Assumption of the Virgin

religious

A notable feature of the painting is its division, both physical and stylistic, into two distinct parts: the lower sphere representing the earth and the upper sphere of the heavenly kingdom. In the lower part, the artist has represented the Apostles grouped around the Virgin's empty tomb. The impulse towards realism is evident in the way in which the artist has attempted to individualize the expressions and poses of each figure, as they show their surprise and awe at the miracle.

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About the Artist

Johann Koerbecke

1420 – 1490

German painter. He was the son of a painter, Hermann Koerbecke, and he inherited the family studio on the death of his father. He was established in Münster and in 1443 he and his wife owned the house that his father had refurbished in 1435. Between 1440 and 1460 he was a member of the brotherhood of Our Lady in St gidius, Münster. Koerbecke was a successful painter whose style reveals certain Gothic tendencies together with the influence of Dutch painting.

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