Editing Quentin Matsys (section)

==Style==
Although the roots of Matsys' training are unknown, his style reflects the artistic qualities of [[Dirk Bouts]], who brought to Leuven the influence of [[Hans Memling]] and [[Rogier van der Weyden|Rogier Van der Weyden]]. When Matsys settled at Antwerp at the age of twenty-five, his own style contributed importantly to reviving Flemish art along the lines of [[Van Eyck]] and Van der Weyden.<ref name="EB1911"/> Matsys departed from Leuven in 1491 when he became a master in the [[guild of painters]] at Antwerp. His most well known satirical works include ''A Portrait of an Elderly Man'' (1513), and ''[[The Money Changer and His Wife]]'' (1514), all of which provide commentary on human feeling and society in general. He also painted religious altarpieces and triptych panels, the most famous of which was built for the Church of Saint Peter in Leuven.
[[File:Massysm Quentin — The Moneylender and his Wife — 1514.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|''[[The Money Changer and His Wife]]'' (1514)<br> Oil on panel, 71 × 68 cm<br>[[Louvre Abu Dhabi]]]]

Matsys work is considered to contain strong religious feeling—characteristic of traditional Flemish works—and is accompanied by a realism that often favored the grotesque. Matsys' firmness of outline, clear modelling and thorough finish of detail stem from Van Der Weyden's influence; from the Van Eycks and Memling by way of Dirck Bouts, the glowing richness of transparent pigments. Matsys' works generally reflect earnestness in expression, minutely detailed renderings, and subdued effects in light and shade. Like most Flemish artists of the time he paid a great deal of attention to jewelry, edging of garments, and ornamentation in general.<ref name="EB1911"/>
[[Image:Quinten Massys - The Virgin and Child Enthroned, with Four Angels - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|left|''The Virgin and Child Enthroned, with Four Angels'' (1513)<br> Oil on panel, 62.2 × 43.2 cm<br>[[National Gallery]], London]]
Most of the emphasis in his works lies not upon atmosphere, which is in fact given very little attention, but to the literalness of caricature: emphasizing the melancholy refinement of saints, the brutal gestures and grimaces of gaolers and executioners. Strenuous effort is devoted to the expression of individual character. A satirical tendency may be seen in the pictures of merchant bankers ([[Louvre]] and [[Windsor Castle|Windsor]]), revealing their greed and avarice. His other impulse, dwelling on the feelings of tenderness, may be noted in two replicas of the Virgin and Child at [[Berlin]] and [[Amsterdam]], where the ecstatic kiss of the mother seems rather awkward. An expression of acute despair may be seen in a ''[[Lucretia]]'' in the museum at [[Vienna]]. The remarkable glow of the colour in these works, however, makes the [[Mannerism|Mannerist]] exaggerations palatable.<ref name="EB1911"/>

Matsys had considerable skill as a portrait painter. His ''Ægidius (Peter Gilles)'' which drew from [[Thomas More]] a eulogy in [[Latin]] verse, is but one of many, to which one may add the portrait of [[Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor|Maximilian of Austria]] in the gallery in Amsterdam. In this branch of his practice, Matsys was greatly influenced by his fellow countryman [[Jan Mabuse]].<ref name="EB1911"/> Matsys' portraiture exhibits highly personal and individual emotional characteristics that reflect his adherence to realism as a technique.