Early Netherlandish painting refers to the work of artists active in the
Burgundian Netherlands during the 15th- and 16th-century Northern
Renaissance. Their output follows the International Gothic style and
begins approximately with Robert Campin and Jan van Eyck in the early
1420s, and lasts at least until the death of Gerard David in 1523. It
represents the culmination of the northern European medieval artistic
heritage. Early Netherlandish painting occurred during the height of
Burgundian influence in Europe, when the Low Countries were renowned for
high end crafts and luxury goods. The major figures include Campin, van
Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden, Dieric Bouts, Petrus Christus, Hans
Memling, Hugo van der Goes and Hieronymus Bosch. They made significant
advances in natural representation and illusionism, and typically
incorporate complex iconography. Their subjects were usually religious
scenes or small portraits (Portrait of a Lady by van der Weyden
pictured). The painted works are generally oil on panel, and may be
single works or more complex altarpieces. The era is further noted for
its sculpture, tapestries, illuminated manuscripts, stained glass and
carved retables.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_Netherlandish_painting>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1864:
A crack in the Dale Dyke Dam in Sheffield, England, caused it
to fail, and the resulting flood killed 238 people and damaged over 600
homes.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Sheffield_Flood>
1945:
World War II: The Empire of Japan established the Empire of
Vietnam, a short-lived puppet state, with Bảo Đại as its ruler.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_of_Vietnam>
1978:
After hijacking a bus north of Tel Aviv, members of Palestine
Liberation Organization faction Fatah engaged in a shootout with the
Israel Police, resulting in the deaths of 38 civilians and most of the
perpetrators.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coastal_Road_massacre>
2004:
A series of simultaneous bombings on Cercanías commuter trains
killed 191 people and wounded more than 1,800 in Madrid (memorial
pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Madrid_train_bombings>
2009:
A teenage gunman engaged in a shooting spree at a secondary
school in Winnenden, Germany, killing sixteen, including himself.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winnenden_school_shooting>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
quibble:
(intransitive) To complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/quibble>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
 We puzzle as to whether the universe is bounded or extends
forever; whether, indeed, it may only be one universe among many. We
speculate as to whether our universe began in a vast explosion, whether
it pulsates between utter compression and wide diffusion, whether it is
self-renewing and thus unchanged forever. And we are humble. But science
teaches more than this. It continually reminds us that we are still
ignorant and there is much to learn. Time and space are interconnected
in strange ways; there is no absolute simultaneity.
--Vannevar Bush
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Vannevar_Bush>