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Peter Christ is one of the most important painters of the Flemish Renaissance. Little is known about his life, so there is much room for speculation here. Only six paintings can be clearly attributed to him on the basis of the signature "Petrus XRI"; about 30 others are attributed to him on the basis of stylistic analyses. What is certain is that in 1444 he acquired citizenship in Bruges, at that time the artistic center in the Netherlands. He was so strongly influenced by the art of Jan van Eyck that his paintings were sometimes mistaken for those of his model. His works were also sought-after objects of purchase abroad, especially in Italy. However, whether Peter Christ himself traveled to Italy and met the famous Italian painter Antonello there still remains controversial. Nevertheless, Italian influences can be detected in his works, such as the consistent use of linear perspective, which was developed in Florence in the 15th century and revolutionized painting by enabling a convincing representation of three-dimensional space. The Italian painters, in turn, adopted the technique of oil painting from the Dutch, which was initially only widespread in northern Europe. Even across national borders, therefore, there was already at that time an extremely fruitful exchange between artists.
As was common at that time, Peter Christ dealt with religious motifs in many of his works. These include, for example, Lamentation of Christ, Last Judgment, Nativity and Madonna and Child. But he was also one of the first Flemish painters to work intensively on portraiture, where he set important accents. In his paintings, the background no longer remains undefined; now the sitters are seated in a room that not only gives the painting space and depth, but also vividly sets off and emphasizes the model. In his portrait of a Carthusian, not only is the monk in the foreground bathed in bright light. Peter Christ also uses a second light source to illuminate the background. This gives the painting additional three-dimensional depth. A curiosity is the small fly at the bottom of the picture, which is considered an early example of illusionist painting. His most impressive work, however, is undoubtedly the portrait of a young lady. We see an elegantly dressed young woman looking directly at the viewer. Her fascination lies in her inscrutable, challenging gaze, accentuated by the slight slant of her left eye. Although she still exhibits many traits of the Gothic ideal of beauty, the look speaks of a self-confidence that seems unusually modern.
After his death, Peter Christ was forgotten for a long time. In artist biographies of the years that followed, he was merely mentioned in passing or listed as one of many. It was not until the 19th century that art historians rediscovered him. Today there is no doubt about his outstanding importance, especially for portrait painting.
Peter Christ is one of the most important painters of the Flemish Renaissance. Little is known about his life, so there is much room for speculation here. Only six paintings can be clearly attributed to him on the basis of the signature "Petrus XRI"; about 30 others are attributed to him on the basis of stylistic analyses. What is certain is that in 1444 he acquired citizenship in Bruges, at that time the artistic center in the Netherlands. He was so strongly influenced by the art of Jan van Eyck that his paintings were sometimes mistaken for those of his model. His works were also sought-after objects of purchase abroad, especially in Italy. However, whether Peter Christ himself traveled to Italy and met the famous Italian painter Antonello there still remains controversial. Nevertheless, Italian influences can be detected in his works, such as the consistent use of linear perspective, which was developed in Florence in the 15th century and revolutionized painting by enabling a convincing representation of three-dimensional space. The Italian painters, in turn, adopted the technique of oil painting from the Dutch, which was initially only widespread in northern Europe. Even across national borders, therefore, there was already at that time an extremely fruitful exchange between artists.
As was common at that time, Peter Christ dealt with religious motifs in many of his works. These include, for example, Lamentation of Christ, Last Judgment, Nativity and Madonna and Child. But he was also one of the first Flemish painters to work intensively on portraiture, where he set important accents. In his paintings, the background no longer remains undefined; now the sitters are seated in a room that not only gives the painting space and depth, but also vividly sets off and emphasizes the model. In his portrait of a Carthusian, not only is the monk in the foreground bathed in bright light. Peter Christ also uses a second light source to illuminate the background. This gives the painting additional three-dimensional depth. A curiosity is the small fly at the bottom of the picture, which is considered an early example of illusionist painting. His most impressive work, however, is undoubtedly the portrait of a young lady. We see an elegantly dressed young woman looking directly at the viewer. Her fascination lies in her inscrutable, challenging gaze, accentuated by the slight slant of her left eye. Although she still exhibits many traits of the Gothic ideal of beauty, the look speaks of a self-confidence that seems unusually modern.
After his death, Peter Christ was forgotten for a long time. In artist biographies of the years that followed, he was merely mentioned in passing or listed as one of many. It was not until the 19th century that art historians rediscovered him. Today there is no doubt about his outstanding importance, especially for portrait painting.