Jan van Eyck (Portrait of the Arnolfini couple). Description of the picture. Jan van Eyck, “Portrait of the Arnolfini couple”: description of the painting and interesting facts The mystery of a beautiful lady

His younger contemporary, the Italian humanist Bartolomeo Fazio. The same enthusiastic assessment was given a century and a half later by the Dutch painter and biographer of Dutch artists, Karel van Mander: “What neither the Greeks, nor the Romans, nor other peoples were able to achieve, despite all their efforts, was achieved by the famous Jan van Eyck, who was born in on the banks of the lovely Meuse River, which can now challenge the palm of the Arno, the Po and the proud Tiber, since such a luminary has risen on its banks that even Italy, the land of the arts, was amazed by its brilliance.”

Very little documentary information has been preserved about the life and work of the artist. Jan van Eyck was born in Maaseik between 1390 and 1400. In 1422, Van Eyck entered the service of John of Bavaria, ruler of Holland, Zealand and Genegau. For him, the artist performed work for the palace in The Hague.

From 1425 to 1429 he was court painter to the Burgundian Duke Philip the Good in Lille. The Duke valued Jan as an intelligent, educated man, according to the Duke, “unmatched in art and knowledge.” Often Jan van Eyck, on the instructions of Philip the Good, carried out complex diplomatic assignments.

Information reported by chroniclers of that time speaks of the artist as a multi-talented person. The already mentioned Bartolomeo Fazio wrote in the “Book of Famous Men” that Jan was passionate about geometry and created a kind of geographical map. The artist’s experiments in the field of oil paint technology speak of his knowledge of chemistry. His paintings demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the world of plants and flowers.

There are many ambiguities in creative biography Yana. The main thing is Jan's relationship with his older brother Hubert van Eyck, with whom he studied and with whom he completed a number of works. There are disputes about individual paintings by the artist: about their content, painting technique.

The work of Jan and Hubert van Eyck owes much to the art of the illustrators of the Limburg brothers and the altarmaker Melchior Bruderlam, who worked at the Burgundian court at the beginning of the 15th century in the style of 14th-century Zion painting. Jan developed this style, creating on its basis a new style, more realistic and individual, heralded a decisive turn in altar painting in Northern Europe.

In all likelihood, Jan began his career with miniatures. Some researchers attribute to him several of the best sheets (“Funeral service” and “Taking Christ into custody,” 1415-1417), the so-called Turin-Milan Book of Hours, performed for the Duke of Berry. One of them depicts Saint Julian and Saint Martha carrying Christ across the river. True depictions of various phenomena of reality were found in Dutch miniatures even before van Eyck, but before no artist had been able to combine individual elements into a holistic image with such skill. Van Eyck is also credited with the authorship of some early altars, such as the Crucifixion.

In 1431 van Eyck settled in Bruges, where he became a court painter as well as an artist for the city. A year later, the artist completed his masterpiece - the Ghent Altarpiece, a large polyptych consisting of 12 oak doors. His elder brother began work on the altar, but Hubert died in 1426, and Jan continued his work.

E. Fromentin colorfully described this masterpiece: “Centuries have passed. Christ was born and died. Redemption has been accomplished. Do you want to know how Jan van Eyck - not as an illustrator of a prayer book, but as a painter - conveyed this great sacrament plastically? A vast meadow, all dotted with spring flowers. "The Source of Life" is ahead. Beautiful streams of water fall into the marble pool. In the center is an altar covered with purple cloth; on the altar is a White Lamb. Around there is a garland of small winged angels, which are almost all in white, with a few pale blue and pinkish-gray shades. Big free space separates the sacred symbol from everything else. There is nothing on the lawn but the dark green of thick grass with thousands of white star daisies. In the foreground from the left are the kneeling prophets and a large group standing people. Here are those who believed in advance and heralded the coming of Christ, and pagans, scientists, philosophers, unbelievers, from the ancient bards to the Ghent burghers: thick beards, snub-nosed faces, pouting lips, completely lively faces. Few gestures and few postures. These twenty figures contain a concise outline of spiritual life before and after Christ. Those who still doubt are hesitating in thought, those who denied are confused, the prophets are seized with ecstasy. The first plan on the right, balancing this group in that deliberate symmetry without which there would be neither the grandeur of the design nor the rhythm of the construction, is occupied by twelve kneeling apostles and an impressive group of true ministers of the Gospel - priests, abbots, bishops and popes. Beardless, fat, pale, calm, they all bow in complete bliss, without even looking at the lamb, confident in a miracle. They are magnificent in their red robes, golden vestments, golden miters, with golden staves and stoles embroidered with gold, in pearls, rubies, emeralds. The jewels sparkle and shimmer against flaming purple, van Eyck's favorite color. In the third plan, far behind the lamb, and on a high hill, beyond which the horizon opens - green Forest, orange grove, rose and myrtle bushes in flowers and fruits. From here, on the left, comes a long procession of Martyrs, and on the right, a procession of Holy Women, with roses in their hair and palm branches in their hands. They are dressed in delicate colors: pale blue, blue, pink and purple. The martyrs, mostly bishops, are in blue vestments. There is nothing more exquisite than the effect of two solemn processions clearly visible in the distance, standing out as patches of light or dark azure against the austere background of the sacred forest. It is extraordinarily subtle, precise and lively. Further still there is a darker strip of hills and then Jerusalem, depicted in the form of a silhouette of a city or, rather, bell towers, high towers and spiers. And in the background are distant blue mountains. The sky is immaculately clear, as befits at such a moment, pale blue, slightly tinted with ultramarine at the zenith. In the sky there is pearlescent whiteness, morning transparency and a poetic symbol of a beautiful dawn.

