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jan van eyck - the arnolfini portrait
Fig.1. Jan van Eyck: The Arnolfini Portrait. (1434)
- Dated 1434
- Oil on oak panel
- Currently in the National Gallery - London
- 82.2 x 60 cm
- Double portrait of a man and woman - most likely a couple as they are holding hands (although lightly, female's hand placed on the palm of the male's hand)
- Set inside a bedroom/a room inside the couples home.
- Couple seem distant, although hand in hand, stand quite far apart.
- Facial expressions are unhappy, characters appear solemn - perhaps mimicked by the dimly lit room.
- Couple may be mid argument - the way the male raises his hand gives this impression. Possibly greeting the viewer.
- Appears to be daytime, daylight sky can be seen through the window n the left, along with a tree which bares fruit.
- Realistic scene - characters appear real.
- The couple stand in the foreground of the painting, with shoes/slippers and a pet dog in front of them.
- Busy composition, not just a portrait.
- To the right is a four poster bed, a chair with matching fabric next to it, another pair of shoes/slippers placed in front of the chair.
- A chandelier hangs above and a little behind the couple, with a mirror, a beaded necklace, possibly a brush.
- There is a reflection in the mirror, the back of the couple and another figure - possibly the artists self portrait, possibly the viewers reflection - adds to the sense of being part of the painting.
- There is writing on the back wall, where van Eyck has signed his name in latin. The latin translates to "Jan Eyck was here 1434".
- To the left there is a window, with an orange placed on the window cill, below it a chest of some sort with more oranges placed on top.
- The window is open, revealing the day time sky, a tree bearing fruit. The top panes of the window are coloured glass.
- The walls of the room are probably white/cream but appear to be a grey colour due to the low light.
- Floor is bare wood, with a rug behind the woman - appears to be Persian.
- The woman appears to be pregnant - holding her stomach with her left hand.
- Woman seems angelic, youthful, pale skin.
- Both characters appear wealthy - women dress contains a lot of fabric in a rich green, man's coat appears expensive with fur details. The rich red fabric and the Persian rug also give the impression of wealth.
- Dark colour palette, mainly of browns, greys.
- Rich red, green, blue and gold give warmth to the painting.
- Figures seem elongated, possibly to make them seem important against the other features of the room? May have been an attempt at depicting perspective - doesn't stop the image from appearing realistic. Perspective used doesn't match any scientific theories on perspective at the time.
- A range of textured add to the life like qualities - especially the fur of the dog which seems especially realistic.
- Composition makes the viewer feel part of the scene, almost as if standing in the door way/entrance to the room.
- Room is dimly lit - light coming from the window and possibly the unseen door way.
- Light from the window highlights the right side of the mans face, leaving the left in shadow (hat adds to the shadow), the light gives the same affect to the woman's face, leaving the left side of her face in shadow.
- A shadow of the woman is cast on the bed.
- Light catches the folds in the draping of the bed, while the bedding appears illuminated.
- Naturally placed highlights and shadow. The highlights don't appear to change the focal point. I'm personally drawn to the hands in the center.
- Man believed to be Giovanni Arnolfini - And Italian merchant living Bruges. Some scholars believe it could be another member of the Arnolfini family.
- Woman believed to be Giovanna Cenami - daughter of another merchant.
- Believed to be a memorial portrait - Cenami had died the previous year.
- Cenami not actually pregnant, effect created by the amount of fabric - fashion of dress at this time.
- Suggested that the portrait may be the equivalent to a wedding photo today - extra reflection may be a witness to the wedding.
- Arnolfini's hand position may have been raised to receive a blessing from an unknown figure.
- Also suggested that the painting is a witness to Arnolfini giving his authority over the woman (positioning of his hand may back up this theory)
- Not royal, but higher class (known as the merchant class).
- Couple shown in the greeting chamber (also been noted as the reception room/bridal chamber).
- Luxurious red bed cover and expensive bed also signifies wealth - the bed probably not used, just used to make the point of owning an expensive object (a flemish custom).
- Bed shows that the couple have the money to spend on items not necessarily used everyday.
- Couple were not at the hight of wealth - no tapestries on the walls and floor is bare wood.
- Cenami stands next to the bed, showing her responsibilities around the home.
- Whole image seems to have a fertility theme.
- Shows her wifely duty of bearing children - one of the most important duties of a wife in the 15th century.
- High expectations were placed on women to conceive - preferably on the first night of a marriage.
