Van

Van, city (1990 pop. 153,525), capital of Van prov., E Turkey, near the eastern shore of Lake Van, at an altitude of 5,659 ft (1,725 m). It is the trade center for a fruit- and grain-growing region. Van was the cradle of an ancient Armenian civilization. It was the capital of the old Vannic kingdom of Urartu or Ararat. The city fell to the Seljuk Turks (1071) and to the Ottoman Turks in 1543. Near the city is the mound of Toprakkale where excavations in the 19th cent. uncovered the remains of the town of Urartu. Many tablets with so-called Vannic inscriptions relating to early Armenian history were found. In 1939 archaeologists discovered fortifications and various materials dating from the 8th cent. B.C. Many of the Armenians living in the region were massacred by the Turks in 1895.

Van, Lake, 1,453 sq mi (3,763 sq km), largest lake in Turkey, in E Turkey 65 mi (105 km) SW of Mt. Ararat. Some 75 mi (120 km) long, the lake is alkaline and has no outlet; the city of Van is near the lake's east shore. The region around the lake was the site of the ancient kingdom of Urartu (or Ararat) and is traditionally regarded as the cradle of ancient Armenia. On the island of Akdamar is the restored Armenian Church of the Holy Cross (915-21).

Eyck, van, family of Flemish painters, the brothers Hubert van Eyck, c.1370-1426, and Jan van Eyck, c.1390-1441.

Their Lives

Very little is known of Hubert, the older of the two brothers. He is said to have worked (1414-17) for Duke William of Bavaria and is known to have settled in Ghent early in the 15th cent. Among the few works tentatively attributed to him are an Annunciation and a remarkable miniaturistic diptych of the Crucifixion and Last Judgment (both: Metropolitan Mus.). Jan van Eyck was active at the courts of Count John of Holland (1422-25) and Philip of Burgundy. In the service of Duke Philip, he made several secret diplomatic journeys. A trip in 1428 took him to Portugal, and while there he painted a portrait of Philip's fiancée, Isabella.

The Eyckian Style and Its Influence

The Eyckian style was based on a strong undercurrent of realism that constituted an important aspect of the development of late medieval art. Outstanding achievements of this realistic trend that may have influenced the art of Jan van Eyck include the frescoes of Tommaso da Modena in Treviso and the panel paintings of Melchior Broederlam and of Robert Campin. At the hands of van Eyck experimentation with realism resulted in an astounding minuteness of detail and an unusually fine differentiation between qualities of texture and of atmospheric light. It is thought that his careful delineation of every detail of life was intended to reflect the glory of God's creation.

Some writers have erroneously credited Jan van Eyck with the discovery of the oil technique in painting, but there can be no doubt that he played a crucial role in the perfection of this medium, achieving through its use an unprecedented richness and intensity of color. Developing a personalized technique in oils, he gradually arrived at a meticulously accurate reflection of the natural world.

Although many of his followers attempted to copy him, the distinctive quality of Jan van Eyck's work made imitation difficult. His influence on the succeeding generation of artists, both in N and S Europe, cannot be overestimated, and the entire development of Flemish painting in the 15th cent. (see Flemish art and architecture) bears the direct imprint of his style.

Their Work

Of the van Eycks' works that have survived, the largest is the altarpiece in the Church of Saint Bavon in Ghent, thought on the basis of an inscription of the frame to have been a collaborative effort of the two brothers, and completed by Jan in 1432. On the panels of the exterior are shown the Annunciation and representations of St. John the Baptist, St. John the Evangelist, and the donors of the work, Jodocus Vijdt and his wife. The interior of the altar consists of an Adoration of the Lamb set in a magnificent landscape, and an upper row of panels showing God the Father flanked by the Virgin, John the Baptist, music-making angels, and Adam and Eve. Various parts of an illuminated manuscript, the Turin Hours, have also been credited to one or both brothers.

Jan van Eyck painted a number of fine portraits, which are distinguished by a crystalline objectivity and precision of draftsmanship. Among these are the Portrait of an Unknown Man (1432), thought to be the composer Gilles Binchois, and the Man with the Red Turban, possibly a self-portrait, both in London; the portrait of Jan de Leeuw (1436) in Vienna; and that of the painter's wife, Margarethe van Eyck (1439), in Bruges. The wedding picture of Giovanni Arnolfini and his Bride (1434; National Gall., London) shows the couple in a remarkable interior.

Van Eyck's interest in the texture and specific quality of material substances and his superb technical gifts are especially well demonstrated in two devotional panels, the Madonna with Chancellor Rolin in the Louvre, and the Madonna with Canon Van der Paele (1436) in Bruges. The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., has a beautiful Annunciation that is generally accepted as his work. Some of Jan van Eyck's uncompleted paintings are thought to have been finished by Petrus Christus.

Cliburn, Van (Harvey Lavan Cliburn), 1934-, American pianist, b. Shreveport, La. Until 1951, Cliburn studied with his mother, a concert pianist, and became a pupil of Rosina Lhévinne at the Juilliard School of Music. Cliburn won the 1958 International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow. His superb technique and interpretations are especially well-suited to Romantic music. In 1962 he created the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Tex.

Relatively weak electrical forces that attract neutral (uncharged) molecules to each other in gases, liquefied and solidified gases, and almost all organic liquids and solids. Solids held together by van der Waals forces typically have lower melting points and are softer than those held together by ionic, covalent, or metallic bonds (see bonding). The forces arise because neutral molecules, though uncharged, are usually electric dipoles, which have a tendency to align with each other and to induce further polarization in neighbouring molecules, resulting in a net attractive force. They are somewhat weaker than the forces involved in hydrogen bonding. Seealso Johannes D. van der Waals.

