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The 64 square puzzle using using the fine modified painting by Flemish artist Robert Campin. This puzzle is getting harder yet with such a large image a puzzle with even more pieces would surely work well. Congratulations if you succeed. The applet permits up to a ten square puzzle. If there is any interest in my listing a puzzle of greater difficulty, drop me a line and I'll add it in. Information about the artist and the subject can be found below.
You may see the original image
on Carol Gerten's wonderful site (CGFA) here and can see more of Robert Campin's artwork on the Internet
here and
here. That last site has
a truly splendid scan of "Portrait of a Lady".
I understand that there is a lot of historical information about Robert Campin who was the leading Flemish
painter of his day. He, however, signed only one piece of his artwork, a situation not unusual at that time.
Scholars in the intervening centuries seem convinced that a large body of work in fact is the work of Robert
Campin. He is also thought to be the "Master of Flémalle", the unknown artist who painted a magnificent
altarpiece at Flémalle abbey, near Liège in Belgium. He was born in 1378, or perhaps in the period of 1375/1380,
at Valenciennes, but spent his life at Tournai (close to Lille, France but across the border in Belgium). He painted in a radical
new artistic style, with both detail and perspective. The painting itself, of oil & egg tempera on oak, is 40.6 cm x 28.1 cm in size. It is on display
in the National Gallery in London, England. It would seem that the painting is one of a husband and wife pair. You
can see "husband" by clicking
here. What a splendid painting that is too! To be honest about it, I thought the
lady was a nun, but I am clearly mistaken. I do not pretend that I am artist. I select images subjectively - ones that appeal to me (and I hope to you). But I find
it astonishing to think that work of such brilliance is available to us today 580 or so years after it was painted.
I rather doubt if the artist could ever in his wildest imagination have thought that he would achieve such
immortality. A final few thoughts. None of the sites I have visited on the WWW have addressed the matter of the
artist's name which to me does not sound
Flemish at all. Presumably it is a French name. Nor could I find out whether the abbey at Flémalle still stands. And last of all, I have seen no
reference to the identity of "The Lady". Drop me
a line if you know. Return to top of page. The java applet that runs the puzzle is courtesy of Axel Fontaine, who lives
just south of the city of Brussels in Belgium. Axel invited free use of his fine applet which you can, I hope,
download here. Axel, we thank you! |