Here is a summary, or rather a distortion, a dry report of the central panel - the main part of this colossal triptych. Have I given you an idea about him? Not at all. The mind can dwell on it ad infinitum, endlessly immerse itself in it, and yet not comprehend either the depth of what the triptych expresses, or all that it evokes in us. The eye can also admire, without, however, exhausting the extraordinary wealth of those pleasures and those lessons that it gives us.”

Van Eyck's first dated work, Madonna and Child, or Madonna under the Canopy (1433). Madonna sits in an ordinary room and holds a child on her lap, leafing through a book. The background is a carpet and a canopy, depicted in perspective reduction. In the Madonna of Canon Van der Paele (1434), the elderly priest is depicted so close to the Mother of God and his patron St. George, which almost touches the white robes of her red cloak and knightly armor of the legendary dragon slayer.

The next Madonna is “Madonna of Chancellor Rolin” (1435) - one of best works masters L.D. Lyubimov does not hide his admiration: “The stones shine, the brocade shines with colors, and every fluff of fur and every wrinkle of the face irresistibly attracts the eye. How expressive, how significant are the features of the kneeling Chancellor of Burgundy! What could be more magnificent than his attire? It seems that you feel this gold and this brocade, and the picture itself appears before you either as a piece of jewelry or as a majestic monument. It is not for nothing that at the Burgundian court such paintings were kept in treasuries next to golden boxes, books of hours with sparkling miniatures and precious relics. Take a closer look at Madonna's hair - what in the world could be softer than it? In the crown that the angel holds over her - how she sparkles in the shadows! And behind the main figures and behind the thin colonnade is a river going into a bend and a medieval city, where Vaneykov’s amazing painting sparkles in every detail.”

The artist's last dated work is “Madonna of the Fountain” (1439).

Jan van Eyck was also a remarkable innovator in the field of portraiture. He was the first to replace the chest type with a waist type, and also introduced a three-quarter turn. He laid the foundation for that portrait method, when the artist focuses on the appearance of a person and sees in him a certain and unique personality. Examples include “Timothy” (1432), “Portrait of a Man in a Red Cap” (1433), “Portrait of his Wife, Margaret van Eyck” (1439), “Portrait of Baudouin de Lannoy.”

Double "Portrait of the Arnolfini couple" (1434) along with the Ghent Altarpiece - most important work van Eyck. According to its design, it has no analogues in the 15th century. The Italian merchant, a representative of the Medici banking house in Bruges, is depicted in marital peace with his young wife Giovanna Cenami.

“...here the master seems to focus his gaze on more specific life phenomena. Without deviating from the system of his art, Jan van Eyck finds ways to indirectly, bypassing the expression of problems, the conscious interpretation of which will come only two centuries later. In this regard, the image of the interior is indicative. It is conceived not so much as a part of the universe, but as a real, everyday environment.

Since the Middle Ages, there has been a tradition of endowing objects with symbolic meaning. Van Eyck did the same. Apples, a dog, a rosary, and a candle burning in a chandelier have it. But van Eyck is so looking for a place for them in this room that, in addition to symbolic meaning They also have the meaning of everyday life. Apples are scattered on the window and on a chest next to the window, crystal rosaries hang on a nail, casting sparkles of sunlight as if strung on one another, and a symbol of fidelity - a dog goggles its button eyes.

The portrait of the Arnolfini couple is an example of both the ingenious flexibility of van Eyck’s system and its narrow framework, beyond which the artist intuitively sought to go. Essentially, the master stands on the immediate threshold of the emergence of a holistic and definite, characteristic and self-contained image characteristic of the developed forms of the early Renaissance.”

