has two ringways:
  • The R4: connects the outskirts of Ghent with each other and the surrounding villages, and also leads to the E40 and E17 roads.
  • The R40: connects the different downtown quarters with each other, and provides access to the main avenues.

• The municipality of Ghent comprises five train stations:
  • Gent-Sint-Pieters Station: an international train station with connections to Bruges, Brussels, Antwerp, Kortrijk, other Belgian towns and Lille. The station also offers a direct connection to Brussels Airport.
  • Gent-Dampoort Station: an intercity train station with connections to Sint-Niklaas, Antwerp, Kortrijk and Eeklo.
  • Gentbrugge Station: a regional train station in between the two main train stations, Sint-Pieters and Dampoort.
  • Wondelgem Station: a regional train station with connections to Eeklo once an hour.
  • Drongen Station: a regional train station in the village of Drongen with only a limited number of trains a day.

• Ghent has an extensive web of public transport lines, operated by De Lijn:
  • Ghent Tram (see pictures below):
    • Line 1: Flanders Expo – Sint-Pieters-Station – Korenmarkt (city centre) – Evergem
    • Line 21: Zwijnaardebrug – UZ – Sint-Pieters-Station – Zonnestraat (city centre) – Zuid – Melle Leeuw
    • Line 22: Zwijnaardebrug – UZ – Sint-Pieters-Station – Zonnestraat (city centre) – Zuid – Gentbrugge
    • Line 4: Sint-Pieters-Station – Muide – Korenmarkt (city centre) – Zuid – Moscou

• • City buses (see picture below):
    • Line 3: Mariakerke – Korenmarkt (city centre) – Dampoort-Station – Gentbrugge (former Trolleybus (see picture below))
    • Line 5: Van Beverenplein – Sint-Jacobs (city centre) – Zuid – UZ – Zwijnaarde
    • Line 6: Watersportbaan – Zuid – Dampoort-Station – Wondelgem – Mariakerke
    • Line 8: Zuid – University – Sint-Pieters-Station – Blaarmeersen
    • Line 9: Mariakerke – Malem – Sint-Pieters-Station – Gentbrugge
    • Line 17/18: Drongen – Korenmarkt (city centre) – Dampoort-Station – Oostakker
    • Line 38/39: Blaarmeersen – Korenmarkt (city centre) – Dampoort-Station – Sint-Amandsberg
  • At Sint-Pieters-Station and the Zuid bus station there are several regional buses as well.

When arriving in Ghent, it is best to leave cars in Park & Ride zones next to the road. The actual city centre is a car free area, and parking is difficult and expensive in the city. On weekends, night buses provide free transportation through the night.

• 

  Low floor tram vehicle (type: HermeLijn)

• 

  Former trolleybus

• 

  Regional bus

Sports[link]

In the Belgian first football division Ghent is represented by K.A.A. Gent. Another Ghent football club is KRC Gent-Zeehaven, playing in the Belgian fourth division.

Every year the Six Days of Flanders, a six-day track cycling race, is held in Ghent. It takes place in the Kuipke velodrome.

The city also hosts an annual track and field meet at the Flanders Sports Arena: the Indoor Flanders meeting. It is one of the IAAF's foremost indoor track and field events and two-time Olympic champion Hicham El Guerrouj set a world record at the event in 1997.

Famous people[link]

