Flemish School
a school of paint ing highly recommended to the lovers of the art by the invention, or at least the first practice, of painting in oil. It has been generally attributed to John Van Eyck, in the beginning of the 15th century, who was, it is said, accustomed to varnish his distemper pictures with a composition of oils, which was pleasing on account of the luster it gave them. In course of practice he came to mix his colors with oil, instead of water, which rendered them brilliant without the trouble of varnishing. From this and subsequent experiments arose the art of painting in oil. The attention of the Italian painters was soon excited. John of Bruges was the founder of painting as a profession in Flanders. The chief masters of the school were Memling, Weyden, Rubens, Vandyck, Snyders, and the younger Teniers.