Arnolfini Portrait
Artist: Jan van Eyck
Year Composed: 1434
Artistic Movement: Golden Age
Nationality: Netherlands
Floor Found in Château: Second Floor
Year Composed: 1434
Artistic Movement: Golden Age
Nationality: Netherlands
Floor Found in Château: Second Floor
About the Artwork
Said to be one of the first portraits commemorating a wedding, Jan van Eyck's Arnolfini Portrait shows Giovanni Arnolfini (a wealthy Italian merchant) alongside his wife Costanza. Although painted one year after Costanza's death, the portrait might have a double interpretation, also as a representation of memorial for Giovanni's late bride.Van Eyck uses point perspective to create depth, as seen within the receding floorboards as well as within the lines on the window on the left side of the canvas. Upon closer inspection, the mirror on the back wall shows two figures: one is presumably the artist, Jan van Eyck. His Arnolfini Portrait is one of the first paintings to show the self-portrait of the painter while working on the particular artwork, a staple for later Dutch portrait paintings. The other figure in the mirror is unidentified, leaving it up to interpretation. However, van Eyck allows the viewer to appear they are next to the artist as he renders the scene, giving the illusion that the viewer is placed within the room as a part of the special, memorable occasion.
About the Artist
Commissioned by the Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Good, Flemish painter Jan van Eyck was known for his panel paintings, canvas paintings, portraits, genre paintings, and even altarpieces. As one of the founders of the Dutch Golden Age of painting, van Eyck was able to paint until he was content with his composition, allowing him the freedom to implement an extremely realistic style and aesthetic within his paintings. With the new use of oils in his paintings, van Eyck gave the art world his Ghent Altarpiece (1420-1432), Arnolfini Portrait (1434), and his Portrait of a Man (1433), all which feature prominently within the Hall of the Art Thieves.
About the Movement
Arnolfini Portrait was composed in the Dutch Golden Age of art. The Dutch Golden Age that spanned the 17th Century (or during the 1600s) in the Netherlands. During this time, the Dutch economy and culture was flourishing due to their rise in maritime trading, banking system, and rise of the middle class. The aesthetics of the Golden Age followed the Baroque Age of art, however the content of most works revolved around genre, everyday scenes of Dutch society. Some of the most famous Dutch Golden Age artists included Rembrandt van Rijn, Johannes Vermeer, and Jan van Eyck.
Location of Original Work of Art: National Gallery, London, United Kingdom
Said to be one of the first portraits commemorating a wedding, Jan van Eyck's Arnolfini Portrait shows Giovanni Arnolfini (a wealthy Italian merchant) alongside his wife Costanza. Although painted one year after Costanza's death, the portrait might have a double interpretation, also as a representation of memorial for Giovanni's late bride.Van Eyck uses point perspective to create depth, as seen within the receding floorboards as well as within the lines on the window on the left side of the canvas. Upon closer inspection, the mirror on the back wall shows two figures: one is presumably the artist, Jan van Eyck. His Arnolfini Portrait is one of the first paintings to show the self-portrait of the painter while working on the particular artwork, a staple for later Dutch portrait paintings. The other figure in the mirror is unidentified, leaving it up to interpretation. However, van Eyck allows the viewer to appear they are next to the artist as he renders the scene, giving the illusion that the viewer is placed within the room as a part of the special, memorable occasion.
About the Artist
Commissioned by the Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Good, Flemish painter Jan van Eyck was known for his panel paintings, canvas paintings, portraits, genre paintings, and even altarpieces. As one of the founders of the Dutch Golden Age of painting, van Eyck was able to paint until he was content with his composition, allowing him the freedom to implement an extremely realistic style and aesthetic within his paintings. With the new use of oils in his paintings, van Eyck gave the art world his Ghent Altarpiece (1420-1432), Arnolfini Portrait (1434), and his Portrait of a Man (1433), all which feature prominently within the Hall of the Art Thieves.
About the Movement
Arnolfini Portrait was composed in the Dutch Golden Age of art. The Dutch Golden Age that spanned the 17th Century (or during the 1600s) in the Netherlands. During this time, the Dutch economy and culture was flourishing due to their rise in maritime trading, banking system, and rise of the middle class. The aesthetics of the Golden Age followed the Baroque Age of art, however the content of most works revolved around genre, everyday scenes of Dutch society. Some of the most famous Dutch Golden Age artists included Rembrandt van Rijn, Johannes Vermeer, and Jan van Eyck.
Location of Original Work of Art: National Gallery, London, United Kingdom