Although oil paints were used already in the 14th century, van Eyck, in all likelihood, created a new mixture of paints, possibly tempera with oil, thanks to which he achieved unprecedented luminosity, as well as a varnish that gives the painting opacity and shine. This mixture also made it possible to soften and nuance colors. In the art of van Eyck new technology served as an exceptionally thoughtful composition to convey the unity of space. The artist mastered the perspective image and, combining it with the transmission of light, created a plastic effect that was previously unattainable.

Van Eyck is considered one of the most significant artists of his time. He initiated a new vision of the world, the impact of which extends far beyond the boundaries of his era.

The artist died in Bruges in 1441. In Van Eyck’s epitaph it is written: “Here lies John, glorious with extraordinary virtues, in whom the love of painting was amazing; he painted images of people breathing life, and the earth with flowering herbs, and glorified all living things with his art...”

Van Eyck Jan (circa 1390–1441), Dutch painter. One of the founders of the art of the Early Renaissance in the Netherlands, Jan van Eyck in 1422–1424 worked on the decoration of the count's castle in The Hague, in 1425 he became the court artist of the Burgundian Duke Philip the Good, in 1427 he visited Spain, in 1428–1429 – Portugal. Around 1430 Jan van Eyck settled in Bruges. Van Eyck’s largest work is the famous “Ghent Altarpiece,” begun, according to a later inscription on the outer doors, by van Eyck’s elder brother Hubert (worked in the 1420s in Ghent, died around 1426) and completed by John in 1432.

Jan van Eyck is one of the first masters of portraiture in Europe, which emerged as an independent genre in his work. Bust-length portraits of van Eyck, usually depicting a model in a three-quarter turn (“Timothy”, 1432, “Portrait of a Man in a Red Turban”, 1433, both in the National Gallery, London; portrait of the artist’s wife Margaretha, 1439, Municipal art Gallery, Bruges) are distinguished by strict simplicity and refinement of expressive means.

An impartially truthful and thorough depiction of a person’s appearance is subordinated to a vigilant and insightful disclosure of the main features of his character. Jan van Eyck created the first European painting a paired portrait – an image of the merchant Giovanni Arnolfini and his wife, imbued with complex symbolism and at the same time with an intimate and lyrical feeling.

The landscape backgrounds in the “Adoration of the Lamb” scene in the center of the altar stand out with subtle poetry and skill in conveying space and light-air environment. The pinnacle of van Eyck’s work is the monumental altar composition “Madonna of Chancellor Rolin” (circa 1436, Louvre, Paris) and “Madonna of Canon van der Paele” (1436, Municipal Art Gallery, Bruges). Developing and enriching the achievements of his predecessors, primarily R. Campin, he transforms the traditional scene of the veneration of the Mother of God into a majestic and colorful image of the visible, real world, full of calm contemplation. The artist is equally interested in man in all his unique individuality and the world around him. In his compositions, portrait images, landscape, interior, and still life appear on equal terms and form a harmonious unity. Extreme care and at the same time generality of painting reveal the intrinsic value and beauty of each object, which in van Eyck’s work acquires real weight and volume, a characteristic surface texture.

The details and the whole in his works are in an organic relationship: architectural elements, furnishings, flowering plants, luxurious fabrics, decorated precious stones, as if embodying particles of the infinite beauty of the universe: the panoramic landscape in “The Madonna of Chancellor Rolin”, full of light and air, is perceived as collective image Universe.

Van Eyck's art is imbued with a deep understanding of existence as the logical embodiment of God's providence, the expression of which was a strict, thoughtful and at the same time vitally natural construction of the composition, full of a subtle sense of spatial proportionality. Solving the creative problems van Eyck faced required the development of new means artistic expression. He was one of the first to master the plastic possibilities oil painting, using thin, translucent layers of paint placed one on top of the other (the Flemish style of multi-layered transparent painting). This painting method allowed van Eyck to achieve exceptional depth, richness and luminosity of color, subtlety of light and shadow and colorful transitions. The sonorous, intense, pure tones of colors in van Eyck’s paintings, permeated with air and light, form a single harmonious whole.

The work of the artist van Eyck, which most vividly recreated the beauty and living diversity of the universe, largely determined the path of further development of Dutch painting, the range of its problems and interests. Not only the Dutch, but also the Italian masters of the Renaissance (Antonello da Messina) experienced the powerful influence of van Eyck’s art.

Works of Jan van Eyck, Hieronymus Bosch, Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Northern Renaissance- the era of cultural development in the mid-sixteenth century in Germany, France, Switzerland, North Flanders and the Netherlands. Main feature This period is the genetic inheritance of the art of late Gothic. The Northern Renaissance was born in Burgundy in the courtly and knightly work of the painters of the Limburg brothers. Then the school of Dutch painting began to play a dominant role in this era.

