Flemish Art pt. 2 - notes PDF

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Flemish Art pt. 2 Thursday, February 1, 2018

3:06 PM

I. Jan Van Eyck - Man in a Red Turban (1433) a. May be a self portrait i. Omission of sitter's name ii. Sitter is making direct eye contact with the viewer - for a painter to do this during this time period, he would need to be looking in a mirror (direct eye contact) b. Inscription - Jan Van Eyck made me (bottom) & as I can is written across the top - also implicates it is a self portrait c. Hands are also omitted - focus is on face d. Man of wealth - dark coat is lined with fur & luscious turban e. Secular painting - not religious II. Jan Van Eyck - Arnolfini Double Portrait (1434) a. An Italian financer and his wife b. He portrays himself in the mirror in the background of the painting i. Acts as a witness to the event taking place ii. Inscription reads "Jan Van Eyck was here" implying he was prese at the event - written in script of legal document (not a signature c. Giovanni Arnolfini - wearing very expensive fur (status symbol) i. Gesture with right hand and holding her left hand- solemn affirmation 1) Holding hands - signifies legal privileges being given to wife 2) Right hand gesture - signifies marriage d. Wife - blue dress w/ a green robe trimmed with expensive fur e. Signifies their marriage ceremony i. Marriage is concluded by taking an oath during this time - bride and groom joining hands, groom raising right hand 1) Depiction of their marriage ii L dl i th h d li ll lit i th h f l

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ii. Lone candle in the chandelier - usually lit in the house of newly weds iii. Takes place in marital chamber - sacramental symbols 1) Matrimonial bed is present (illusion to children in the future 2) St Margaret - saint of childbirth - present on bed post iv. Crystal beads & spotless mirror - symbols of marriage and purity v. Fruit on windowsill - state of innocence before original sin vi. Dog - signifies fidelity, Dog name Fido originates form Latin word for faithfulness vii. Shoes - symbolic gift of groom to bride f. Woman closer to bed, man closer to window - closer to the outside (man's) world i. Not pregnant - brings attention to womb by pulling up robe hopefulness for the future g. Symbolism in this painting makes it clear that it is not just portraiture, but it is a narrative III. Rogier van der Weyden - Descent from the Cross (1435) a. Body of Christ being taken down from cross b. Portrays the suffering of Christ c. Descent from the cross - deposition d. Part of an altarpiece e. Commissioned by the guild of the archers i. Acknowledged by the crossbows in the corner of the painting f. Focused on the emotional aspect of the scene i. Theatrical poses of the people in the paintings ii. Mary fainting 1) Her hand and Christ's IV. Rogier van der Weyden - Portrait of a Lady (1460) a. Hands clasped b. Elaborate golden buckle c. Modesty piece - transparent piece d. Difference in social roles between men and women of the time V. Petrus Christus - A Goldsmith in his Shop (1449)

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a. 2nd generation of Flemish Renaissance painters b. Just a scene of a goldsmith in his shop or Eligius - patron saint of goldsmiths? (saint was originally a master goldsmith) c. Man wears a badge that identifies him as a member of the court of th Duke d. Woman wearing elaborate dress of expensive material e. Shelf behind i. Belt buckle hanging from shelf ii. Precious stones iii. Pearls iv. Rings v. Coral, sharks teeth - powerful amulets vi. Cup made of coconut shell - protective belief against poison vii. Vessel for holding Eucharist wafers (the pelican giving its own flesh to its young on top of the vessel) f. Mirror - reflects the outside i. Two men looking in - implies viewer is on the outside looking in (because of where it shows the two men standing) 1) One man holding falcon - idleness, allusion to one of the 7 deadly sins ii. Convex mirror - used as security device VI. Hugo van der Goes - Portinari Altarpiece (1476) a. Commissioned by Portinari - head of the Medici bank b. A major commission in Italy to a Flemish painter c. St. Anthony & St. Thomas - left d. Wife Maria daughter margarita & St. Margaret (childbirth) and St… right e. Nativity scene - middle i. From Gospel of Luke - annunciation to the sheep in the background (only in Gospel of Luke) f. Purple flower - Christ's ancestry to the House of David; white lily purity of Mary; red Gl f t b li f i i bi th

g. Glass of water - symbolic of virgin birth h. Baby Jesus on the ground - vulnerable VII. Hans Memling - Virgin with Saints and Angels (1479) a. St John the Baptist & John the Evangelist b. St Catherine - sword and wheel c. St Barbara - reading a book, behind her is a tower - symbolic of her being locked in a tower by her father...