Art: Memling

Seeing the glory of God in even the smallest created things, Flemish monks of the 15th Century used to make a point of it in such dissertations as On the Beauty of the Louse. Flemish painters, whose art was an outgrowth of manuscript illumination, showed the same reverence for the minuscule, became Europe's most meticulous realists. "All this is very popular," snorted Florentine Michelangelo. "The least artistic inteligence can find therein something that appeals to it ... but it lacks rhythm and proportion. . . ." The artist who most nearly united Flemish delicacy and Italian power of composition was...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!