Jan Van Eyck, The Arnolfini Portrait, 1434.
However, there is more to the masterpiece than its rich color palette.
Hidden in the design are layers of iconography that help to tell the story of the couple depicted.
Jan Van Eyck, “The Arnolfini Portrait,” 1434. (Photo: National Gallery viaWikimedia Commons[Public Domain])
The Northern Renaissance and Jan van Eyck
Jan Van Eyck, Self-Portrait, 1433.
Like its Southern counterpart, this period also emphasized realism but with a focus on painting and printmaking.
Jan van Eyck and Hubert van Eyck, Ghent Altarpiece, 1432.
Jan Van Eyck, “Self-Portrait,” 1433. (Photo: National Gallery viaWikimedia Commons[Public Domain])
PaintingTheArnolfini Portrait
At first glance,The Arnolfini Portraitstands out for the intensity of its color palette.
Each article of clothing and piece of jewelry seems to glow on the canvas.
This allowed him to expertly blend colors and create a sense of three-dimensionality on the canvas.
Jan van Eyck and Hubert van Eyck, “Ghent Altarpiece,” 1432. (Photo: Public Domain)
This reaffirms the artist’s presence in his own work.
Detail showing the couple’s conjoined hands (Photo: National Gallery viaWikimedia Commons[Public Domain])
Detail of the convex mirror (Photo: National Gallery viaWikimedia Commons[Public Domain])
Jan van Eyck’s inscription: “Jan van Eyck was here 1434” (Photo: National Gallery viaWikimedia Commons[Public Domain])
Detail of the dog Detail showing the couple’s conjoined hands (Photo: National Gallery viaWikimedia Commons[Public Domain])