Emperor Charles V was born in Ghent in 1500

Statue of Jacob van Artevelde on the Friday market in Ghent

• Saint Bavo, patron saint of Ghent (589–654)
• Saint Livinus of Ghent, (580–657)
• Henry of Ghent, scholastic philosopher (c. 1217–1293)
• Jacob van Artevelde, statesman and political leader (c. 1290–1345)
• John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (1340–1399)
• Jan van Eyck, painter (c. 1385–1441)
• Hugo van der Goes, painter (c. 1440–1482)
• Jacob Obrecht, composer of the Renaissance (c. 1457–1505)
• Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, Karel V, Charles Quint (1500–1558)
• Cornelius Canis, composer of the Renaissance, music director for the chapel of Charles V in the 1540s–1550s
• Daniel Heinsius, scholar of the Dutch Renaissance (1580–1655)
• Caspar de Crayer, painter (1582–1669)
• Josse Boutmy, composer, organist and harpsichordist (1697–1779)
• Frans de Potter, writer, (1834–1904)
• Jan Frans Willems, writer (1793–1846)
• Joseph Guislain, physician (1797–1860)
• Hippolyte Metdepenningen, lawyer and politician (1799–1881)
• Louis XVIII of France was exiled in Ghent during the Hundred Days in 1815
• Charles John Seghers, Jesuit clergyman and missionary (1839–1886)
• Victor Horta, Art Nouveau architect (1861–1947)
• Maurice Maeterlinck, poet, playwright, essayist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature (1862–1949)
• Frans Rens, writer, (1805–1874)
• Leo Baekeland, chemist and inventor of Bakelite (1863–1944)
• Pierre Louÿs, poet and romantic writer (1870–1925)
• Marthe Boël, feminist (1877–1956)
• Karel van de Woestijne, writer (1878–1929)
• Corneille Jean François Heymans, physiologist and recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1892–1968)
• Gustave Van de Woestijne, painter (1881–1947)
• Suzanne Lilar, essayist, novelist, and playwright (1901–1992)
• Jean Daskalidès, gynecologist and founder of Leonidas chocolates (1922–1992)
• Willy De Clercq, liberal politician and European Commissioner (1927–2011)
• Jacques Rogge, International Olympic Committee President (1942–)
• Marc Mortier, first CEO (1986–2002) of Flanders Expo (1948–2004)
• Gabriel Ríos, musician
• Cédric Van Branteghem, sprinter athlete
• Soulwax, electronic/rock band: brothers David and Stephen Dewaele
• Xavier Henry, shooting guard for the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies
• Bradley Wiggins, British cyclist

International relations[link]

Twin towns — Sister cities[link]

Ghent is twinned with:^[8]

See also[link]

• List of Mayors of Ghent

References[link]

Notes

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ghent

• Official website, (Dutch)
• Official Tourist website, (Dutch) (English) (French) (German) (Spanish)
• Flanders Tourism Website, (Dutch) (French) (German) (Spanish) (Swedish) (Danish) (Italian) (Czech) (Japanese) (Chinese)

v t e Municipalities in the Province of East Flanders, Flanders, Belgium Aalst Aalst Denderleeuw Erpe-Mere Geraardsbergen Haaltert Herzele Lede Ninove Sint-Lievens-Houtem Zottegem Dendermonde Berlare Buggenhout Dendermonde Hamme Laarne Lebbeke Waasmunster Wetteren Wichelen Zele Eeklo Assenede Eeklo Kaprijke Maldegem Sint-Laureins Zelzate Ghent Aalter Deinze De Pinte Destelbergen Evergem Gavere Ghent Knesselare Lochristi Lovendegem Melle Merelbeke Moerbeke-Waas Nazareth Nevele Oosterzele Sint-Martens-Latem Waarschoot Wachtebeke Zomergem Zulte Oudenaarde Brakel Horebeke Kluisbergen Kruishoutem Lierde Maarkedal Oudenaarde Ronse Wortegem-Petegem Zingem Zwalm Sint-Niklaas Beveren Kruibeke Lokeren Sint-Gillis-Waas Sint-Niklaas Stekene Temse

vep:Gent

Portrait of a Man in a Turban (actually a chaperon), possibly a self-portrait, 1433.

Jan van Eyck (or Johannes de Eyck) (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈjɑn vɑn ˈɛjk]) (before c. 1395 – before 9 July 1441) was a Flemish painter active in Bruges and is generally considered one of the most significant Northern European painters of the 15th century. The few surviving records indicate that he was born around 1390, most likely in Maaseik. Little is known of his early life, but his activities following his appointment to the court of Philip the Good c. 1425 are comparatively well documented. Van Eyck had previously served John of Bavaria-Straubing, then ruler of Holland, Hainault and Zeeburg. By this time van Eyck had assembled a workshop and was involved in redecorating the Binnenhof palace in The Hague. He moved to Bruges sometime around 1425 and there came to the attention of Philip the Good. He served as both court artist and diplomat and became a senior member of the Tournai painters' guild, where he enjoyed the company of similarly esteemed artists such as Robert Campin and Rogier van der Weyden. Over the following decade van Eyck's reputation and technical ability grew, mostly from his innovative approaches towards the handling and manipulating of oil paint. His revolutionary approach to oil was such that a myth, perpetuated by Giorgio Vasari, arose that he had invented oil painting.^[1][2]

