active around 1444 -1475/1476 · Bruges and Flemish painting

Silent spaces, intensely present faces and illusionistic details make Petrus Christus a major master of Bruges after Van Eyck.

Petrus Christus was probably born in Baarle, in the Duchy of Brabant, and became a citizen of Bruges in 1444. He worked there until his death in 1475 or 1476, in a merchant town where local and foreign sponsors sought portraits, devotional paintings and luxury images. Long presented as a simple heir of Jan van Eyck, Christus nevertheless has a very personal language. He simplifies volumes, organizes space through a clear perspective and places his figures in interiors whose calm increases their presence. The Portrait of a Carthusian, dated 1446, nevertheless has a very personal language. He simplifies volumes, organizes space with a clear perspective and places his figures in interiors whose calm increases their presence. The Portrait of a Carthusian, dated 1446, nevertheless has a very personal language. He simplifies volumes, organizes space with a clear perspective and places his figures in interiors whose calm increases their presence. The Portrait of a Carthusian, dated 1446, nevertheless has a very personal language. He simplifies volumes, organizes space with a clear perspective and places his figures in interiors whose calm increases their presence. The Portrait of a Carthusian, dated 1446, nevertheless abandons the neutral background trompe-l'oeil up to the viewer's threshold. The Portrait of a Young Girl combines geometry, restraint and enigmatic gaze. Edward Grimston stands in a compact interior that transforms the diplomatic portrait into a direct encounter. In A goldsmith in his studio, formerly identified with Saint Eloi, convex mirror, scale, jewelry and engaged couple bring together trade, commerce and moral symbols. Christus thus adapts Flemish meticulousness to a more rational spatial design and contributes to renewing the European portrait of the 15th century. The "Petrus Christus" selection thus adapts Flemish meticulousness to a more rational spatial design and contributes to renewing the European portrait of the 15th century. The "Petrus Christus" selection notably compares A Goldsmith in His Workshop and Portrait of a Carthusian. Its preferred reading the atmosphere.

Christus constructs presence through silence: a look, a fly, a reflection or the angle of a room are enough to make the painted world almost tangible.