Jan Van Eyck's Arnolfini Portraits

Jan van Eyck has been one of the more prominent early Netherlandish painters during his time. He has had many famous works, however one of his more interesting and questionable pieces is The Arnolfini Portrait. There is much to be desired in this painting by the great van Eyck. Van Eyck has been a master painter most of his career, but in this painting he is able to show how his excellent painting skills can bring this painting to life. The Arnolfini Portrait, which measures 82 × 59.5 cm (32.3 × 23.4 in) is an oil painting on oak panel dated 1434. This painting is also known by other as The Arnolfini Wedding, The Arnolfini Marriage, The Arnolfini Double Portriat, or Giovanni Arnolfini and his Wife. It is one of the only 15th century

The early life of Jan van Eyck remains partially unknown as records did not reveal factual information regarding his birth and childhood. An inference states that van Eyck was “born somewhere around 1390 in the village of Maaseyck” (Hughes and Faggin 5). Many years of his life were not documented and kept in records, but the few years before the creation of the Ghent Altarpiece, or Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, van Eyck’s records points out that he was rather active. Van Eyck was appointed by Philip the Good and the Duke of Burgundy to relay important missions that allowed him to live a fortunate lifestyle as a painter. Patronage, during this time, became more sought after since the influx of new methods and exceeded expectations grabbed the attentions of patrons. Also, since van Eyck’s abilities seemed unmatched at the time, Philip the Good declared, “he would never find a man so much to his taste, or such a paragon of science and art” (Hughes and

In the article “Sexuality and Social Standing In Jan van Eyck's Arnolfini Double Portrait” the author analyzes the religious and social grammars of marriage. This short paper will be a reflection of Harbison’s article that discusses religious and marital norms throughout, with also analyzing various sections of van Eyck’s piece, for example: implying the piece as a marriage document or contract of the marriage, which immediately makes the viewer look deeper into the double portrait. All of this helped me realize that pieces of art are not simply “pictures,” rather they are narratives like a scene in a documentary. The author starts the article with a clear thesis of analyzing the social religious and marital norms when this piece was made.

Especially for his time, van Eyck often signed and dated his paintings in their frames, then considered an integral part of the work (the two were often painted together). In the most substantial early source for him, a 1454 biography by the Genoese humanist Bartolomeo Facio (De viris illustribus), Jan van Eyck was named "the leading painter" of his day. Facio places him among the best artists of the early 15th century, along with Rogier van der Weyden, Gentile da Fabriano, and Pisanello. It is particularly interesting that Facio shows as much enthusiasm for Netherlandish painters as he does for Italian painters. This text also sheds light on aspects of Jan van Eyck's production now lost. Jan van Eyck likely had some knowledge of Latin for his many missions abroad on behalf of the Duke. Jan van Eyck died in Bruges in 1441 and was buried there in the Church of St Donatian (destroyed during the French Revolution). (From

His most famous portrait is The Arnolfini Portrait. His most famous religious painting is called The Adoration of the Lamb and it is a panel painting. Van Eyck created different signatures and inscriptions that he wrote on his paintings. This made his paintings more memorable and left no question as to who painted them. Van Eyck’s artwork is

In Jan van Eyck’s painting wedding portrait there are a lot of symbols that show something sacred is going on. Such as wearing no shoes, it shows they are on holy ground. Along with they are in their bedroom chambers instead of in a church which means they are there to consummate their marriage and are hopeful for many children which is what the woman is already showing hopefulness by resting her hand on her stomach. Another few things that I found interesting is the single candle lit in the chandelier even though its clearly daylight, it’s supposed to symbolize divine presence and the oranges in the windowsill and on the chest, it’s said they are the golden apples of Hesperides which is said to being a representation the conquest of death.

