This art piece of the Northern Renaissance is often referred to as The Arnolfini Wedding or The Arnolfini Marriage. It was painted by Jan Van Eyck in tempera and oil on oak wood in 1434 in Bruges. It is now displayed in the National Gallery in London.
This style of painting was one that was becoming more common after the Reformation in that rather than paying most attention to the actual people in the forefront of the painting, as in the Italian Renaissance, Van Eyck paid just as much attention to all the little details of the objects, even in the background. Even with Van Eyck’s extensive details he pays to the material objects in the room there is still reminisce of the humanist movement in this piece with the realism it creates. For instance, as humanism emphasizes physical beauty, when looking at the women in the painting , thought to be the wife of Giovanni Arnolfini, one can see how her abdomen is protruding from her body like she is pregnant. There is much speculation about whether or not she is with child, but one thing that is agreed upon is the emphasis on the abdomen was a sign of physical beauty of that time. Not only this, but humanism also emphasized the spirit and Van Eyck’s used detailed symbolism to represent the spirituality in this painting. The solitary flame burning on the candle in the background is thought to represent God’s all seeing eye and Christ being present in the room. The ten miniature medallions on the mirror are thought to represent scenes from the life of Christ and an image of St. Margaret is carved in the high chair back.
It seems like everything detail in the painting has an underlying meaning and nothing is painted to just represent its normal function. The dog is said to be a symbol of faithfulness, the shoes are symbol of the sanctity of marriage, and the fruit a symbol of fertility.
What caught my attention about the painting was the elaborate detail in the painting. As painters in the Italian Renaissance focused on perspectives of human anatomy, Van Eyck made sure to pay great detail to all of the objects in his work. If you look closely at the convex mirror you see the reflections of the couple, who are said to be getting either married or engaged, the witnesses, and even Van Eyck himself. It is because of this reflection that some scholars suggest this could also serve as an elaborate self-portrait of Van Eyck. As with humanism, Van Eyck must have used the most cutting edge techniques of his day to pull of the precise mirrored reflections in the mirror and the depth perspective and three dimensional feel of his work.
Obviously, the elaborate attention paid to details, vivid colors, and just sheer beauty of this painting is what originally drew me to it, however, it is the unanswered questions and speculations about it that I find most intriguing. For example, above the mirror is Van Eyck’s signature “Jan Van Eyck was here. 1434.” It is because of this signature that scholars suggest that this is not just a wedding portrait but an actual legal certificate recording a marriage. Others believe it was just a witty inscription. Perhaps the biggest debate of the painting is “Is she or isn’t she?” Upon first glance the viewer assumes she is pregnant but this type of dress accentuating the abdomen was popular in this time. Furthermore, women carried bunches of their heavy fabric in in this manner to avoid getting the material dirty by it dragging on the floor.
It is my belief the Van Eyck intentionally made her look pregnant. Her belly is definitely emphasized and the way she rests her hand upon her stomach is what many pregnant women are seen doing today. I do not necessarily think that this woman was actually pregnant during the time of the painting. I think Van Eyck was projecting what was to come and in a way ‘blessing’ the marriage with fertility through the portrait. The signs of fertility in the painting, the fruit and St. Margaret, make me think that the artist is going out of his way to emphasize the blessing of children upon the couple and depicting the woman as pregnant is his way of painting what the couple will achieve or desire now that they are married.
Works cited:
http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/jan-van-eyck-the-arnolfini-portrait
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnolfini_Portrait
http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/eyck/arnolfini/
http://www.smarthistory,org/van Eyck.html
June 28, 2010 at 5:26 am
You did well to state the factual information, even including where the piece resides today. I read that what attracted you to the painting was its beauty, and that Van Eycks elaborate detail attracted your attention. You say that the the physical beauty in this piece is a reflection of humanism, I agree with this, but I did not see the relationship between beauty and humanism sited in your blog.
It seems that many people have found a lot of symbolism in this piece. I personally would never have seen the subtle symbols , nor would I have questioned the ladies pregnancy. To me she is obviously pregnant, but your blog helped me to look at the painting a bit harder and question the these symbols.
August 9, 2010 at 12:45 am
You’ve picked one of the pieces of art that I found most interesting from the Northern Renaissance period. It’s an excellent example of the change towards more everyday subjects and the extreme attention to detail that these artists practiced. I have to say that the symbolism of many of the items in the painting was lost on me so I was surprised to learn that the dog wasn’t just a dog, the fruit represented fertility, etc. I guess I tend to look at the initial emotional reaction I have to art rather than think of the hidden meanings that can be found in it. You did a great job of covering all the requirements in your blog – the facts are there and your reactions are included as well.