It is known from historical record that van Eyck was considered a revolutionary master across northern Europe within his lifetime; his designs and methods were heavily copied and reproduced. His motto, one of the first and still most distinctive signatures in art history, "ALS IK KAN" ("AS I CAN") first appeared in 1433 on Portrait of a Man in a Turban, which is most likely a self portrait and indicative of his emerging self confidence at the time. The years between 1434 and 1436 are generally considered his high point when he produced works including the Madonna of Chancellor Rolin, Lucca Madonna and Virgin and Child with Canon van der Paele. That year he married the much younger Margaret. Records from 1437 on suggest that he was held in high esteem by the upper ranks of Burgundian nobility while also accepting many foreign commissions. He died young in July 1441, leaving behind many unfinished works to be completed by workshop journeymen; works that are nevertheless today considered major examples of Early Netherlandish painting.^[3] His local and international reputation was aided by his ties to the then political and cultural influence of the Burgundian court.

Life and career[link]

Early life[link]

Neither the date or place of Jan van Eyck's birth are documented. The first extant record of his life comes from the court of John of Bavaria at The Hague, where payments were made to Meyster Jan den malre (Master Jan the painter) between 1422 and 1424 who was then a court painter with the rank of valet de chambre, with at first one and then two assistants.^[4] This suggests a date of birth of 1395 at the latest. However, his apparent age in the London probable self-portrait of 1433 suggests to most scholars a date closer to 1380.^[5] He was identified in the late 1500s^[6] as having been born in Maesheyck, diocese of Liège. This claim still considered credible on etymological grounds, considering his surname translates as "of Eyck". The claim is supported by the fact that his daughter Lievine was in a nunnery in Maaseyck after her father's death.^[7] It is not known where he was educated, but his use of Greek and Hebrew alphabets in many of the inscriptions in his works indicate that he had been schooled in the classics. From the coats of arms on his tombstone it is believed he came from the gentry class.^[5]

Jan van Eyck has often been linked as brother to painter and peer Hubert van Eyck, because both have been thought to originate from the same town in Belgium. One of Jan's most famous works, the Ghent Altarpiece, is believed to be a collaboration between the two, begun c. 1420 by Hubert and completed by Jan in 1432. Another brother, Lambert, is mentioned in Burgundian court documents, and there is a conjecture that he too was a painter, and that he may have overseen the closing of Jan van Eyck's Bruges workshop.^[8] Another significant, and rather younger, painter who worked in Southern France, Barthélemy van Eyck, is presumed to be a relation.

Van Eyck is often thought to be the anonymous artist known as Hand G of the Turin-Milan Hours.^[9] If this is correct, the Turin illustrations are the only known works from his early period. Most of these miniatures were destroyed by fire in 1904 and survive only in photographs and copies.

Maturity and success[link]

Virgin and Child with Canon van der Paele, 1434, one of the most well known and renowned examples of Oriental carpets in Renaissance painting.

Following the death of John of Bavaria, in 1425 van Eyck entered the service of the powerful and influential Valois prince, Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy. He resided in Lille for a year and then moved to Bruges, where he lived until his death in 1441. A number of documents published in the twentieth century record his activities in Philip's service. He was sent on several missions on behalf of the Duke, and worked on several projects which likely entailed more than painting. With the exception of two portraits of Isabella of Portugal, which van Eyck painted at Philip's behest as a member of a 1428-9 delegation to seek her hand, the precise nature of these works is obscure.

As court painter and "valet de chambre" to the Duke, Jan van Eyck was exceptionally well paid. His annual salary was quite high when he was first engaged, but it doubled twice in the first few years, and was often supplemented by special bonuses. His salary alone makes Jan van Eyck an exceptional figure among early Netherlandish painters, since most of them depended on individual commissions for their livelihoods. An indication that Van Eyck's art and person were held in extraordinarily high regard is a document from 1435 in which the Duke scolded his treasurers for not paying the painter his salary, arguing that van Eyck would leave and that he would nowhere be able to find his equal in his "art and science." The Duke also served as godfather to one of van Eyck's children, supported his widow upon the painter's death, and years later helped one of his daughters with the funds required to enter a convent.