Learn more about van der Waals forces with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born Nov. 17, 1587, Cologne—died Feb. 5, 1679, Amsterdam) Dutch poet and dramatist. Of Mennonite parents, Vondel early showed a preference for using Christian mythology as the subject matter of his plays. He also wrote lampoons and satirical poems against the Dutch church and government. His dramatic tragedies, with their lyrical language and grandeur of conception, are his most important achievement. The Passover (1612) is his most notable early work. He first modeled his plays on ancient Latin drama but later turned to the Greek model; plays of the latter type include his masterpiece, the trilogy comprising Lucifer (1654), Adam in Exile (1664), and Noah (1667), which influenced John Milton's Paradise Lost.

Learn more about Vondel, Joost van den with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Salt lake, eastern Anatolia. The largest lake in Turkey, it covers an area of 1,434 sq mi (3,713 sq km) and is more than 74 mi (119 km) across at its widest point. Its greatest depth exceeds 330 ft (100 m). It is fed by precipitation and meltwater as well as by several small tributaries. It has no apparent outlet, and its brackish waters are unsuitable for either drinking or irrigation.

Learn more about Van, Lake with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born Dec. 20, 1901, Tuscaloosa, Ala., U.S.—died Jan. 16, 1967, Boston, Mass.) U.S. physicist. He worked as an engineer, then as a physics researcher at the University of Oxford (1925–29). From 1931 he continued his research at MIT, as a professor (1934–60). He developed a high-voltage electrostatic generator (later called the Van de Graaff generator) that served as a type of particle accelerator. In 1946 he cofounded the High Voltage Engineering Corp. to manufacture his accelerator. Widely used in atomic research, the device was also adapted to produce high-energy X rays for medical and industrial uses.

Learn more about Van de Graaff, Robert J(emison) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born Feb. 16, 1886, Plainfield, N.J., U.S.—died May 2, 1963, Bridgewater, Conn.) U.S. critic, biographer, and literary historian. Brooks attended Harvard University. His Finders and Makers series, tracing American literary history in rich biographical detail from 1800 to 1915, includes The Flowering of New England, 1815–1865 (1936, Pulitzer Prize); New England: Indian Summer, 1865–1915 (1940); The World of Washington Irving (1944); The Times of Melville and Whitman (1947); and The Confident Years: 1885–1915 (1952).

Learn more about Brooks, Van Wyck with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born March 22, 1599, Antwerp, Belg.—died Dec. 9, 1641, London, Eng.) Flemish painter. Son of a well-to-do silk merchant, he was apprenticed to an Antwerp painter at 10. He soon came under the influence of Peter Paul Rubens, for his early works are painted in Rubens's Baroque style, though with darker and warmer colour, more abrupt chiaroscuro, and more angular figures. He was a master in the Antwerp artists' guild by 19, at which time he was also working with Rubens. He spent over five years in Italy (1621–27); on his return, he received many commissions for altarpieces and portraits. He also executed works on mythological subjects and was a fine draftsman and etcher, but he is chiefly known for his portraits, in which he idealized his models without sacrificing their individuality. In Britain in 1632, he was appointed court painter by Charles I. He gained a comfortable income from the many portraits he painted in Britain, and his life matched his clients' in luxury. His influence was pervasive and lasting; Flemish, Dutch, and German portraitists imitated his style and technique, and the 18th-century English portraitists, especially Thomas Gainsborough and Joshua Reynolds, were deeply indebted to him.

Learn more about Van Dyck, Sir Anthony with a free trial on Britannica.com.

formerly Van Diemen's Land

Island (pop., 2007 est.: 491,666) and state, Australia. It is located off the southeastern corner of the continent and separated from it by Bass Strait; the state has an area of 26,410 sq mi (68,401 sq km) that also includes numerous smaller islands. Hobart is the capital. Originally inhabited by Australian Aboriginals, the island was explored and named Van Diemen's Land by Abel Janszoon Tasman in 1642. Taken by the British in the early 1800s and made a colony in 1825, it was used as an auxiliary penal settlement until the 1850s. It was granted self-government and renamed Tasmania in 1856; it became a state of the Australian Commonwealth in 1901. Chief economic activities include copper, zinc, lead, and silver mining; livestock raising, especially sheep for wool; and tourism. Several natural areas, collectively called the Tasman Wilderness, were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1982 (extended in 1989).

Learn more about Tasmania with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born June 29, 1886, Lenox, Mass., U.S.—died May 15, 1983, Washington, D.C.) U.S. photographer. By 1906 he had moved with his family to Harlem in New York City. After a brief stint at a portrait studio in Newark, N.J., he returned to Harlem to set up his own studio. The portraits he took from 1918 to 1945 chronicled the Harlem Renaissance; among his many renowned subjects were Countee Cullen, Bill Robinson, and Marcus Garvey. After World War II his fortunes declined until the Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibited his photographs in 1969.

Learn more about VanDerZee, James (Augustus Joseph) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born Dec. 5, 1782, Kinderhook, N.Y., U.S.—died July 24, 1862, Kinderhook) Eighth president of the U.S. (1837–41). He served in the New York Senate (1812–20) and as state attorney general (1816–19). An informal group of his political supporters came to be known as the Albany Regency because they dominated state politics even while Van Buren was in Washington. He was elected to the U.S. Senate (1821–28), where he supported states' rights and opposed a strong central government. After John Quincy Adams became president, he joined with Andrew Jackson and others to form a group that later became the Democratic Party. He was elected governor of New York (1828) but resigned to become U.S. secretary of state (1829–31). He was nominated for vice president at the first Democratic Party convention (1832) and served under Jackson (1833–37). As Jackson's chosen successor, he defeated William H. Harrison to win the 1836 election. His presidency was marked by an economic depression, the Maine-Canada border dispute (see Aroostook War), the Seminole Wars in Florida, and debate over the annexation of Texas. He was defeated in his bid for reelection and failed to win the Democratic nomination in 1844 because of his antislavery views. In 1848 he was nominated for president by the Free Soil Party but failed to win the election and retired.

Learn more about Van Buren, Martin with a free trial on Britannica.com.

