Jan Van Eyck Free Essays

The Arnolfini Wedding Corinne Callahan, Art II The Arnolfini Wedding was painted by artist Jan Van Eyck in 1434. The painting is done in oil paint on 3 vertical oak panels. It is now located at The National Gallery in London. We will write a custom essay sample on Jan Van Eyck or any similar topic only for you Order Now Jan van Eyck was a Flemish painter active in Bruges. He is generally considered one of the most significant Northern European painters of the 15th century. Jan van Eyck frequently paid attention to light, shade and texture. He has a sense of realism in his paintings. (The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed, 2011) Eyck tends to use a lot of reds and dark neutral colors. He also prefers to paint portraits or full body scenes. He aims to deceive the eye with different unique views (S. Jones, 2002) Jan van Eyck is known as the father of oil painting (Finnan, 2012). Eyck was among the first to use â€Å"atmospheric perspective† (W. Janson, H. 1995). The Arnolfini Wedding records the betrothal of the cloth merchant Giovanni Arnolfini to Giovanna Cenami. The title was given to this painting because it was thought to be a form of â€Å"wedding certificate†. The dog in the painting is seen as a symbol of faithfulness and love. The mirror in the background has a carved frame with ten miniature medallions depicting scenes from the life of Christ (Korroch, 2009). Also the woman in the painting that appears to be pregnant isn’t really. The queen of the time was pregnant so it was trendy to look like her (W. Janson, 1995). The figures in this painting seem awkward in a sense of that it seems like they don’t know each other. This shouldn’t be though because they just got married and the painting is a form of a wedding certificate. So if they were married shouldn’t it look like they’re in love or at least like each other? Except they don’t. Although like Art History Professor Craig Harbison said, â€Å"The painting keeps drawing me back (S. R. Buchholz, 2000). † This piece of art is unique in so many ways. With its many symbols and meanings and rich colors and detail it is definitely one of the greatest works ever done. Citations Buchholz, S. R. (2000, April 14). Retrieved from http://www. umass. edu/chronicle/archives/00/04- 14/harbison28. html Finnan, V. (2012). Retrieved from http://www. italian-renaissance-art. com/Jan-Van-Eyck. html Korroch , K. (2009, march 3). Retrieved from http://marzanme. blogspot. com/2009/03/jan-van-eyck-arnolfini-wedding-portrait. html Susan, J â€Å"Jan van Eyck†. (2002, october) Retrieved from http://www. metmuseum. org/toah/hd/eyck/hd_eyck. htm The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. (2011). Retrieved from http://www. infoplease. com/encyclopedia/people/eyck-van-the-eyckian-style-its-influence. html W. Janson, H. (1995). History of art. (5th ed. ). New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. How to cite Jan Van Eyck, Papers Jan Van Eyck Free Essays Jan van Check Many artistic people show symbolism in many different ways. Jan van Check demonstrated an immense ability in this area. Although Jan Van Cock’s date of birth is unclear, c. We will write a custom essay sample on Jan Van Eyck or any similar topic only for you Order Now 1395 or sometime before this date is widely accepted as a best guess. For this time, he was one of the most advanced artists, especially because of the details in which he used. The specific type of art that Jan van Check did was oil paintings. Next to nothing is known about Jan van Cock’s brother. Many of his paintings were employed by Jan, which leads to a conclusion that Hubert may have taught Jan a great deal about art. But Jan van Cock’s gifting was in oil, different from traditional Netherlands art. His use of oil paints in his detailed panel paintings resulted in him being known as the father of oil painting. Both Giorgio Vassar, (in his Lives of the Artists, 1550) and Karee van Meander (in The Lives of the Illustrious Netherlands and German Painters) described oil painting as a sudden technical innovation that was discovered by Jan van Check after much experimentation. He was not a typical renaissance artist. Almost nothing is known of his early life but we do know that he entered the service of Philip the good, Duke of Burgundy in 1425. Philip paid a salary to Van Check. This was very unusual as most artists of the period relied on individual commissions for their livelihoods. Oil paintings had already discovered, but he mastered this art form. Many renaissance artist were not the first to master a medium, instead they leaned from other famous artists. In specific, ‘The Arnold Wedding,’ a skillfully painted portrait of what is thought to be a private wedding, has such great detail for this time period. The numerous amounts of different features of symbolism in this painting are overwhelming. From the shoes being off (representing sanctity), to the mirror on the wall, the meaning in this picture enlightens viewers about the thoughts of the painter. The inscription on the back wall translates â€Å"Jan Van Check was here, 1434† suggests that the artist was a witness to the wedding. The spotless convex mirror on the back wall alludes to purity, and the reflection of two there individuals in the room (including the painter) infers that witnesses are is neither found nor given, but that it takes shape arbitrarily, present. And that it is dependent upon associations and circumstances that scholars, artists, and viewers all bring to their engagement with paintings. It is not constructed by any one of them alone, although each of us is responsible for the orchestration of our own responses†¦ † (Linda Sidle, Jan Van Cock’s Arnold Portrait: Stories of an Icon, Cambridge University Press, 1993, p. 4) Learning from the artistic creativity in Jan an Cock’s paintings, connecting the simple things in life to more complex things makes each detail more beautiful. Outline I. Type of art A. Brother’s influence B. Characteristics of work C. Innovative by experimentation II. Not typical renaissance artist A. Early life? Serviced Philip the Good, Du ke of Burgundy 1425 for salary B. Unusual, artist relied on individual commissions for livelihoods C. Oil discovered, mastered (not like others) Ill. The Arnold Wedding A. Symbolism B. Writing on wall, reflections in mirror C. Great Christian story + common earth How to cite Jan Van Eyck, Papers