Style[link]

Annunciation, 1434-1436, National Gallery of Art, Washington.

Jan van Eyck produced paintings for private clients in addition to his work at the court. Foremost among these is the Ghent Altarpiece painted for Jodocus Vijdts and his wife Elisabeth Borluut. Started sometime before 1426 and completed, at least partially, by 1432, this polyptych has been seen to represent "the final conquest of reality in the North", differing from the great works of the Early Renaissance in Italy by virtue of its willingness to forgo classical idealization in favor of the faithful observation of nature.^[10]

Exceptionally for his time, van Eyck often signed and dated his paintings frames, then considered an integral part of the work (the two were often painted together, and while the frames were constructed by a body of craftsmen separate to the master's workshop, their work was often considered as equal in skill to that of the painters).

Reputation and legacy[link]

In the earliest significant source on van Eyck, a 1454 biography in Genoese humanist Bartolomeo Facio's De viris illustribus, Jan van Eyck is named "the leading painter" of his day. Facio places him among the best artists of the early 15th century, along with Rogier van der Weyden, Gentile da Fabriano, and Pisanello. It is particularly interesting that Facio shows as much enthusiasm for Netherlandish painters as he does for Italian painters. This text sheds light on aspects of Jan van Eyck's production now lost, citing a bathing scene owned by a prominent Italian, but mistakenly attributing to van Eyck a world map painted by another.^[11] Facio records that van Eyck was a learned man, and that he was versed in the classics, particularly Pliny the Elder's work on painting. This is supported by records of an inscription from Ovid's Ars Amatoria, which was on the now-lost original frame of the Arnolfini Portrait, and by the many Latin inscriptions in van Eyck paintings, using the Roman alphabet, then reserved for educated men. Jan van Eyck likely had some knowledge of Latin for his many missions abroad on behalf of the Duke.

Jan van Eyck died in Bruges in 1441 and was buried in the Church of St Donatian, which was later destroyed during the French Revolution.

Notes[link]

Bibliography[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jan van Eyck

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Jan van Eyck

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Eyck, van.

• A Closer Look at Jan van Eyck's Virgin and Child with Chancellor Rolin (Louvre museum)
• Centre for the Study of Fifteenth-Century Painting in the Southern Netherlands and the Principality of Liège List of works
• Jan van Eyck Gallery at MuseumSyndicate
• Flemish Art Collection: Madonna with Canon Joris van der Paele, a masterpiece by van Eyck
• Closer to Van Eyck (The Ghent Altarpiece in 100 billion pixels)

v t e Jan van Eyck The Stygmata of St. Francis (c. 1428-1430) · Portrait of a Goldsmith (c. 1428-1430) · Ghent Altarpiece (with Hubert van Eyck) (1432) · Léal Souvenir (1432) · Portrait of Cardinal Niccolò Albergati (1432) · Portrait of a Man (Self Portrait?) (1433) · Annunciation (c. 1434-1436) · Arnolfini Portrait (1434) · Portrait of Baudouin de Lannoy (c 1435) · Madonna of Chancellor Rolin (1435) · Portrait of Baudouin de Lannoy (c. 1435) · Portrait of a Man with Carnation (1435) · Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini (1435) · Lucca Madonna (1436) · Virgin and Child with Canon van der Paele (1436) · Portrait of Jan de Leeuw (1436) · Saint Barbara (1436) · Madonna in the Church (1438) · Portrait of Margaret van Eyck (1439) · Madonna at the Fountain (1439) · Crucifixion and Last Judgement diptych (c 1440) · Annunciation (c 1440) · Portrait of Christ (1440) · Saint Jerome in His Study (1442)

Benedict Cumberbatch
Cumberbatch during filming of Sherlock in 2011
Born	Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch (1976-07-19) 19 July 1976 (age 35) London, England, UK
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2001–present
Parents	Timothy Carlton Wanda Ventham

Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch (born 19 July 1976) is an English film, television, radio and theatre actor. His most acclaimed roles include Stephen Hawking in the BBC drama Hawking (2004); William Pitt in the historical film Amazing Grace (2006); the protagonist Stephen Ezard in the miniseries thriller The Last Enemy (2008); Paul Marshall in Atonement (2007); Bernard in Small Island (2009); Sherlock Holmes in the modern BBC adaptation series Sherlock (2010); and Peter Guillam in the spy thriller Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011).

