The Renaissance Art

The Early Renaissance

The Renaissance came after the late Middle Ages. This new era had a drastic change on people’s perception of the world, and also on their way of creating art. The population started to move from fear to curiosity through the discovering of more texts, which means more knowledge. The individual was no longer perceived as a sinner but as a honorable human who has the right to choose between what is right or wrong. That been said, the human could decide if he needs to go to church to become closer to God, or if he can do it by his own. God was no longer fearful because he was considered as the creator of the world, and as the generous supreme architect of the universe. Giovanni Pico, a Neo-platonic thinker, wrote in The Oration of the Dignity of Man that the most important thing is to be educated and choose your own morality because you should not let the church decide for you, as it was done in the Dances of Death. Pico mentions: “If vegetative, he will become a plant; if sensual, he will become brutish; if rational, he will reveal himself a heavenly being; if intellectual, he will be an angel and the son of God“. The Renaissance was all about the individual and the consideration of himself being the center of all things.

During the Renaissance artists start being considered as artist, and they start looking at antiquity, nature, and science to create their work.

The Northern Renaissance

The Northers artist depicts his art accurately. He does no make any reference to antiquity, but he refers to nature instead.

Jan Van Eyck is the first artist to create a self-portrait. This painting is revolutionary because he puts the individual in value instead of the church.

Portrait of a Man in a Turban-Jan Van Eyck 1395

The Arnolfini Marriage Portrait is another Jan Van Eyck’s masterpiece which looks very secular, but is extremely religious. Artists start using iconography to reference religion because Renaissance art is all about focusing on the individual and depicting nature. Jan Van Eyck introduces oil paintings, which dry longer, but let the artist put several layers and portray their art as on a glossy picture.

The Arnolfini Portrait- Jan Van Eyck 1434

This painting is about St. Margaret and her groom. St. Margaret is the saint of child-birth and the saint of maids. The Arnolfini symbolizes fertility even if the bride is not actually pregnant. She is holding the drapery with her finger, and it is also a way of fashion during that period that women used this sort of robes. Geen is a color that represents fertility. VIewers can also see the presence of three lions in this painting (on of them is in the back of the room right beside the bride’s and groom’s hands) which symbolizes the lineage of christ.

The one lighted candle represents Christ’s presence in the room. The Arnolfini is also the first signed painting where Jan Van Eyck writes ” Jan Van Eyck was here” and 1434 as the date.

The dog is a symbol of fidelity. The shoes make reference to their presence of Holy land. None of the characters have their shoes on because they are about to do their sacrament (get married).

The pearls on the wall symbolize Virgin Mary and make reference to St. Margaret’s purity. The Mirror is also a symbol of the Virgin Mary because she is a mirror without flaw. Only oil painting allowed Jan Van Eyck to represent this mirror  realistically. The Arnolfini is a 82.2 cm x 60 cm painting, which is not very big. The detail on the mirror is impressive because it is made on a very small surface. In the mirror, viewers can see a reflection of the room which includes the two main characters, the patron (the person who payed for the painting), and Jan Van Eyck himself. This painting could be considered as a “wedding certificate” because in order to get married, you just need the presence of two witnesses.

-Olga Nikolayenko
November 13th, 2011