City (pop., 2007: 331,986), eastern Turkey, on the eastern shore of Lake Van. The ruins of stone buildings there date from the 8th century BCE, when it was the chief centre of the kingdom of Urartu. After the fall of Nineveh (612 BCE), it was occupied in succession by the Medes, the kings of Pontus, the Arabs (7th century CE), and the Armenians (8th century CE). It fell to the Seljūq dynasty after 1071 CE and to the Ottoman Empire in 1543. Russian forces held it (1915–17) during World War I. It has a large Kurdish population. It once had a large Armenian population, but it was brutally expelled following the war (see Armenian massacres). Van is a shipping point for hides, grains, fruits, and vegetables.

Learn more about Van with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born March 22, 1599, Antwerp, Belg.—died Dec. 9, 1641, London, Eng.) Flemish painter. Son of a well-to-do silk merchant, he was apprenticed to an Antwerp painter at 10. He soon came under the influence of Peter Paul Rubens, for his early works are painted in Rubens's Baroque style, though with darker and warmer colour, more abrupt chiaroscuro, and more angular figures. He was a master in the Antwerp artists' guild by 19, at which time he was also working with Rubens. He spent over five years in Italy (1621–27); on his return, he received many commissions for altarpieces and portraits. He also executed works on mythological subjects and was a fine draftsman and etcher, but he is chiefly known for his portraits, in which he idealized his models without sacrificing their individuality. In Britain in 1632, he was appointed court painter by Charles I. He gained a comfortable income from the many portraits he painted in Britain, and his life matched his clients' in luxury. His influence was pervasive and lasting; Flemish, Dutch, and German portraitists imitated his style and technique, and the 18th-century English portraitists, especially Thomas Gainsborough and Joshua Reynolds, were deeply indebted to him.

Learn more about Van Dyck, Sir Anthony with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born August 1495, Schoorel, Habsburg Netherlands—died Dec. 6, 1562, Utrecht) Dutch humanist, architect, engineer, and painter. He studied briefly with Jan Gossart, who encouraged him to travel. Five years of work and study in Europe eventually took him to Rome. Returning to Holland in 1524, he introduced such Italian Renaissance elements as nudes, Classical draperies and architecture, and spacious imaginary landscapes. His greatest works are his portraits, which show his gift for characterization. He successfully combined the idealism of Renaissance Italy with the naturalism of northern European art in his paintings, and he bequeathed the style to successive generations of Dutch artists.

Learn more about Scorel, Jan van with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born Dec. 20, 1901, Tuscaloosa, Ala., U.S.—died Jan. 16, 1967, Boston, Mass.) U.S. physicist. He worked as an engineer, then as a physics researcher at the University of Oxford (1925–29). From 1931 he continued his research at MIT, as a professor (1934–60). He developed a high-voltage electrostatic generator (later called the Van de Graaff generator) that served as a type of particle accelerator. In 1946 he cofounded the High Voltage Engineering Corp. to manufacture his accelerator. Widely used in atomic research, the device was also adapted to produce high-energy X rays for medical and industrial uses.

Learn more about Van de Graaff, Robert J(emison) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born July 15, 1606, Leiden, Neth.—died Oct. 4, 1669, Amsterdam) Dutch painter and etcher. As a young man, he was apprenticed to masters in Leiden and in Amsterdam. His early paintings show his interest in the “spotlight effects” of light and shadow that were to dominate his later paintings. Early in his career he began the studies of his own face and the more-formal self-portraits that make up almost a tenth of his painted and etched work. After moving to Amsterdam about 1631, he quickly became the city's most fashionable portrait painter and a popular teacher. In 1632 he produced the celebrated Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp. Yearning for recognition as a biblical and mythological painter, in 1635 he produced The Sacrifice of Isaac and in 1636 Danaë. In 1634 he married Saskia van Uylenburgh (d. 1642), a woman of property. That same year he completed his largest painting, the extraordinary but controversial The Militia Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq (known as The Night Watch), which was a watershed in his life and art. For unknown reasons, his portrait commissions thereafter declined, and he began to focus his attention on etching, a medium in which he was self-taught. In 1656, after transferring most of his property to his son, he applied for bankruptcy. In his last decade he treated biblical subjects like portraits and also continued to paint self-portraits. These late works exhibit a lively brushwork and a new treatment of light. In addition to being an innovator, he was an acute observer of life and a sensitive renderer of those observations in his drawings, etchings, and paintings. The human figure, Rembrandt's central subject, contributes to the sense of a shared dialogue between viewer and artist, the foundation of Rembrandt's greatness and of his popularity today.

Learn more about Rembrandt (Harmenszoon) van Rijn with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born Dec. 10, 1610, Haarlem, Neth.—buried May 2, 1685, Haarlem) Dutch painter and printmaker. Known for his Baroque genre paintings of peasant life, he also did religious subjects, portraits, and landscapes. The most important influence on his style was the work of Adriaen Brouwer. Like Brouwer, he delighted in scenes such as tavern brawls, usually in dimly lit interiors, as in Carousing Peasants in an Interior (circa 1638). He employed a broad, vigorous technique in a subdued range of colours. After he adopted a brighter palette in the 1640s, his subjects became less ribald, and from the 1650s he painted many of them in outdoor settings.

Learn more about Ostade, Adriaen van with a free trial on Britannica.com.

orig. Maria Ludwig Michael Mies

(born March 27, 1886, Aachen, Ger.—died Aug. 17, 1969, Chicago, Ill., U.S.) German-born U.S. architect and designer. Mies learned masonry from his father and later worked in the office of Peter Behrens. His first great work was the German Pavilion for the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona, Spain, a travertine platform with chromed steel columns and spaces defined by planes of extravagant onyx, marble, and frosted glass. The steel-and-leather Barcelona chair he designed for the space went on to become a 20th-century classic. He was director of the Bauhaus in 1930–33, first in Dessau and then, during its final months, in Berlin. After moving to the U.S. in 1937, he became director of the School of Architecture at Chicago's Armour Institute (now the Illinois Institute of Technology), where he designed the school's new campus (1939–41). The International Style, with Mies its undisputed leader, reached its zenith during the next 20 years. His other projects included Chicago's Lake Shore Drive Apartments (1949–51), and the Seagram Building (1956–58, with Philip Johnson) in New York City. These buildings, steel skeletons sheathed in glass curtain-wall facades, exemplify Mies's dictum that “less is more.” His later works include Berlin's New National Gallery (1963–68). Modernist steel-and-glass office buildings influenced by his work were built all over the world over the course of the 20th century.