In February 2011, he began playing both Victor Frankenstein and his creature opposite Jonny Lee Miller in Danny Boyle's stage adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. The play had a three-month run at the National Theatre. In late 2011, he played Major Stewart in Steven Spielberg's War Horse (2011). The film received five BAFTA nominations and six Academy Award nominations, including the Best Picture nomination in 2012. He also played Peter Guillam, one of the pivotal roles in Tomas Alfredson's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011), which was nominated for three Academy Awards and 11 BAFTA Awards. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was also nominated for Best Picture in 2012.

He reprised the role of Sherlock Holmes in the second series of the BBC's Sherlock, which aired in the United Kingdom in January 2012 and was broadcast on PBS in the United States in May 2012. In addition to the BBC's Sherlock, he stars as Christopher Tietjens in the BBC/HBO co-production television miniseries Parade's End, which is expected to be released in 2012. He will portray Smaug the Dragon through motion capture and voice the Necromancer in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: There and Back Again. He will also portray the antagonist in director J.J. Abrams’s Untitled Star Trek sequel, which will be released in May 2013.

Early life and education[link]

Cumberbatch was born on 19 July 1976 in London, the son of actors Timothy Carlton (birth name Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch) and Wanda Ventham. He was educated at two independent schools: Brambletye School^[1] in West Sussex, followed by Harrow School in northwest London, where he began performing as an actor. After school, he took a gap year to teach English in a Tibetan monastery.^[2] He then attended the University of Manchester, where he studied drama.^[3] After graduating, Cumberbatch continued his training as an actor at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

Career[link]

Theatre[link]

Since 2001, Cumberbatch has had major roles in a dozen classic plays at the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park, Almeida Theatre, Royal Court Theatre and the National Theatre. He was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role for his performance as Tesman in Hedda Gabler, a role he performed at the Almeida Theatre on 16 March 2005, as well as at the Duke of York's Theatre when it transferred to the West End on 19 May 2005.

Cumberbatch acted in The Children’s Monologues, a star-studded theatrical event at London's Old Vic Theatre on 14 November 2010. The show was produced by Dramatic Need.^[4] In February 2011, he began playing, on alternate nights, both Victor Frankenstein and his creature, opposite Jonny Lee Miller, in Danny Boyle's stage production of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein at the National Theatre.^[5][6] Frankenstein was broadcast to cinemas as a part of National Theatre Live in March 2011.^[7] The Children’s Monologues was directed by Danny Boyle as well.

In April 2012 Cumberbatch won the Olivier Award for Best Actor (jointly with Jonny Lee Miller) for the acclaimed Frankenstein at the National Theatre, directed by Danny Boyle, with the two lead actors alternating the roles of Victor Frankenstein and the Creature.

Television[link]

Cumberbatch's television roles include two separate guest roles in Heartbeat (2000, 2004), Freddy in Tipping the Velvet (2002), Edward Hand in Cambridge Spies (2003) and Rory in the ITV comedy drama series Fortysomething (2003). He was also featured in Spooks and Silent Witness.

In 2004, he starred as Stephen Hawking in Hawking. He was nominated for the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor and won the Golden Nymph for Television Films – Best Performance by an Actor. (He later provided Hawking's voice in the first episode of the television series Curiosity.) He also appeared in the BBC miniseries Dunkirk as Lieutenant Jimmy Langley.

In 2005, Cumberbatch starred as the protagonist Edmund Talbot in the miniseries To the Ends of the Earth, based on William Golding's trilogy. Director David Attwood said:

We found Benedict Cumberbatch fairly early. We needed a very good actor, someone young enough to be believable as an aristocratic, an almost slightly dislikeable character who is an adolescent in terms of his views of the world, his upbringing. But we also needed someone who could hold the screen for four and half hours, in every scene. We needed someone with experience who was not only a very good actor, but also with terrific comic timing. Benedict was the ideal answer to that.^[8]

Producer Lynn Horsford added:

Benedict was remarkable. He carried the Golding novels with him on set and constantly referred to them. We needed him every single day and he just didn't stop, nor complain. He simply became Edmund Talbot. And that commitment spread to every cast member. The process of making this film echoed the journey the characters went on in the story—we really got to know each other during our four months on location and we became very close.^[8]

He also made brief appearances in the comedy sketch show Broken News in 2005.