- Northern women surrounded themselves with tokens/charms believed to increase fertility - the carved figure on the chair is St Margaret - Patron saint of women in child birth, may be an indication of the woman being pregnant, or that the couple hope to conceive.
- Woman's pale and youthful appearance may allude to her death. She appears angelic and idealised.
- Everything appears to have a double meaning - portrait created in a time where symbolism in paintings was fashionable.
- Dog may have been requested to appear but also represents fidelity - hope for a faithful marriage.
- Oranges were expensive at the time as were imported, show wealth and may also allude to the marriage being fruitful - some scholars believe importing may have been the source of the couples wealth.
- Brush hanging on the wall symbolises cleanliness, also a luxury item.
- Beaded necklace - possibly a rosary, symbolises piety.
- Mirror would have been a luxury item.
- Mirror has roundels around the edge which depict the passion of Christ - couple must have been quite religious/God fearing. The images of Christ alive are on the side on Arnolfini, the ones depicting Christ's death on the side on Cenami - may be alluding to her death.
- The detail of the tiny scenes is associated with work created during the renaissance.
- Mirror helps to give the impression of reality.
- Candelabrum would have been an expensive item - has space for several candles but there are only two in place. One is lit, while the other is burnt out. Lit candle is over Arnolfini, the burnt out over Cenami's - may also symbolise her death.
- Symbolism of the candles and mirror give good evidence that it is a memorial portrait for Arnolfini's wife - she may have died shortly after giving birth - which would explain the references to child birth and conceiving a child.
- Lit candle may also allude to the presence of God. May also be the symbolism of marriage, two people becoming one.
- Slippers may be a sign of good luck.
- Highly materialistic couple, image is based largely around the items the couple own due to their wealth.
- Reflectograms have confirmed that van Eyck added and changed several elements in the painting - which have changed the way historians and scholars have interpreted the painting.
- Underpaintings have been revealed showing that the dog, beads, chair, oranges, shoes and possibly the chandelier were added after numerous other layers, didn't appear to be part of his original composition.
- He altered some other elements, positioning of Arnolfini's hands and feet, his facial expression and the mirror made smaller.
- Arnolfini's robe made longer.
- May show that he had no real meaning/symbolism to some elements.
- May have changed some elements of the painting due to artistic demand.
- Changes may have been made to give balance and make the image more visually appealing.
- White shoes were added - may have been to balance out the white of the woman's headdress.
- Hands of Arnolfini possibly changed to stop them becoming a focal point, as originally more of his palm was shown, making them more prominent in the painting.
- Jan van Eyck believed to have mastered the medium of oil better than anyone before him.
- Worked in layers, would set his panels aside to dry before continuing with the next layer.
- His layering and use of oil made his paintings appear three dimensional - his images were extremely life like.
- He created subtle changes in light which appeared realistic.
- van Eyck could imitate surface textures realistically, occasionally using his fingertips as a tool to move paint - fingerprints can be seen on the woman green gown.
- His use of tone helps to add to the realistic illusion, separates the foreground from the background and the figures from their surroundings.
- The paintings may not have been based on anyone at all, just a moment created by van Eyck.
- "Only the painters invention and descriptive genius lends it to the semblance of a significant moment in a particular place." (Langmuir, 1997:48)
bibliography
Billinge, Rachel & Campbell, Lorne. (1995) 'The Infra-red Reflectograms of Jan van Eyck's Portrait of Giovanni(?) Arnolfini and his Wife Giovanna Cenami(?)' National Gallery Technical Bulletin Vol 16, pp 47–60. [online] At: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/technical-bulletin/billinge_campbell1995 (Accessed on 16.09.15)
Chilvers, Ian. (2009) Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 4th ed. United States: Oxford University Press.
Encyclopaedia of Art Education. (s.d) The Arnolfini Portrait. At: http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/famous-paintings/arnolfini-portrait.htm (Accessed on 17.09.15)
Gail Sibley (2013) Artist in pastel and paint. [online blog] At: http://www.gailsibley.com/2013/10/13/jan-van-eycks-the-arnolfini-portrait-a-close-look/ (Accessed on 16.09.15)
Hall, James. (2008) 'Eyck, Jan van' definition. In: Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art. 2nd ed. USA: Westview Press.