Learn more about Mies van der Rohe, Ludwig with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born Dec. 5, 1782, Kinderhook, N.Y., U.S.—died July 24, 1862, Kinderhook) Eighth president of the U.S. (1837–41). He served in the New York Senate (1812–20) and as state attorney general (1816–19). An informal group of his political supporters came to be known as the Albany Regency because they dominated state politics even while Van Buren was in Washington. He was elected to the U.S. Senate (1821–28), where he supported states' rights and opposed a strong central government. After John Quincy Adams became president, he joined with Andrew Jackson and others to form a group that later became the Democratic Party. He was elected governor of New York (1828) but resigned to become U.S. secretary of state (1829–31). He was nominated for vice president at the first Democratic Party convention (1832) and served under Jackson (1833–37). As Jackson's chosen successor, he defeated William H. Harrison to win the 1836 election. His presidency was marked by an economic depression, the Maine-Canada border dispute (see Aroostook War), the Seminole Wars in Florida, and debate over the annexation of Texas. He was defeated in his bid for reelection and failed to win the Democratic nomination in 1844 because of his antislavery views. In 1848 he was nominated for president by the Free Soil Party but failed to win the election and retired.

Learn more about Van Buren, Martin with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born May 1548, Meulebeke, Flanders, Spanish Netherlands—died Sept. 2, 1606, Amsterdam, Neth.) Dutch painter, poet, and writer. Born of a noble family, after much wandering he settled in Haarlem in 1583 and founded a successful academy of painting with Hendrik Goltzius and Cornelis Cornelisz (1562–1638). He is best known for The Book of Painters (1604), which contains about 175 biographies of Dutch, Flemish, and German painters of the 15th–16th centuries; it became for the northern countries what Giorgio Vasari's Lives of the Painters had been for Italy.

Learn more about Mander, Karel van with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(baptized Dec. 17, 1770, Bonn, archbishopric of Cologne—died March 26, 1827, Vienna, Austria) German composer. Born to a musical family, he was a precociously gifted pianist and violist. After nine years as a court musician in Bonn, he moved to Vienna to study with Joseph Haydn and remained there for the rest of his life. He was soon well known as both a virtuoso and a composer, and he became the first important composer to earn a successful living while forsaking employment in the church or court. He uniquely straddled the Classical and Romantic eras. Rooted in the traditions of Haydn and Mozart, his art also encompassed the new spirit of humanism expressed in the works of German Romantic writers as well as in the ideals of the French Revolution, with its passionate concern for the freedom and dignity of the individual. His astonishing Third (Eroica) Symphony (1803) was the thunderclap that announced the Romantic century, and it embodies the titanic but rigorously controlled energy that was the hallmark of his style. He began to lose his hearing from circa 1795; by circa 1819 he was totally deaf. For his last 15 years he was unrivaled as the world's most famous composer. In musical form he was a considerable innovator, widening the scope of sonata, symphony, concerto, and string quartet. His greatest achievement was to raise instrumental music, hitherto considered inferior to vocal, to the highest plane of art. His works include the celebrated 9 symphonies; 16 string quartets; 32 piano sonatas; the opera Fidelio (1805, rev. 1814);2 masses, including the Missa Solemnis (1823); 5 piano concertos; a violin concerto (1806); 6 piano trios; 10 violin sonatas; 5 cello sonatas; and several concert overtures.

Learn more about Beethoven, Ludwig van with a free trial on Britannica.com.

orig. Maria Ludwig Michael Mies

(born March 27, 1886, Aachen, Ger.—died Aug. 17, 1969, Chicago, Ill., U.S.) German-born U.S. architect and designer. Mies learned masonry from his father and later worked in the office of Peter Behrens. His first great work was the German Pavilion for the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona, Spain, a travertine platform with chromed steel columns and spaces defined by planes of extravagant onyx, marble, and frosted glass. The steel-and-leather Barcelona chair he designed for the space went on to become a 20th-century classic. He was director of the Bauhaus in 1930–33, first in Dessau and then, during its final months, in Berlin. After moving to the U.S. in 1937, he became director of the School of Architecture at Chicago's Armour Institute (now the Illinois Institute of Technology), where he designed the school's new campus (1939–41). The International Style, with Mies its undisputed leader, reached its zenith during the next 20 years. His other projects included Chicago's Lake Shore Drive Apartments (1949–51), and the Seagram Building (1956–58, with Philip Johnson) in New York City. These buildings, steel skeletons sheathed in glass curtain-wall facades, exemplify Mies's dictum that “less is more.” His later works include Berlin's New National Gallery (1963–68). Modernist steel-and-glass office buildings influenced by his work were built all over the world over the course of the 20th century.

Learn more about Mies van der Rohe, Ludwig with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born 1489/94, Leiden, Neth.—died before Aug. 8, 1533, Leiden) Netherlandish painter and engraver. He was trained by his father, a painter, but his great talent was as an engraver. Even such youthful prints as Muhammad and the Monk Sergius (1508) show great technical skill. In 1510, under the influence of Albrecht Dürer, he produced two masterpieces of engraving, The Milkmaid and Ecce Homo, the latter much admired by Rembrandt. He is thought to have developed the technique of etching on copper (instead of iron) plates; the softness of copper permitted him to combine etching and line engraving in the same print. He was also among the first to employ aerial perspective in prints. Though his paintings seldom attain the power of his engravings, he was an outstanding Netherlandish painter of his period; The Last Judgment (1526–27) is his most celebrated painting.