Many think that his wife is pregnant, but she is not. She is just holding up her full-skirted dress in a contemporary fashion. Arnolfini came from family of merchants from Lucca living in Bruges. The couple are shown in a nice environment that looks pretty expensive and seem to be wearing nice clothes, which makes them appear to be wealthy. The work is known to be one of the most impressive paintings during the Northern Renaissance because of how detailed it is. Some of the details noticed by many are the little hairs sticking out of the dog, the type of cloth on their clothing, and the material of the clogs in the bottom left-hand corner. There are a lot of questions surrounding the Arnolfini Portrait because Jan van Eyck wrote on the portrait himself that it was made in 1434, but if the portrait was supposed to be of him and his wife, that didn’t make sense. Many believed that this painting may have symbolized that he had moved on and had a new woman in his life to love because his wife had died in

This Flemish artist lived 1390 to 1441. He pioneered oil based painting. He did many portraits and even traveled to Portugal in order to paint King Philip I’s future wife. Completed in 1434, one of his most famous paintings is the Arnolfini portrait. Unsurprisingly, it is a double portrait of Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini and his wife. Jan van Eyck included many symbols in this painting, including the dog and the shoes. The dog represents fidelity and the cast-off shoes allude to holy ground. Jan van Eyck payed attention to the miniscule details in his Renaissance

Jan van Eyck is one of well-known artists of the Northern Renaissance. To many, the Renaissance happened in Italy and not in countries like Belgium. Without this knowledge, Jan van Eyck would just be seen as a footnote in the study of humanities. Jan van Eyck can be seen as revolutionary in his work. Unlike other artists, Jan van Eyck played with light and the small details that can be appreciated by many designers in modern day.

The painting Giovanni Arnolfini and His Bride was painted by Jan van Eyck. Shown in this painting is a man and woman who are to be married. What makes this piece of art special, beyond the talent of Jan van Eyck, is the amount of symbolism depicted. Every object is painted with care, and is intended to show the holiness of matrimony. This includes the pair of clogs which symbolized a sacred event, a dog that was a symbol of fidelity, a burning candle and a mirror that symbolize the all-seeing eye of God, and a small statue of Saint Margaret the patron saint of childbirth. Many if the objects in the painting were from traditional Flemish customs, and it shows some Flemish marriage practices, such as one lit candle in the chandelier. Even the placement of the couple is symbolic. The man is placed near an open window, which represents the world, and the woman is next to the bed, which may indicate the woman’s place is at home bearing children.

Vincent Willem van Gogh is considered as one of the most renowned artist/painter in history, but like many others, his legacy and talent was brought to light after his death. While suffering from mental illness and poverty throughout his life, he was still able to capture the essence of beauty and color through his expressionistic, abstract technique as well as influence in Japanese art. His works accumulate to 2,100, consisting of 860 oil paintings, and more than 1,300 watercolor, drawings, and sketches. Van Gogh, being a post-impressionist artist, is stated to be the greatest Dutch painter after Rembrandt. Van Gogh’s work is now recognized by many; from his art being sold for little to nothing, is now sold for millions.

Born 1390, Jan Van Eyck was a flemish painter who was one of the first to perfect the newly developed technique of oil painting. In 1425 Van Eyck entered the service of the influential Valois prince, Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy. Van Eyck also did paintings for other private clients as well as the court.

“Arnolfini Marriage” is a very famous painting by Jan Van Eyck painted in the early 15th century, which is in the National Gallery in London. According to the Catalogue of the National Gallery, the painting is just a portrait of the couple Arnolfini that is showing their marriage. Waldemar Januszczak, an author and presenter, believes that this portrait was wrongly named and it should have been called “the Arnolfini Pregnancy”. Januszczak believes that Mrs. Arnolfini is pregnant and she is dead at the time this artwork was painted. Januszczak has these proofs for Mrs. Arnolfini to be pregnant; the way that her dress was cut with the bulge on her belly and the protective gesture with comparison to the “Annuciation”, a painting by Van Cleve.

The selection from Leon Battista Alberti’s On painting is mainly divided into 5 paragraphs numbered 25 through 29. Just as the title suggests, the text deals with the art of painting and its virtues. It talks about the benefits painting offers to the artist and why they are valuable, as well as showing the importance a work of art gives to the object being painted. While referring to many examples in history, Alberti also compares painting to the other “crafts” and explains why it is more noble, as well as more enjoyable and self-satisfactory.

Each artist is an individual with a unique style, and although these styles can be similar in practice – the individuality of the artist often proves the discriminating factor for a successful artwork. Self-portraits are beneficial when looking at the individuality of the artist as there are two aspects to look at – the artist’s style, and the artist’s view of him/herself. The latter can provide a brief insight into the mental situation of the artist as well as any apparent influencing factors of the artwork. This view can often also include fragmental insights into the society and culture of the time. Rembrandt van Rijn and Vincent van Gogh are 2 artists of whom are well represented by this statement.