Painting in France in the 15th Century

Interest in fifteenth century French painting has grown considerably since it was originally revived by the exhibition "Primitifs francais" (French Primitives) a century ago. Forgotten personalities (Barthelemy d'Eyck, Andre d'Ypres, Antoine de Lonhy, Jean Hey, Jean Poyer, etc.) have been rediscovered, and there is renewed study of the activity of several interrelated artistic centres. This highly complex artistic geography is precisely what this study endeavours to map. The book is arranged in three parts. The first examines the interaction between the French courts and Paris in the period of International Gothic (1380-1435). The second explains how the ars nova (the Flemish illusionist style) spread and was selectively assimilated in France in the days of Charles VII and Louis XI (1435-1483). The third underlines the consolidation of a specifically French style based on Jean Fouquet's model and developed concurrently with the great rhetoricians under Charles VIII and Louis XII (1483-1515).