Learn more about Lucas (Huyghszoon) van Leyden with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Salt lake, eastern Anatolia. The largest lake in Turkey, it covers an area of 1,434 sq mi (3,713 sq km) and is more than 74 mi (119 km) across at its widest point. Its greatest depth exceeds 330 ft (100 m). It is fed by precipitation and meltwater as well as by several small tributaries. It has no apparent outlet, and its brackish waters are unsuitable for either drinking or irrigation.

Learn more about Van, Lake with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born May 1548, Meulebeke, Flanders, Spanish Netherlands—died Sept. 2, 1606, Amsterdam, Neth.) Dutch painter, poet, and writer. Born of a noble family, after much wandering he settled in Haarlem in 1583 and founded a successful academy of painting with Hendrik Goltzius and Cornelis Cornelisz (1562–1638). He is best known for The Book of Painters (1604), which contains about 175 biographies of Dutch, Flemish, and German painters of the 15th–16th centuries; it became for the northern countries what Giorgio Vasari's Lives of the Painters had been for Italy.

Learn more about Mander, Karel van with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born Nov. 17, 1587, Cologne—died Feb. 5, 1679, Amsterdam) Dutch poet and dramatist. Of Mennonite parents, Vondel early showed a preference for using Christian mythology as the subject matter of his plays. He also wrote lampoons and satirical poems against the Dutch church and government. His dramatic tragedies, with their lyrical language and grandeur of conception, are his most important achievement. The Passover (1612) is his most notable early work. He first modeled his plays on ancient Latin drama but later turned to the Greek model; plays of the latter type include his masterpiece, the trilogy comprising Lucifer (1654), Adam in Exile (1664), and Noah (1667), which influenced John Milton's Paradise Lost.

Learn more about Vondel, Joost van den with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born August 1495, Schoorel, Habsburg Netherlands—died Dec. 6, 1562, Utrecht) Dutch humanist, architect, engineer, and painter. He studied briefly with Jan Gossart, who encouraged him to travel. Five years of work and study in Europe eventually took him to Rome. Returning to Holland in 1524, he introduced such Italian Renaissance elements as nudes, Classical draperies and architecture, and spacious imaginary landscapes. His greatest works are his portraits, which show his gift for characterization. He successfully combined the idealism of Renaissance Italy with the naturalism of northern European art in his paintings, and he bequeathed the style to successive generations of Dutch artists.

Learn more about Scorel, Jan van with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born Jan. 13, 1596, Leiden, Neth.—died April 27, 1656, The Hague) Dutch painter and etcher. He studied in Leiden and Haarlem before settling at The Hague in 1632. Confining himself primarily to the scenery of Holland, he painted on wood panels; intricate detail, low horizons, and subtle atmospheric effects characterize his work. He excelled at capturing the moods of sky and water, Dutch cities, and lowland winter scenes. A prolific draftsman, he also executed many landscape etchings. He had numerous imitators. With Salomon van Ruysdael, he was the outstanding Dutch master of tonal landscape painting in the 17th-century.

Learn more about Goyen, Jan (Josephszoon) van with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born Jan. 12, 1580, Brussels, Belg.—died Dec. 30, 1644, Vilvoorde, Spanish Netherlands) Belgian chemist, physiologist, and physician. Though he tended to mysticism, he was a careful observer and exact experimenter. The first to recognize gases other than air, he coined the word gas and discovered that the “wild spirits” (carbon dioxide) produced by burning charcoal and by fermenting grape juice were the same. For applying chemical principles to digestion and nutrition, he has been called the “father of biochemistry.” His collected works were published in 1648.

Learn more about Helmont, Jan Baptista van with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born circa 1440—died 1482, Roode Kloster, near Brussels) Flemish painter. Nothing is known of his life before 1467, when he became a master in the painters' guild in Ghent. He received numerous commissions from the town of Ghent (processional banners, heraldic shields, etc.) through 1475. He was elected dean of the guild in 1474. The next year, at the height of his career, he entered a monastery near Brussels as a lay brother, though he continued to paint and travel. A mental breakdown in 1481 led to a suicide attempt, and he died the following year. His masterpiece and only documented work is a large triptych known as the Portinari Altarpiece (circa 1473–78); an outstanding early example of northern realism, it shows psychological insight and an emotional intensity unprecedented in Flemish art. A poignant and disturbing Death of the Virgin is also attributed to him.

Learn more about Goes, Hugo van der with a free trial on Britannica.com.

known as Gherardo delle Notti (Italian: “Gerard of the Night Scenes”)

(born Nov. 4, 1590, Utrecht, Neth.—died April 27, 1656, Utrecht) Dutch painter. During 10 years in Italy (circa 1610–20) he enjoyed the patronage of the nobility and assimilated the Baroque style of Caravaggio. The dramatic effects of artificial light in his early paintings, as in such nocturnal scenes as Supper Party (1620), earned him his nickname. He was court painter at The Hague from 1637 to 1652. Some of Rembrandt's early works were inspired by his use of chiaroscuro. With Hendrik Terbrugghen, he was a leader of the Utrecht school.

Learn more about Honthorst, Gerrit van with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born Jan. 12, 1580, Brussels, Belg.—died Dec. 30, 1644, Vilvoorde, Spanish Netherlands) Belgian chemist, physiologist, and physician. Though he tended to mysticism, he was a careful observer and exact experimenter. The first to recognize gases other than air, he coined the word gas and discovered that the “wild spirits” (carbon dioxide) produced by burning charcoal and by fermenting grape juice were the same. For applying chemical principles to digestion and nutrition, he has been called the “father of biochemistry.” His collected works were published in 1648.

