Jan van Eyck was born in Belgium approximately, 1385. The exact year of his birth is unknown.  Very little is known about van Eyck except what is demonstrated by several surviving signed paintings.  He served the Duke of Holland in the The Hague in 1422.  For the remainder of his life after The Hague, he served Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy.  He reached his greatest triumph in the portraits he painted.  Like the one above, The betrothal of Arnolfini.  He examined the human face to try and show the thoughts of his subjects.  He also exceedingly enjoyed the idea of homeliness, often adding moles or wrinkles to a person than what was realistic.  He was the fist to mix glazes of pigment with linseed oil which applied to canvas and then coated in varnish.  He is well known for his use of color and light.  He had an responsive eye to every detail, not only did he see it, but he also understood its value.  He died July 9, 1441 in Belgium. 

The above painting, The Betrothal of Arnolfini, is one of his most famous portraits.  A sample of the real world has been fixed onto this panel.  Notice the realism of the slippers, carpet, rosary on the wall, brush beside the bed and fruit on the window sill.  Also of special interest is the mirror on the wall behind the couple.  The whole scene is reflected and it also seems as if you can see the image of van Eyck.  This portrait was a new style of painting, which is compared to a photograph used for a legal purpose.  The artist became the perfect eye-witness to the event which he was painting. 

Below, are sample of van Eyck's Ghent Altarpiece created in 1432.  It still hangs in its original setting of the Cathedral of St. Bavon in Ghent, Belgium.  It is the largest and most complex altarpiece produced in the Netherlands in the 15th century. Such a magnificent work, it continues to drawing the worshipper deeper and deeper into the sacred world it makes visible. The altar, with its many images, could be shown open, which happened on feast-days, when its glowing colors would be revealed, or shut (on week-days) when it presented a more sober appearance.

                central section                                                                                                                                                          alter wings closed   

Top: The Virgin,  Christ and  John the Baptist. 

Bottom: Adoration of the Lamb.

      altar wings open

Sources:
http://www.abcgallery.com/E/eyck/eyck.html

http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/eyck/ghent/

http://www.dieu-soleil.net/vaneyckbio.html