The Flemish artist Rogier van der Weyden has been the protagonist of the second session of the lecture series that the Friends of the Prado Museum Foundation organizes in Pamplona, in partnership with the School of Philosophy and Letters of the University of Navarra. José Juan Pérez Preciado, from the area of Flemish Painting and Northern Schools of the national art gallery, has approached the figure and work of one of the most influential artists of the 15th century.

Born in Tournai, Rogier van der Weyden soon became the official painter of the city of Brussels and the court of the Dukes of Burgundy, as explained by speaker. "He was one of the most admired and influential artists of the 15th century. So much so that the epitaph dedicated to him at his death sums up the impact of his loss: Art itself is in mourning. His compositions inspired many authors, even some tried to imitate him, but none of them managed to reach his excellence". test of this are also the numerous portraits that are preserved of the artist, something unusual at the time, or the epithets that some of his contemporaries wrote about him. "This betrays the consideration he had. Six hundred years later, we possess a Degree of information that surpasses the data we may have of other artists of the time." A recognition that, as he pointed out, "went beyond the borders of the Netherlands, generating widespread acceptance in the European courts". Thus, Rogier van der Weyden was requested throughout his degree program by kings, nobles, bourgeois and clergymen of both the Netherlands and the Iberian and Italian peninsulas.

His work, as the expert explained, "shows that he was a man who was very well trained intellectually or very well advised". To illustrate this statement, he showed the audience some images of lost works that are only known from sources or copies that were made at the time, such as a tapestry with scenes of Justice that he made for the City of Brussels and that was destroyed in the late seventeenth century by a bombardment. In contrast to these creations that we only know from sources, there are three located that are core topic in his production: The Descent from the Cross, an oil on panel that is preserved in the Prado Museum and is considered his masterpiece; the Triptych of Miraflores, "a composition whose technique and elements are absolutely novel"; and The Calvary of the Monastery of San Lorenzo del Escorial, "a painting very thoughtful from the point of view of the Holy Scriptures, with deeply realistic details, where everything is designed to move the viewer". "These works, so closely linked to our country, are the most solid starting point to understand van der Weyden's production. They are paradigmatic because with them we can observe his plasticskill , the depth of his intellectual concerns and the reasons for his success, his ability to imitate reality -something highly valued at the time- and his ability to cause a great emotional and intellectual impact," he said.

Before concluding, Pérez Preciado reviewed the works that, although their authorship is not proven, "are perfectly attributable to the artist". He also highlighted the presence of Renaissance characteristics in all his works: "A new relationship with nature, the positioning of man as the measure of all things, the relevance of patronage, the vindication of the artist's official document , scientific and technical curiosity and the return to the formal values of Antiquity. With all this, and in view of his Renaissance contemporaries, Rogier van der Weyden would not only have equaled the artists of Antiquity but would have surpassed them".

The third session, "The sons of Leonardo and Laocoonte. From the Hernandos to Alonso Berruguete", will take place on Wednesday, February 9, at 7 p.m., in the theater of the Museo Universidad de Navarra. It will be given by Joan Molina, Head of department of Spanish Gothic Painting at the Prado Museum.

José Juan Pérez Preciado holds a PhD in Art History from the Universidad Complutense and is an expert in the field of collecting and the reception of Flemish painting in Spain. Linked to the Prado Museum since 1999, when he received his first scholarship, he collaborates in many conservation projects and Education. Since 2009 he has worked at the department of Flemish Painting and Northern Schools, where he is coordinator of exhibitions such as "The Young van Dyck", passing in 2013 to be in charge with exclusive dedication to the conservation of the collection of Dutch painting of the fifteenth century of which he is preparing the future catalog raisonné. As a specialist in this field at the Museo del Prado, he is curator of exhibitions such as "Rogier van der Weyden" and "La source de la Gracia", while also organizing international congresses, such as the one dedicated to Rogier van der Weyden himself in 2015. He is also the author of numerous specialized articles in national and international journals.

Chronicle of the first session: In the beginning was Giotto.An introduction to Renaissance art. January 26.

Chronicle of the third session: The sons of Leonardo and Laocoonte.From the Hernandos to Alonso Berruguete. February 9.

Chronicle of the fourth session: Sandro Botticelli, between the profane and the sacred. February 16.