CAMPIN, ROBERT

(documented, 1406-1444)

Leading painter of the city of Tournai in Flanders, usually regarded as identical with the socalled "Master of Flémalle," creator of an outstanding painting, theMerode Altarpiece(ca. 1425) that marks a significant break-through from the Flemish paintings of the late-medieval International Gothic style to the mature Franco-Flemish style of the 15th century. The work is also notable for its depicition of prosperous burghers rather than great aristocrats, its sympathetic depiction of St. Joseph as a simple craftsman, and its pioneering use of oil paints instead of the tempera medium typical of medieval painting.