Hicks, Carola. (2011) 'Portrait with a thousand secrets: The mystery behind a masterpiece' In: The Daily Mail [online] At:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-2036955/The-Arnolfini-portrait-Jan-van-Eyck-The-mystery-National-Gallery-masterpiece.html (Accessed on 17.09.15)
Jones, Jonathan. (2000) 'Arnolfini Portrait, Jan Van Eyck (1434)' In: The Guardian [online] At: http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2000/apr/15/art
(Accessed on 16.09.15)
Khan Academy. (s.d) Jan Van Eyck, The Arnolfini Portrait, tempera and oil on wood, 1434 (National Gallery, London). Speakers: Dr. Beth Harris, Dr. Steven Zucker. At: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/renaissance-reformation/northern-renaissance1/burgundy-netherlands/v/van-eyck-portrait-of-giovanni-arnolfini-and-his-wife-1434 (Accessed on 16.09.15)
Langmuir, Erika. (1997) The National Gallery Companion Guide. 2nd ed. London: National Gallery Company.
Murray, Linda & Murray, Peter. (1997) 'Eyck, van' definition. In: Penguin Dictionary of Art and Artists. 7th ed. London: Penguin.
Murray, Linda & Murray, Peter. (1991) The Art of the Renaissance. Reprint ed. New York: Thames and Hudson.
Nash, Suzie. (2008) Northern Renaissance Art. United States: Oxford University Press.
Open University. (2005) The Mystery of the Marriage. At: http://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/history/history-art/the-mystery-the-marriage-transcript (Accessed on 16.09.15)
The National Gallery. (s.d) The Arnolfini Portrait. At: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/jan-van-eyck-the-arnolfini-portrait (Accessed on 16.09.15)
Web Gallery of Art. (s.d) Portrait of Gioavanni Arnolfini and his Wife. At: http://www.wga.hu/html_m/e/eyck_van/jan/15arnolf/15arnol.html (Accessed on 16.09.15)
Chilvers, Ian. (2009) Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 4th ed. United States: Oxford University Press.
Encyclopaedia of Art Education. (s.d) The Arnolfini Portrait. At: http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/famous-paintings/arnolfini-portrait.htm (Accessed on 17.09.15)
Gail Sibley (2013) Artist in pastel and paint. [online blog] At: http://www.gailsibley.com/2013/10/13/jan-van-eycks-the-arnolfini-portrait-a-close-look/ (Accessed on 16.09.15)
Hall, James. (2008) 'Eyck, Jan van' definition. In: Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art. 2nd ed. USA: Westview Press.
Hicks, Carola. (2011) 'Portrait with a thousand secrets: The mystery behind a masterpiece' In: The Daily Mail [online] At:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-2036955/The-Arnolfini-portrait-Jan-van-Eyck-The-mystery-National-Gallery-masterpiece.html (Accessed on 17.09.15)
Jones, Jonathan. (2000) 'Arnolfini Portrait, Jan Van Eyck (1434)' In: The Guardian [online] At: http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2000/apr/15/art
(Accessed on 16.09.15)
Khan Academy. (s.d) Jan Van Eyck, The Arnolfini Portrait, tempera and oil on wood, 1434 (National Gallery, London). Speakers: Dr. Beth Harris, Dr. Steven Zucker. At: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/renaissance-reformation/northern-renaissance1/burgundy-netherlands/v/van-eyck-portrait-of-giovanni-arnolfini-and-his-wife-1434 (Accessed on 16.09.15)
Langmuir, Erika. (1997) The National Gallery Companion Guide. 2nd ed. London: National Gallery Company.
Murray, Linda & Murray, Peter. (1997) 'Eyck, van' definition. In: Penguin Dictionary of Art and Artists. 7th ed. London: Penguin.
Murray, Linda & Murray, Peter. (1991) The Art of the Renaissance. Reprint ed. New York: Thames and Hudson.
Nash, Suzie. (2008) Northern Renaissance Art. United States: Oxford University Press.
Open University. (2005) The Mystery of the Marriage. At: http://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/history/history-art/the-mystery-the-marriage-transcript (Accessed on 16.09.15)
The National Gallery. (s.d) The Arnolfini Portrait. At: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/jan-van-eyck-the-arnolfini-portrait (Accessed on 16.09.15)
Web Gallery of Art. (s.d) Portrait of Gioavanni Arnolfini and his Wife. At: http://www.wga.hu/html_m/e/eyck_van/jan/15arnolf/15arnol.html (Accessed on 16.09.15)
images
Fig.1. Jan van Eyck: The Arnolfini Portrait. (1434) [Painting] At: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/jan-van-eyck-the-arnolfini-portrait (Accessed on 16.09.15)