Learn more about Helmont, Jan Baptista van with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born Jan. 13, 1596, Leiden, Neth.—died April 27, 1656, The Hague) Dutch painter and etcher. He studied in Leiden and Haarlem before settling at The Hague in 1632. Confining himself primarily to the scenery of Holland, he painted on wood panels; intricate detail, low horizons, and subtle atmospheric effects characterize his work. He excelled at capturing the moods of sky and water, Dutch cities, and lowland winter scenes. A prolific draftsman, he also executed many landscape etchings. He had numerous imitators. With Salomon van Ruysdael, he was the outstanding Dutch master of tonal landscape painting in the 17th-century.

Learn more about Goyen, Jan (Josephszoon) van with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born circa 1440—died 1482, Roode Kloster, near Brussels) Flemish painter. Nothing is known of his life before 1467, when he became a master in the painters' guild in Ghent. He received numerous commissions from the town of Ghent (processional banners, heraldic shields, etc.) through 1475. He was elected dean of the guild in 1474. The next year, at the height of his career, he entered a monastery near Brussels as a lay brother, though he continued to paint and travel. A mental breakdown in 1481 led to a suicide attempt, and he died the following year. His masterpiece and only documented work is a large triptych known as the Portinari Altarpiece (circa 1473–78); an outstanding early example of northern realism, it shows psychological insight and an emotional intensity unprecedented in Flemish art. A poignant and disturbing Death of the Virgin is also attributed to him.

Learn more about Goes, Hugo van der with a free trial on Britannica.com.

known as Gherardo delle Notti (Italian: “Gerard of the Night Scenes”)

(born Nov. 4, 1590, Utrecht, Neth.—died April 27, 1656, Utrecht) Dutch painter. During 10 years in Italy (circa 1610–20) he enjoyed the patronage of the nobility and assimilated the Baroque style of Caravaggio. The dramatic effects of artificial light in his early paintings, as in such nocturnal scenes as Supper Party (1620), earned him his nickname. He was court painter at The Hague from 1637 to 1652. Some of Rembrandt's early works were inspired by his use of chiaroscuro. With Hendrik Terbrugghen, he was a leader of the Utrecht school.

Learn more about Honthorst, Gerrit van with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born Feb. 16, 1886, Plainfield, N.J., U.S.—died May 2, 1963, Bridgewater, Conn.) U.S. critic, biographer, and literary historian. Brooks attended Harvard University. His Finders and Makers series, tracing American literary history in rich biographical detail from 1800 to 1915, includes The Flowering of New England, 1815–1865 (1936, Pulitzer Prize); New England: Indian Summer, 1865–1915 (1940); The World of Washington Irving (1944); The Times of Melville and Whitman (1947); and The Confident Years: 1885–1915 (1952).

Learn more about Brooks, Van Wyck with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(baptized Dec. 17, 1770, Bonn, archbishopric of Cologne—died March 26, 1827, Vienna, Austria) German composer. Born to a musical family, he was a precociously gifted pianist and violist. After nine years as a court musician in Bonn, he moved to Vienna to study with Joseph Haydn and remained there for the rest of his life. He was soon well known as both a virtuoso and a composer, and he became the first important composer to earn a successful living while forsaking employment in the church or court. He uniquely straddled the Classical and Romantic eras. Rooted in the traditions of Haydn and Mozart, his art also encompassed the new spirit of humanism expressed in the works of German Romantic writers as well as in the ideals of the French Revolution, with its passionate concern for the freedom and dignity of the individual. His astonishing Third (Eroica) Symphony (1803) was the thunderclap that announced the Romantic century, and it embodies the titanic but rigorously controlled energy that was the hallmark of his style. He began to lose his hearing from circa 1795; by circa 1819 he was totally deaf. For his last 15 years he was unrivaled as the world's most famous composer. In musical form he was a considerable innovator, widening the scope of sonata, symphony, concerto, and string quartet. His greatest achievement was to raise instrumental music, hitherto considered inferior to vocal, to the highest plane of art. His works include the celebrated 9 symphonies; 16 string quartets; 32 piano sonatas; the opera Fidelio (1805, rev. 1814);2 masses, including the Missa Solemnis (1823); 5 piano concertos; a violin concerto (1806); 6 piano trios; 10 violin sonatas; 5 cello sonatas; and several concert overtures.

Learn more about Beethoven, Ludwig van with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born Dec. 10, 1610, Haarlem, Neth.—buried May 2, 1685, Haarlem) Dutch painter and printmaker. Known for his Baroque genre paintings of peasant life, he also did religious subjects, portraits, and landscapes. The most important influence on his style was the work of Adriaen Brouwer. Like Brouwer, he delighted in scenes such as tavern brawls, usually in dimly lit interiors, as in Carousing Peasants in an Interior (circa 1638). He employed a broad, vigorous technique in a subdued range of colours. After he adopted a brighter palette in the 1640s, his subjects became less ribald, and from the 1650s he painted many of them in outdoor settings.

Learn more about Ostade, Adriaen van with a free trial on Britannica.com.

A van is a kind of vehicle used for transporting goods or groups of people. It is usually a box-shaped vehicle on four wheels, about the same width and length as a large automobile, but taller and usually higher off the ground, also referred to as a light commercial vehicle or LCV. However, in North America, the term may be used to refer to any truck with a rigid cargo body fixed to the cab, even up to large sizes.

In the UK usage, it can be either specially designed or based on a saloon/sedan car, the latter type often including derivatives with open backs (such as pick-up trucks). There are vans in all shapes and sizes, ranging from the classic van version of the tiny Mini to the five metre long (LWB) variants of the Mercedes Sprinter van. Vehicles larger than this are classified as trucks (or lorries in British English).

Word usage and etymology

The word van is a shortened version of the word caravan which originally meant a covered vehicle.

The word van has slightly different, but overlapping, meanings in different forms of English. While the word always applies to boxy cargo vans, the most major differences in usage are found between the different English-speaking countries.

