Conrad von Soest

Who was Conrad von Soest?

Conrad von Soest, also Konrad in modern texts, or in Middle High German Conrad van Sost or "von Soyst", born around 1370 in Dortmund; died soon after 1422. He was the most significant Westphalian artist and painted in the so-called soft style of International Gothic. He played a leading role in the introduction of this International Courtly Style to Northern Germany around 1390 and influenced German and Northern European painting into the late 15th century. He was the master of a thriving workshop and was accepted into the social circle of the cosmopolitan patrician elite of Dortmund. Dortmund was then a leading and very prosperous member of the influential Hanseatic League.