Justus of Ghent

Justus of Ghent,

fl. c.1460–c.1480, Flemish religious and portrait painter, now generally identified with Joos van Wassenhove; also known as Jodocus or Joos of Ghent. His simple, quiet style provides a clear link between Flemish and Italian art. In 1460 he was admitted to the painters' guild in Antwerp, and in 1464 he was at Ghent, where he remained until his departure (c.1469) for Italy and the court of Federigo da Montefeltro, duke of Urbino. His Flemish works are the Adoration of the Magi (Metropolitan Mus.) and the Calvary (St. Bavo, Ghent); the Communion of the Apostles (Urbino) is his only certain Italian work, although he surely worked on a series of panels of poets and philosophers (Urbino and Louvre). His Flemish technical achievements interested the Italians, who must also have recognized affinities to their own art in Justus's graceful yet monumental figures and rhythmically arranged forms.