United Kingdom

British English speakers will generally refer to a passenger minivan as a people-carrier or MPV (multi-purpose vehicle), and a larger passenger van as a minibus. Ford makes a distinct line of vans with short hoods ("bonnets" in British English) and varying body sizes. Minivans are the same Vans but smaller. The word van may also refer to an enclosed freight railway vehicle (US boxcar).

The driver's mate of a delivery van was sometimes referred to as a "vanguard".

United States

In the United States, a van can also refer to a box-shaped trailer or semi-trailer used to carry goods. In this case there is a differentiation between a dry van, used to carry most goods, and a refrigerated van (a reefer) used for cold goods. A railway car used to carry baggage is also called a van.

A vehicle referred to as a full size van is usually a large, boxy vehicle that has a similar platform and powertrain to their light truck counterparts. These vans may be sold with the space behind the front seats empty for transporting of goods (A cargo van), or furnished for passenger use by either the manufacturer (Wagon) or another company for more personal comforts, such as entertainment systems (Conversion van). Full-size vans often have a very short hood, with the engine block moved to within the passenger cabin.

The term van may also refer to a Minivan. However, minivans are usually distinguished by their smaller size and traditionally front wheel drive powertrain, although many now are being equipped with four wheel drive. Minivans offer similar seating capacity (traditionally seven passengers), and better fuel economy than full-size vans, at the expense of power, cargo space, and towing capacity. In addition, many new minivans have dual side sliding doors.

Japan

Early Japanese vans include the Mazda Bongo and the Subaru 360 van. The Japanese also produced many vans based on the American flat nose model, but also mini-vans which for the American market have generally evolved to the long-wheelbase front wheel drive form factor first pioneered by the Nissan Prairie and Mitsubishi Chariot. Microvans, vans that fulfill kei car regulations, are very popular for small business.

Australia

In Australian English, the term vann is commonly used to describe a minivan, a passenger minibus, or an Australian panel van, manufactured by both Holden and Ford at various times.

A full size van used for commercial purposes is also known as a van, however a passenger vehicle with more than 7 or 8 seats is more likely to be called a minibus.

Finally, the term van can sometimes be used interchangeably with caravan, which in the U.S. is referred to as a travel trailer.

The British term people mover is also used in Australian English to describe a passenger van. The American usage of van to mean a cargo box trailer or semi-trailer is used rarely, if ever, in Australia.

Examples

The first generation of American vans were the 1960s compact vans which were patterned in size after the Volkswagen Bus. The Corvair based entry even aped the rear mounted air cooled engine design. The Ford Falcon had a flat nose with engine mounted between and behind the front seats. The Dodge A100 had a similar layout and could accommodate a V-8. Chevrolet also switched to this layout. The Ford, Dodge and Corvair vans were also produced as pickup trucks.

The standard or full size vans appeared with Ford's innovation of moving the engine forward under a short hood and using pickup truck components and taillights. The engine cockpit housing is often called a dog house. Over time, they evolved longer noses and sleeker shapes. The Dodge Sportsman added a plug to the rear of a long wheelbase to create the 15 passenger van. They have been sold as both cargo and passenger models to the general public and as cutaway van chassis versions for second stage manufacturers to make box vans, ambulances, campers and other vehicles. Second stage manufacturers also modify the original manufacturer's body to create custom vans for the general public.

In the 1970s, songs like "Chevy Van" and nicknames like "sin bin" became part of the culture as owners transformed them into rolling bedrooms and lounges. Conversion vans became a large market with plusher accommodations than factory seats.

Dodge ended production of their full-size vans in June 2002 (as 2003 models), and replaced it with the Dodge Sprinter, which is based on a narrower, more fuel efficient European design pattern with a diesel turbo I5. Typical versions of the Sprinter are taller than other unmodified vans (tall enough to stand in), with a more slanted (aerodynamic) profile in front. They have been adopted primarily for delivery and lightweight Class-C van cab motorhome applications.

Usage

In urban areas of the United States full-size vans have been used as commuter vans since 1971, when Dodge introduced a van that could transport up to 15 passengers. Commuter vans are used as an alternative to carpooling and other ride sharing arrangements.

Many mobile businesses use a van to carry almost their entire business to various places where they work. For instance, there are those who come to homes or places of business to perform services or to install or repair appliances.

Vans are also used to shuttle people and their luggage between hotels and airports, to transport commuters between parking lots and their places of work, and along established routes as minibuses.

Vans are also used to transport elderly and mobility-impaired worshipers to and from church services or to transport youth groups for outings to amusement parks, picnics, and visiting other churches.

Step Van

Another type of van, peculiar to North America, is the step van, so called because of the ease with which one can step in and out of it. Widely used by delivery services, courier companies and the parcel division of the US Postal Service and Canada Post, they are often seen driven with the door open, especially in big cities.

Rollover safety

Recently, the larger passenger versions have appeared in news stories for having a tendency to roll over, particularly in the case of inexperienced operators. The van body is taller than the cab and bed of the pickup that uses the same style frame and powertrain resulting in the basic van having a higher center of gravity than a similarly loaded pickup from which it is derived. The suspension is also higher because of the extreme weight capacity of 15 passengers of between and each which may be over one ton of passengers alone. The seats in the passenger version raise the load, passengers, above the floor, further raising the center of gravity (and often shifting it rearward). The bench seats allow passengers to slide if safety belts are not used. In the United States it is common for only the front seat passengers to use their safety belts, perhaps because belted passengers feel they can still lean and shift a large amount. However, the NHTSA, cited below, has determined that belted passengers are about 4 times more likely to survive in rollover crashes.

Safety can be greatly improved by understanding the unique characteristics of 12- & 15-passenger vans and by following a special set of guidelines developed for drivers, according to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). A summary of this information is available at Reducing The Risk of Rollover Crashes in 15-Passenger Vans.Among other things, this document advises that carrying 10 or fewer passengers (preferably towards the front of the van) greatly reduces the risk of rollover crashes, and it suggests that repeated operation by the same drivers tends to increase their ability to handle these vehicles more safely over time. Car rental companies have also started adding stickers to warn renters about the difference in handling while compared to standard cars. Items should not be added to a roof rack of an already top-heavy vehicle.

