Weyden, Roger van der

French Rogier De La Pasture Flemish painter who, with the possible exception of Jan van Eyck, was the most influential northern European artist of his time. Though most of his work was religious, he produced secular paintings and some sensitive portraits.
Although details of his early training are not clear, it is generally accepted that he entered the workshop of painter Robert Campin in Tournai in 1427 and became a licensed master in 1432. In 1435 he was appointed the official painter of the city of Brussels, where he spent most of the rest of his life. His many paintings-primarily such religious works as altarpieces, but also some portraits-are undated and unsigned, and the chronology of his career rests almost entirely on stylistic analysis of his works.
Campin was not the only source of inspiration in Rogier's art. Jan van Eyck, the great painter from Bruges, also profoundly affected the developing artist, introducing elegance and subtle visual refinements. Although as an apprentice Rogier must certainly have met Jan van Eyck when the latter visited Tournai in 1427, it was more likely in Bruges, where Rogier may have resided between 1432 and 1435, that he became thoroughly acquainted with van Eyck's style.
Rogier's impact extended far beyond his immediate associates. The influence of his expressive but technically less intricate style eclipsed that of both Campin and van Eyck. Every Flemish painter of the succeeding generation-Petrus Christus, Dirck Bouts, Hugo van der Goes, and Hans Memling depended on his formulations.
Rogier van der Weyden was one of the most influential north European painters of the 15th-century. His influence was felt not only in the Netherlands but also in Spain, Italy, France, and Germany, countries to which many of his commissioned paintings were sent.

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