Renaissance Blog
This painting was done with oil paints as is common throughout this Renaissance period especially in Jan Van Eyck, who is often considered to be the first master, or inventor of oil painting.
One element of this artwork that I found particularly fascinating is the colors that Van Eyck used. The background of the painting is neutral with tans and browns but the clothing of the Archangel Michael, St. Catherine, and the Virgin Mary are very bright and pop out upon first glance. Even the kneeling donor has something bright red on him as well. That immediately draws our eyes to the people rather than their surroundings.
Secondly, the outer side of the panels with the sculpture like images are interesting because of the texture that Van Eyck gave them. He used paints for these, but with the texture it almost looks as if they were sculpted instead of painted. This is super cool because it makes them stand out from the panels more and look quite realistic.
While I personally don't think I would own this myself, I do think that it is a very cool painting and a very cool triptych. It is only around thirty-three centimeters by twenty-seven centimeters, so it is pretty tiny and would be able to fit in many places.
This painting connects with the Catholic Church in multiple ways and how their beliefs were spreading throughout Rome. First of all, the painting depicts many prominent figures in the Catholic church such as the Virgin Mary, Archangels Michael and Gabriel, and St. Catherine. Another thing is that this triptych may have been made for personal devotion or for being placed on an altar for worship. Many of these beliefs would spread across Rome greatly throughout the second half of the fifteenth century. The interior panels of this painting are in mostly the color tan with Latin inscriptions across them. These inscriptions are taken from a couple different sources such as the Bible as well as prayers to certain saints in the Catholic Church.
Overall this painting finished in 1437, by Jan Van Eyck could have been one of many that spurred forth the growth of the Catholic Church in Rome throughout this time period and could've been portrayed in a church during this time.
References
Dresden triptych (virgin and child with st michael and St Catherine and a donor or triptych of the virgin and child). Dresden Triptych (Virgin and Child with St Michael and St Catherine and a Donor or Triptych of the Virgin and Child) - Jan van Eyck Oil Painting for Sale. (n.d.). Retrieved October 3, 2022, from https://www.contemporary-art.org/Oil-Painting/Dresden-Triptych-(Virgin-and-Child-with-St-Michael-and-St-Catherine-and-a-Donor-or-Triptych-of-the-Virgin-and-Child)-Works-16992.html
Streeton, N. L. W. (2017, August 24). Jan van Eyck's dresden triptych: New evidence for the giustiniani of Genoa in the borromei ledger for Bruges. Journal of Historians of Netherlandish Art. Retrieved October 3, 2022, from https://jhna.org/articles/jan-van-eycks-dresden-triptych-new-evidence-giustiniani-of-genoa-borromei-ledger-bruges/
Faith,
ReplyDeleteYou chose a beautiful painting to analyze. I love triptychs because they have such interesting compositions. I am particularly amazed at the artwork on the closed side with the sculptures, because the perspective and lighting are so realistic with an optical illusion of depth. It makes sense for it to be a smaller piece if it's an altar piece meant to be placed within the home, or even moved around. With the folded sides I would think it could be stood up on it's own in addition to being mounted on a wall. With a work like this, it's interesting to observe it not just for the contents of it's Catholic imagery, but also as an object used for worship purposes as part of a mantle. I think that a major factor for the spread of Catholicism was developing artworks to accompany churches themselves, enriching the culture surrounding them and giving appeal and vision around their mythology.
Faith,
ReplyDeleteYour statement about the outer panels being painted rather than sculpted resulted in a double take. I truly did not think the outer panels were painted. The shadow and form definition, in itself, is amazing. The accomplishment of contouring the shadows with paint to give such a 3D effect is insane. On initial inspection it looks like it would be a boring peace, however, through your description and closer inspection it truly brought the uniqueness of this piece to mind. The color choices in contrast with the background colors provides a clear attempt at grabbing the viewer's eyes instantly. Great choice!
Jasmine
Hi Faith!
ReplyDeleteYour analysis was fun and interesting to read! I did not know the definition of what a triptych is but I have seen plenty before, so thank you! I also think it is so cool the outer panels close to reveal those beautiful statues. I think the background colors do help the viewer focus on the people in the painting and the richer primary colors that are used.
Your investigating of the elements of the piece to connect them to the catholic church is remarkable, like the subjects within in the painting and the Latin scripture on the doors, great work! I could envision this piece being in a church or another place of worship.
I think the way the painting portrays depth is a great example of atmospheric perspective