GOES, Hugo van der. - Painter, probably born in Ghent in the first half of the 15th century, he is to be considered one of the greatest Flemish artists of that time, a contemporary of Jan van Eyck and Rogier van der Weyden. Little is known of his life. In 1467 he was appointed "master"; later he became a "juror" of the painters' guild in Ghent, until in 1474-75 he became dean of the Guild. He held this office for only a short time, for it is recorded that he later became a lay brother in a convent near Brussels. In the cloister (where he had taken refuge following romantic disappointments) he continued his activity as a painter, until, struck by illness and tormented by deep religious scruples, he died in 1482.
The painter's masterpiece (since many works executed in distemper and now lost cannot be judged) remains the triptych executed for the Portinari family of Florence, formerly in S. Maria Nuova in that city, now displayed in the Uffizi Gallery. Tommaso Portinari, the Medici representative in Bruges, commissioned the painting directly from the artist, which aroused such admiration in the Florentine artistic milieu. This admiration was most notably expressed by Domenico Ghirlandaio, who imitated the Adoration of the Flemish master in a famous panel, now in the church of S. Trinita.
A keen observer of nature and a great colorist, the painter reveals his strong personality in his portraits full of life and character, in his felicitous compositions, so rich in illustrative elements, of his sacred scenes: where the landscape, realistically and objectively represented, plays a major role (the Florentine painters studied the landscapes of the Portinari triptych with great attention). Besides the aforementioned painting, other works by U. V. d. G. are found in Berlin, Frankfurt, Bruges, and Philadelphia. The painter exerted considerable influence on other Flemish artists, including Gerard David and Albrecht Bouts.