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Jan van Eyck and The Marriage of Arnoflini

            Jan van Eyck and "The Marriage of Arnoflini".
             Jan van Eyck was on of the greatest and most influential painters of the 1400's. Jan and his brother Hubert are said to be the first to perfect the art of using oil paints. His paintings often included objects with hidden symbolic meaning. There are several different ways to interpretae the style of the symbolism that Jan van Eyck used to paint the portrait of Givanni Arnoflini and his second bride but here is what most art historians think. .
             A Marriage is a sacred union between a man and women. A wedding is one of the most important events in a woman's life. Often a wedding occurs in the presence of a wedding party, family members, and friends. During the 1400's a wedding ceremony was performed in the privacy of the home. The artists was hired to paint a portrait of this marriage. Some art historians say the he was a witness to the wedding and the painting serves as a documentation of their union.
             Giovanna Cenami (Arnoflini's wife) looks pregnancy in her green wedding dress, this is thought maybe to one of the reasons that the wedding was kept a secret. "The bride was definitely not a virgin, because white symbolizes pureness not green". The amber beads that he painted in the background are a sign of purity but the green dress suggested otherwise. Some historians say that green is a sign of her willing to bear children. .
             He is holding her hand in the portrait to express his love for her. This wedding was held during the daytime like most are now and I know this because you can see light coming through the window in the painting. The one burning candle that was in the room " symbolizes the union candle or could eve symbolize the presence of God". In the Renaissance a candle signified God's knowledge. Arnolfini and his bride aren't wearing any shoes, this is said to symbolize that the floor is holy ground. Dogs were often considered to be a symbol of devotion and love so they were often included in portraits of married people.


Essays Related to Jan van Eyck and The Marriage of Arnoflini

1. Jan Van Eyck

Jan van Eyck was one of the greatest and most influential Flemish painters of altarpieces and portraits of the 1400's. ... Van Eyck was hired to paint a portrait of this marriage union. ... His signature on the painting reads "Jan van Eyck was present," this has been interpreted by some historians as an indication that he served as a witness. ... In Conclusion, Jan van Eyck received his recognition through his great works with indepth symbolism and uniqueness. ... I believe Jan van Eyck created his works with the intension of making his viewers see his work on the level he painted them....

  • Word Count: 678
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Giovanni Arnolfini and his Bride by Jan van Eyck

Jan van Eyck painted Giovanni Arnolfini and his Bride in 1434. Jan van Eyck was an Early Netherlandish painter. ... The oil paints allowed Van Eyck to achieve superior results on an oak panel. ... Van Eyck's use of color demonstrates the use of complementary colors to achieve interest. ... Van Eyck made many connections to Christianity within this painting. ...

  • Word Count: 544
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  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Oil Painting: An Art History Revelation

Oil paintings typically include pigments and linseed oil which helped impact the masterpieces of Jan van Eyck and Giovanni Bellini and are still prominent and influential to the techniques and works of artists today. ... Jan van Eyck was the first to use the technique of using both mediums, such as egg tempera and oils in the same art piece for his portraits. ... By using both mediums, van Eyck accomplished a broader range of tones. ... His paintings today are acknowledged for his ability to paint realistic appearances of hair and jewels in his masterpieces ("Jan and Hubert van Eyck&quo...

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4. Renaissance Art

These innovations were ignored by painters in the North such as Jan Van Eyck who paid no attention to using any innovative perspective; instead he concentrated on an extreme usage of detail. In his masterpiece "Marriage of Giovanni Arnolfini and Giovanna Cenami", not only does Van Eyck use amazing detail right down to the smallest objects but also he inserted symbols to represent fidelity, fertility and religion. ...

  • Word Count: 404
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  • Grade Level: High School

5. Northern Renaissance Art

His style derives from the work of his two contemporaries, Jan van Eyck and Robert Campin. ... Van der Wayden's Madonna is different from maidens of Van Eyck and Robert Campin. Van Eyck portrayed the Virgin as a frail, dainty princess, Campin gave her character of hoarse peasant, and Rogier van der Weyden portrays her as "the good Flemish wife of a noble background" (Snyder pg.127). Also, van der Weyden painting is much simpler in comparison to van Eyck. ... The third example of Northern Renaissance painting is "Judith" by Jan Sanders van Hemessen. ...

  • Word Count: 1475
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  • Grade Level: High School

6. Iconography of Arnofini Wedding

The Arnolfini Portrait is an oil painting on oak panel that measures 32.3 in x 23.62in, currently hanging in the National Gallery, London, painted in 1434 by Jan van Eyck. ... Van Eyck has many hidden meanings to the items in this painting. ... This is thought to symbolize marriage and presence of the Holy Spirit.  ... These could symbolize that the painting is more than a painting but a type of marriage certificate. The way in which the couple is standing shows a conventional 15th century view on marriage and the roles. ...

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7. Transition From Tempera Paints to Oils

It was employed by all artists, prior to the invention of oil painting in fifteenth century, traditionally attributed to the Flemish brothers Hubert and Jan Van Eyck. ... Early artists who used oils who were responsible for developing this medium are master artists such as Cosima Tura, Titian, Rembrandt and Jan Van Eyck, who has used oil in many of his famous 15th Century portraits, although there may be egg tempera in the underpainting. With this new medium Van Eyck achieved an extrodinary range of tones with deep shadows and clear bright lights. Jan Van Eyck did not invent oil painting b...

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  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

8. Peter Paul Rubens

From birth he led a wealthy life with his father, Jan Rubens, from a family of spice merchants. Jan was a successful lawyer in Antwerp before fleeing from the city to escape the religious war. ... He then moved onto being an apprentice to Otto van Veen. Van Veen had notable influence upon Rubens" early style. ... Among his assistants was Anthony Van Dyck. ...

  • Word Count: 1401
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

9. Humanism and Renaissance

Another famous painter from Northern Europe was Jan van Eyck who painted The Betrothal of the Arnolfini. "Thus this painting is both a realistic depiction of two individuals with personalities in a natural setting and symbolic representation of the meanings of marriage in the fifteenth century and its religious implications". (pg. 279) Jan van Eyck painted people in his painting very realistically and with an expression through which one could tell what they were feeling during that time. ...

  • Word Count: 1049
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

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