AHIS 120g 1st Edition Lecture 17Current LectureRenaissance painting in Northern EuropeJan van Eyck in Bruges- Van Eyck made both religious images as well as purely secular paintings, fulfilling thecommissions of the court and the middle-class citizens of Flemish towns. - Man in a Red Turban (self-portrait?), 1433.o Represents a man in a three-quarters pose whose face is framed by his dramaticheadgear. o Warm light bathes the distinctive face emerging from the dark background of thepainting and reveals every detail of shape and texture with almost microscopicprecision. o The subject—the man—gazes to make eye contact with the viewer. This innovation, and the slight strain about the eyes which may come fromgazing into a mirror, suggests the painting may be a self-portrait.o Self-consciousness that the painting demands relates to the text painted on theframe: an inscription reading ALS ICH KAN (“As I can”). This motto appears on other works of Jan, perhaps challenging artists to dobetter. He also saw himself in competition with the ancients as well as with hiscontemporaries.- Ghent Altarpiece (1432).o One of the most famous early Flemish paintings.o The basic form of the complex altarpiece is a triptych—consisting of three hingedpanels—but here each of the three units consists of four panels.o Portraits of the wealthy donors appear on the lower tier with two other figures,each in a separate niche framed by painted Gothic tracery.o When the wings are opened the viewer sees a detailed rendering of a celestialassembly: Across the bottom tier, groups of figures converge on a central image of analtar, upon which stands a haloed lamb. This assembly includes angels,apostles, popes, virgin martyrs, pilgrims, etc. Above the early assembly reigns an imposing Court of Heaven, with the Lordin a bright red robe at the center. At the outer edges of the upper tier stand Adam and Eve, rendered as nudesin shallow niches. The almost life-sized nudes are portrayed with carefulattention to their anatomy and caressed by a delicate play of light and shade.o The function of the altarpiece is to elucidate the liturgy performed in front of it. When it opens, its subject is the Mass itself.o Jan’s work is large in scale but full of naturally observed details and glowing color.o His technique of building up color in layers of glazes results in highly saturated hues,while the slow, methodical application of paint blends brushstrokes to a mirrorlikefinish.- The Arnolfini Portrait (1434).o One of his most studied and mysterious of his surviving images represents a man anda woman standing in a richly furnished room, equipped with a brass chandelier, amirror and a canopied bed.o Jan signed the painting within the panel itself. Above the painted mirror in a formal script, the translated signature reads,“Jan van Eych was here, 1434.”o Scholars have identified the male subject as Giovanni Arnolfini, an Italian merchantliving in Bruges. o The painted couple appears in the main room of a 15th century house that issomewhat more expensively furnished than the room in the Mérode Triptych. o The two join hands, with the main raising his right hand as in a solemn oath.o The mirror behind them however, is the reflection of two men. Scholars believe one of these men must be van Eyck himself.o Scholars have argued that this panel represents either the wedding or theengagement of the couple shown, either of which would have required a legal andfinancial contract between their two families.o The woman’s gesture to lift her heavy gown may suggest her wish for children.o The dog functions as a symbol of