Cumberbatch next starred alongside Tom Hardy in the television adaptation of the book Stuart: A Life Backwards, which aired on the BBC in September 2007. In 2008, he starred in the BBC miniseries drama The Last Enemy, for which he was nominated for a Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV Film.

In 2009, Cumberbatch starred in Marple: Murder Is Easy as Luke Fitzwilliam. He played Bernard in the TV adaptation of Small Island; the performance earned him a nomination for BAFTA Television Award for Best Supporting Actor.^[9] He also starred in Michael Dobbs' play The Turning Point which aired as one of a series of TV plays broadcast live on Sky Arts channel. The two-hander depicted a little-known October 1938 meeting between Soviet spy Guy Burgess, then a young man working for the BBC, and Winston Churchill. Cumberbatch portrayed Burgess; Churchill was played by Matthew Marsh, who had played a supporting role in Hawking.^[10]

Cumberbatch narrated the 6-part series South Pacific (U.S. title: Wild Pacific), which aired May to June 2009 on BBC 2.

Cumberbatch, a fan of long-running British science fiction series Doctor Who, suggested in a July 2010 interview that he would be interested in appearing as a main or recurring character on the show, run by Sherlock producer and personal friend Steven Moffat.^[11] In 2008 he had discussed with David Tennant taking over the part of the Doctor but had decided not to try for the role.^[12]

In 2010, Cumberbatch portrayed Vincent van Gogh in Van Gogh: Painted with Words. The Telegraph called his performance "[a] treat ... vividly bringing Van Gogh to impassioned, blue-eyed life."^[13] Also in 2010, Cumberbatch began playing Sherlock Holmes in the first series of the BBC television programme Sherlock, to critical acclaim.^[14][15] A second three-part series began on New Years Day 2012 in England^[16] and will broadcast on PBS in the United States in May 2012.^[17]

He will co-star with Rebecca Hall as Christopher and Sylvia Tietjens in Parade's End, a forthcoming BBC/HBO television miniseries, expected for release in 2012. It is an adaptation of the tetralogy of novels of the same name by Ford Madox Ford. Its five episodes will be directed by Susanna White and written by Tom Stoppard.^[18][19]

Film[link]

In 2006, Cumberbatch played William Pitt the Younger in Amazing Grace. The film is the story of William Wilberforce's intense and lengthy political fight in the late 18th century to eliminate slave trade in the British Empire. Pitt was Wilberforce's closest friend and staunchest political ally, and became Prime Minister at an early age. The role garnered Cumberbatch a nomination for the London Film Critics Circle British Breakthrough Acting Award.

Cumberbatch subsequently appeared in supporting roles in Atonement (2007) and The Other Boleyn Girl (2008). In 2009, he appeared in the Darwin biopic Creation as Darwin's friend Joseph Hooker. In 2010, he appeared in The Whistleblower.

He played Peter Guillam, George Smiley's right-hand man in the 2011 adaptation of the John le Carré novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, directed by Tomas Alfredson, also starring Gary Oldman and Colin Firth.^[20] He also portrayed Major Stewart in Steven Spielberg's War Horse (2011).

He will play Smaug the Dragon through motion capture and voice the Necromancer in The Hobbit: There and Back Again.^[21]

It has been reported that Cumberbatch will play a lead role in the upcoming J. J. Abrams-directed Star Trek sequel.^[22][23]

Radio[link]

In May 2009, BBC Radio 4 broadcast an adaptation of John Mortimer's novel Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders. Cumberbatch played the "young Rumpole", and Timothy West took the part of the "old Rumpole". Cumberbatch plays Capt Martin Crieff in the BBC's Cabin Pressure.

Miscellaneous[link]

The British GQ magazine named him "Actor of the Year 2011".^[24]

Personal life[link]

Cumberbatch was in a relationship with actress Olivia Poulet, whom he met at university, for over 12 years.^[25][26] They broke up in March 2011.^[27]

List of credits[link]

References[link]