Peter Paul Rubens deserves his reputation. He was an undisputed master, even in his lifetime. Among artists, he's revered to this day. Famous for his portraiture, his painting style is technically among the most demanding. His technique and line are of a standard rarely equaled.

He was born in Westphalia, educated in Italy, and settled in Antwerp. Rubens traveled Europe as a court painter. Unlike most artists, Rubens was a multi lingual socialite, even a diplomat, employed by the then Southern Netherlands government as an ambassador. His portraits were of the great people of Europe, some of whom were his friends.

Rubens' house in Antwerp is one of the major attractions in Belgium. It was bought in 1937 by the City of Antwerp, and faithfully restored. It's a remarkable, fascinating, place with a unique character.

Van Eyck's brother Hubert created the Ghent Altarpiece, at the Cathedral of St. Bavo in Ghent. Unfortunately Hubert died before completion, and Jan Van Eyck finished the work. This is a stunning display of religious art, which Jan Van Eyck finished. This is one of the world's great religious art pieces, and to this day one of the art world's great mysteries is which Van Eyck painted which parts of the Ghent Altarpiece.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghent_Altarpiece

http://www.artchive.com/artchive/V/van_eyck.html

Rene Magritte

Magritte is a particularly influential modern artist. He's a cult figure, admired by many well known musicians and artists. His representational surreal works, done during the peak of the surrealist movement in the 1930s, received a lot of attention in the pop culture of the 1960s.