Arnolfini Portrait
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| Arnolfini Portrait |
In 1434 when Jan Van Eyck was commissioned to paint a portrait of Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini and his new bride, he was most likely unaware that his painting would become one of the most influential works in the Western canon. The Arnolfini Portrait set many standards that defined the unique Flemish artistic style during the Northern Renaissance (2019).
Jan Van Eyck was a Flemish painter in the late 14th and early 15th Centuries who pioneered early Netherlandish painting and was considered to be one of the fathers of the Northern Renaissance. He was a highly influential artist known for his Gothic style as well as emphasis on realism and naturalism. Unlike his counterparts in the Italian Renaissance, Van Eyck avoided idealizing mankind in his works and instead sought to achieve a more realistic painting style. According to art historian Craig Harbison, the Arnolfini Portrait was the foundation of this new genre of painting which depicted realistic scenes of everyday life (Harbison 2012).
The setting for this work was Arnolfini’s apartment in the Flemish city of Bruges. Van Eyck chose to paint the couple in their own home as opposed to portray them in an idyllic background. The two pairs of house shoes cluttered the relatively small room and the broom hanging on the bedpost showed a view of medieval life not often depicted in artistic works. By setting the painting within Arnolfini’s bedchamber, Van Eyck revealed a rare glimpse of what day to day life was like during this time.
There are two things that make the Arnolfini Portrait one of my favorite paintings of all time. One is the level of detail that Van Eyck places throughout the piece. From the accurate placement of shadows to the unfiltered depiction of the faces, the level of realism is astonishing. In fact, if you look carefully at the mirror on the back wall, you will see the reflection of the portrait as well as Van Eyck and his easel while he is painting.
Next, and clearly the most important reason this is one of my favorite paintings is… the cutest classical canine ever! Every time I think of Jan Van Eyck, I remember this precious little lap dog standing at the feet of the Arnolfini couple. Enough said!!
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| So Cute |
Work Cited
Harbison, Craig. The Art of the Northern Renaissance. Laurence King, 2012.
“The Many Questions Surrounding Jan Van Eyck's Arnolfini Portrait.”Artstor, 11 Mar. 2019,
https://www.artstor.org/2017/06/06/the-many-questions-surrounding-jan-van-eycks-arnolfini-portrait/.
You capture the merchant's house and our unit so well. It is a personal favorite of mine and one of the first things that I saw in London. I love the fruit on the table. Some theories suggest that it was a contractual painting to show their once marriage, but that she had died (candles out above). For fun, focus on that mirror to see how many views there are back and forth between viewer and image.
ReplyDeleteI found this very interesting, and I love your comment about the dog! I hadn't even noticed the reflection of the artist in the background, but now that I see it, I can truly understand the vast amount of detail used by
ReplyDeleteVan Eyke.
I really like this blog post. I love the end of your blog when you tell about why you personally like the painting. The lap dog is super cute! I also like the way you describe the painting to create a visual in the reader’s head.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this blog because of how you highlighted a small (and cute) detail that is generally overlooked in a well known piece.
ReplyDeleteI love this blog post--the dog is adorable. Also, I like that you've written about this (clearly) skilled artist. It's easy to think about medieval art as being two-dimensional, but this piece contains so much detail and depth! Awesome pick for the blog
ReplyDeleteFrom the moment I looked at this blog post, the aspect that captured my attention the most was the dog in Van Eyck's painting. I thought it was interesting how the dog was at first hidden among the background, but can then be somewhat interpreted as a focal point in the portrait. I also liked how you explained Van Eyck's artistic background and his intention behind the portrait.
ReplyDeleteI love how you mention the showing of clutter. It is neat to see that people were just like us, not always the neatest and had pets. I never really thought about the idea of pets in the middle ages. I had ever only thought about live stock. Makes you wonder were cats around at that time too?
ReplyDeleteIts nice to think they they had pets for the same purposes we do today. Its easy to think that in the 'primitive' middle ages they didn't have the resources needed to help care for pet dogs and instead only held pets that served a utilitarian purpose
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post showing artistic expressions of the time. This painting really does open up the household of Medieval times, giving us even more detail about life in these times. I wonder how still that little pup stayed for the portrait.
ReplyDeleteI love how you break down the painting into discussion. When first looking at the painting I did not even realize how the mirror shows Van Eyck painting the couple. I think it's amazing how he was able to do this. Loved this post!
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