At the Van Eyck Exhibition

At the Groeninge, along the quay
In Bruges' heart, what joy to see
Outstanding works by Jan Van Eyck*
In spacious rooms, suffused with light.

Court painter to Burgundian Duke**
Diplomat in demand - to suit
The portrait whims of bourgeois class;
None can his mastery surpass.

Forget tempura, fresco art;
Slow-drying glazes soon impart
A multi-depth and vibrant glow
To this 'Wow Factor' oeuvre on show!

The lightness of the master's brush
On jewels and textile drapes is such
That Bruges' wealth is clearly seen:
Decors, landscapes, burgher's mien...

Rich donors captured in oil paint
Surrounded each by patron saint
Through Jan's genius still live on,
With parrot, dog or horse long gone ...

Six hundred years have stood time's test;
X-rays reveal Jan's great finesse
Brilliant paint strokes slow to dry
Precision prior to camera's eye ...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

*Flemish primitive painter (c.1390-1441)

** Philip the Good (r 1419-1467)



The Madonna and Canon Van der Paele by Jan Van Eyck (1436)