Gossart or Gossaert, Jan, c.1478–1532, Flemish painter, b. Maubeuge, also known as Jan de Mabuse after his birthplace. He may have studied in Bruges before joining the Antwerp guild in 1503. In 1508 he went to Italy for a year with his patron, Philip of Burgundy, and he was strongly influenced by Italian art and ancient sculpture. Gossart is often credited with introducing Italian Renaissance sensuality to Northern European painting; he was among the first Flemish artists to represent the nude and classical mythology in a manner derived from Italy. His forms are fleshy, solid, and heavy, and their surfaces are rendered with smooth precision. Gossart is noted as well for his portraits. The imperious attitude he gave to his subjects was highly popular in his time. A Donor and His Wife (Brussels), Neptune and Amphitrite (Berlin), Danaë (Munich), St. Luke Painting the Virgin (versions in Vienna and National Gall., Prague), and Jean Carondelet Adoring the Virgin (Louvre) are characteristic paintings. He is also known for his masterful drawings and prints.
See H. B. Wehle and M. Salinger, Early Flemish, Dutch and German Painters (1947); M. W. Ainsworth, Man, Myth, and Sensual Pleasures: Jan Gossart's Renaissance: The Complete Works (museum catalog, 2010).
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