Hugo van der Goes

In 1467, he became a master in the painters' guild of Ghent. Joos van Wassenhove was one of his sponsors, and it is believed he had trained elsewhere before settling in Ghent.¹

He served as the deacon of the Ghent painters' guild from 1474 to 1476, establishing himself as the city's leading artist and handling numerous public commissions.¹

At the peak of his career in 1477, he closed his workshop to join a monastery as a lay brother. He was granted privileges to continue painting and receive eminent visitors.¹

In 1482, he suffered an acute depression and attempted suicide, declaring himself damned. This mental breakdown contributed to his legacy as a 'suffering genius.'¹

In 1482, he was asked to value and complete works left unfinished by Dieric Bouts, including the donor portraits on the left panel of the Triptych for Hyppolite Berthoz.¹

Speculation suggests his madness was caused by anxiety over his artistic achievements, specifically the pressure of trying to equal the Ghent Altarpiece.¹

His masterpiece, the Portinari Triptych, arrived in Florence in 1483 and influenced Italian Renaissance artists in their development of realism and use of color.¹

Vincent van Gogh identified emotionally with Van der Goes after seeing a 19th-century painting of the artist's madness, likening his own appearance to him in letters.¹