Welcome! My name is Jennifer. As a Classics major, I have studied the Latin language in depth, translating the literature of several Roman authors, including Ovid, Livy, Pliny the Younger, and Vergil. I have also examined the historical context, particularly the socioeconomic structure, of both Greek and Roman civilizations. Foremost, I became intrigued by the art of ancient cultures because I believe it best expresses the values and ritualized nature of any given society.
When I began taking art history courses, the material was, in part, related to my original objective. My very first class, Art of the Ancient World, was a survey course designed to expose students to a broad range of archaic art, including Mesopotamian, Minoan, Egyptian, Greek, and Roman paradigms. I was inspired by Professor David Smith's impassioned insights, and thus decided to supplement my knowledge of art history with courses that deviated from the Classical model.
I first became interested in early Netherlandish art during Professor Smith's Art and the Age of Humanism course last spring. As it turned out, my first experience with post-Medieval art had a lasting impact. I was captivated by the vivid colors, peculiar perspective, and complexity of meaning that transcended the purely iconographic imagery of the Medieval model. Artists like Robert Campin (aka the Master of Flémalle), Jan van Eyck, and Rogier van der Weyden were, in fact, pioneers of techniques that would later be subsumed and perfected by renowned artists like Rembrandt van Rijn and Johannes Vermeer.
For me, the most intriguing aspect of early Netherlandish painting is the seamless integration of Heaven and earth, which breaks
with the established conventions of Medieval art. For the most part, Medieval imagery was essentially flat and iconic. The separation between human and divine subjects was well defined and the space itself was delimited. Whereas Medieval art reflects the inherent dissonance between earthly beings and their divine counterparts, early Northern Renaissance, or Netherlandish, art effectively unites them so that the sacred becomes an integral part of everyday life.
The Arnolfini Wedding, perhaps the most recognizable work of the artist Jan van Eyck, represents the nuptials of the Italian merchant Giovanni Arnolfini and a woman thought to be Jeanne Cenami, a wealthy Italian aristocrat. Various elements in the scene are symbolic of marriage as both an earthly and as a spiritual union.
Eye of God
The convex mirror in the Arnolfini grouping is perhaps the most striking feature of the painting due to its astonishing detail. Its reflection captures a posterior view of the couple as they exchange their vows. In the background, other figures appear as witnesses. Many art historians agree that the man in red is actually a self-portrait since van Eyck was thought to have painted his own similarly attired likeness in the Rolin Madonna (ca 1433) and especially in Man in a Turban (ca 1433).* Above the mirror, the presence of van Eyck's inscription, Johannes de Eyck fuit hic (Latin for Jan van Eyck was here
), his scrupulous attention to detail, and the sitter's direct eye contact with the viewer all further the notion of the artist's self reference.
The mirror's function is to sanction the marriage on two distinct levels. Whereas the earthly subjects are clearly visible in its reflection, the sacred context is merely alluded to in the roundels of the mirror itself. Encircling the frame are scenes depicting the passion of Christ. Thus, in addition to the single candle on the chandelier and the presence of the clogs on the floor in the foreground, the mirror provides an effective commentary on the providential nature of the event.
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© 2006, J.W. McCready
University of New Hampshire
Last Modified: July 23, 2006
