Rogier van der Weyden

Meet Rogier van der Weyden, the 15th-century Flemish master of emotional turmoil. Officially the painter of Brussels, he was internationally famous for his heart-wrenching religious scenes and soul-baring portraits. His work packed such an emotional punch, it's rumored that Michelangelo himself was a fan, noting that Flemish art could make a viewer "shed many a tear." While historical records are scarce, whispers from the artist's workshop (of dubious veracity, of course) suggest a man of intense focus. One such "rumor" claims his models for the weeping figures in his famous *Descent from the Cross* were simply told to imagine a world without Belgian beer. It is also said that in his "Saint Luke Drawing the Virgin," the artist cheekily used his own likeness for Saint Luke, a bold statement of self-importance for the time. We'll never know for sure, but the intense, tearful devotion in his paintings remains undeniably powerful.