Models of vans by manufacturer

Buick

• Buick Terraza

Chevrolet

• Chevrolet Astro
• Chevrolet Beauville
• Chevrolet Corvair 95 Greenbriar
• Chevrolet Express
• Chevrolet G10/G20/G30
• Chevrolet Lumina APV
• Chevrolet Nomad
• Chevrolet Supercarry
• Chevrolet Uplander
• Chevrolet Venture

Chrysler

• Chrysler Town & Country
• Chrysler Voyager

Citroën

• Citroën 2CV
• Citroën Berlingo
• Citroën C15
• Citroën Jumpy
• Citroën Jumper/Citroën Relay

Daihatsu

• Daihatsu Atrai
• Daihatsu Hijet

Dodge

• Dodge A100
• Dodge B Series B100, B150, B200, B250, B350
• Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan
• Dodge Coachman
• Dodge MB Series MB-250, MB-350
• Dodge Ram Van
• Dodge Ram Wagon
• Dodge Sportsman
• Dodge Sprinter
• Dodge Tradesman

Fiat

• Fiat Doblò
• Fiat Ducato
• Fiat Fiorino
• Fiat Scudo

Ford

• Ford Aerostar
• Ford Econoline
• Ford E100 (Falcon) 1961-1967
• Ford Freestar
• Ford Club Wagon
• Ford Transit
• Ford Transit Connect
• Ford Windstar

Freight Rover

• Freight Rover Sherpa
• Freight Rover 200 Series
• Freight Rover 300 Series

FSC

• Żuk A 03, A 05, A 14, A 09, A 11, A 15, A 07, A 18, R, M, A 151 C, A 16 B
• Lublin van

FSO

• Nysa N57, N58, N59, N60, N61, N63, 501, 503, 521/522

GAZ

• GAZelle

GMC

• GMC Gaucho
• GMC Gypsy
• GMC Rally STX, Wagon
• GMC Safari
• GMC Savana
• GMC Vandura 1500, 2500, 3500

Honda

• Honda Acty
• Honda Elysion
• Honda Life
• Honda Mobilio
• Honda Odyssey
• Honda Step WGN
• Honda Vamos

Hyundai

• Hyundai Entourage
• Hyundai Grace
• Hyundai H-1
• Hyundai Starex

Isuzu

• Isuzu Oasis
• Isuzu Como
• Isuzu Filly

Iveco

• Iveco Daily

Kia

• Kia Bongo
• Kia Carnival/Sedona
• Kia Carstar MPV/Kia Joice
• Kia Towner
• Kia Pregio

LDV

• LDV Pilot
• LDV Convoy
• LDV Cub
• LDV Maxus

Mazda

• Mazda Bongo/Bongo Brawny
• Mazda MPV

Mercedes-Benz

• Mercedes-Benz Vaneo
• Mercedes-Benz Vario
• Mercedes-Benz Vito
• Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
• Mercedes-Benz V-Class

Mercury

• Mercury Villager

Mitsubishi

• Mitsubishi Minica
• Mitsubishi Town Box
• Mitsubishi L300

Nissan

• Nissan Caravan
• Nissan Interstar
• Nissan Kubistar
• Nissan Primastar
• Nissan Quest
• Nissan S-Cargo
• Nissan Silkroad
• Nissan Vanette

Oldsmobile

• Oldsmobile Silhouette

Opel/Vauxhall

• Opel Combo
• Opel Corsavan
• Opel Astravan
• Opel Movano
• Opel Vivaro

Peugeot

• Peugeot Boxer
• Peugeot Expert
• Peugeot Partner

Plymouth

• Plymouth Voyager

Pontiac

• Pontiac Montana
• Pontiac Trans Sport

Renault

• Renault Kangoo
• Renault Master
• Renault Trafic

Rīgas Autobusu Fabrika

Saturn

• Saturn Relay

SEAT

• SEAT Inca

Subaru

• Subaru 360
• Subaru Domingo
• Subaru Sambar

Suzuki

• Suzuki Carry
• Suzuki Supercarry
• スズキ・エブリィ
• Autozam Scrum
• Bedford Rascal
• Holden Scurry
• Maruti Versa

Toyota

• Toyota Dyna
• Toyota Granvia
• Toyota Hiace
• トヨタ・レジアス
• トヨタ・レジアスエース
• Toyota Liteace
• Toyota Noah/Voxy
• トヨタ・マスターエース
• Toyota Previa
• Toyota Probox
• トヨタ・クイックデリバリー
• Toyota Sienna
• Toyota Succeed
• Toyota TownAce

Vauxhall

• Bedford Beagle
• Bedford CF
• Bedford Chevanne
• Vauxhall Combo see opel
• Vauxhall Corsavan
• Vauxhall Astravan
• Vauxhall Rascal
• Vauxhall Vivaro
• Vauxhall Movano

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles

• Volkswagen Caddy
• (T4) Transporter / Kombi / Caravelle / Eurovan / Mutlivan
• (T5) Transporter / Eurovan / Kombi / Caravelle / Mutlivan
• Volkswagen California
• Volkswagen LT
• Volkswagen Crafter
• Volkswagen Type 2 ("VW Bus")

Alternative propulsion

Since light trucks are often operated in city traffic, hybrid electric models are useful:

• Dual-Drive Sprinter - Mercedes Van equipped with hybrid drive systems
• Electric 35-50 q
• Micro-Vett Hybrid Daily

Wheelchair accessible

Some vans can be converted into wheelchair accessible vans for mobility impaired people:

• Wheelchair Van Information

The following vehicles may be used in yards or in historic city centres:

• Graf Carello Transporter
• Aixam Mega
• Alke' ATX
• Tasso Domino

See also

• Public light bus
• Ambulance
• Campervan
• Conversion van
• Minivan
• Panel van
• Sedan Delivery