Geertgen tot Sint Jans and the Art of Longing

Considering the output of the Dutch painter Geertgen tot Sint Jans (ca. 1465–95) in relationship to the religious and social desires of his primary patrons, the Haarlem Hospitallers, this book offers a comprehensive analysis of the artist’s oeuvre.

Although information about Geertgen’s life is scarce, much is known about those who commissioned his work. Thus, this study opens with a brief biography of the artist and history of his primary patrons, the Haarlem commandery of the knightly brotherhood of St. John. Focusing on the connections between Geertgen’s panels and fifteenth-century devotional practices, the chapters address the ways in which Geertgen’s paintings promoted the aspirations of his patrons and became a "brand" of devotional painting, which was ultimately discontinued with Jan van Scorel.

Throughout, Geertgen’s paintings are compared with mystical writings and devotional tracts, making this book compelling reading for scholars of late medieval literature and religion, as well as scholars of early Netherlandish painting and late medieval art.