August 11, 1494

Hans Memling ( ca.1430 to August 11, 1494) was born in Seligenstadt, near Frankfurt in the Middle Rhein region we read.  But he is remembered for his work in the Dutch tradition. He studied in the Netherlands under Rogier van der Weyden (c. 1455-1460). By 1465 he was in Bruges where he remained for the rest of his life. 

Here are pictures of his canvases. We can see Memling as a bridge between the medieval and Renaissance period. His angels can seem smaller than regular people in the same landscape, which may result from that focus on what is seen in the mind's eye, a feature of much medieval visual arts.  At the same time, if you look at his canvases the people are individual and robustly situated in their background. Except maybe for this painting , titled "Chastity." Although, she is certainly appears rooted in her environment. The medieval era often seemed to lack a certain gravity in their painted figures. Again I attribute that to their artists having a slightly different line between mental vistas and their exterior worlds. But the painting below does not back me up on that. 

This might be Saint Jerome, below, who has a lion as a symbol. I'm not really sure.




If you go to this link  you will see what I mean about his Renaissance side--- the canvasses are filled with  very individualistic people, stoutly situated.