The paintings of the artists of the Dutch school were distinguished by a pantheistic worldview, the closest attention to the slightest detail or the slightest phenomenon of life.

Jan van Eyck (Dutch Jan van Eyck, ca. 1385 or 1390, Maaseik-1441 Bruges) - Flemish painter early Renaissance, master of portraiture, author of more than a hundred compositions on religious subjects. The younger brother of the artist and his teacher Hubert van Eyck (1370-1426).

The exact date of birth of Jan van Eyck is unknown. Born in the Northern Netherlands in Maaseik. He studied with his elder brother Hubert, with whom he worked until 1426. He began his activities in The Hague at the court of the Dutch counts, and was first mentioned between 1422 and 1426 as “Master Jan” in the rank of chamber cadet under Count Johann III. It is also known that he had only 2 brothers: the elder Hubert, the younger Lambert and sister Margaret. Since 1425, he has been an artist and courtier of the Duke of Burgundy, Philip III the Good, who highly valued him as an artist and generously paid for his work. In 1427-1428 As part of the ducal embassy, ​​Jan van Eyck went to Spain, then to Portugal. In 1427 he visited Tournai, where he was received with honor by the local guild of artists. Probably met Robert Campin or saw his work. He worked in Lille and Ghent, in 1431 he bought a house in Bruges and lived there until his death.

Van Eyck is considered the inventor of oil paints, although in fact he only improved them. But it was after him that oil gained universal recognition, oil technology became traditional for the Netherlands; in the 15th century came to Germany and France, from there to Italy

The largest and famous work van Eyck - Ghent Altarpiece, possibly begun by his brother Hubert. Jan van Eyck worked on it at the request of the wealthy Ghent burgher Jodoc Veidt for his family chapel in 1422-1432. This grandiose multi-tiered polyptych of 24 paintings depicting 258 human figures is located in the Cathedral of St. Bavo in Ghent.

Among the masterpieces of Jan van Eyck is the “Madonna of Chancellor Rolin”, as well as a portrait of the merchant, representative of the Medici banking house, Giovanni Arnolfini and his wife - the so-called “Portrait of the Arnolfini Couple”.

Jan van Eyck died in Bruges in July 1441 (date of funeral - July 9, 1441). In Van Eyck’s epitaph it is written: “Here lies John, glorious with extraordinary virtues, in whom the love of painting was amazing; he painted images of people breathing life, and the earth with flowering herbs, and glorified all living things with his art...”

He had several students, including the later famous painter Petrus Christus.

“According to general recognition, the most daring discoveries that marked a turning point in artistic development(of humanity), belong to the painter Jan van Eyck (1385/90 - 1441). His greatest creation is a multi-leaf altar (polyptych) for the cathedral in Ghent.” - E. Gombrich “History of Art”.

Since until the 15th century it was not customary to sign your paintings.

A crater on Mercury and the asteroid (9561) van Eyck, which was discovered on August 19, 1987, are named in honor of Van Eyck.

Featured on a 1944 Belgian postage stamp.

This is part of a Wikipedia article used under the CC-BY-SA license. Full text of the article here →

In addition to this portrait, the post contains some of the artist’s less famous works.

The time has come to strike our Jan Van Eyck.

These are such unattainable heights of talent and innovation, such a heap that you don’t even know which side to grab onto.

Let's start with the biography.

The beginning of life is as usual: we know neither the place nor exact date birth. It is assumed that he was born between 1385 and 1400, possibly in the city of Maaseik or Limburg in what is now Belgium. More likely, of course, in Maaseik. It is believed that the surname “Eik” has something in common with “Maaseik”; it is also known that his daughter Levine, shortly after her father’s death, was in a monastery in Maaseik - apparently, relatives remained in the city, and the girl was sent to be raised in a monastery in hometown father. In addition to the legendary brother Hubert, Jan had at least another one is Lambert, as well as sister Margarita. The artist is a little more late period Bartholomew d'Eyck most likely has no relation to the Eyck family, or is a very distant relative.

Wedding of Philip the Good and Isabella of Portugal. 1430
I just can’t imagine which of them is the bride and groom!
161 X 117 cm, Versailles, France

The story of Brother Hubert is dark and twisted. His name is literally mentioned a couple of times next to Jan’s name; there is very little accurate information, but it is believed that Hubert was much older and taught Jan the skill of a painter. It is also believed that both brothers worked on the Ghent Altarpiece - Hubert began work, but died in 1426, and Jan finished his work. True, this is known from the inscription on the doors of the altar, and there is a suspicion that it was made much later than the period when the altar itself was created. Very different information in different books and other sources: some claim that in some works attributed to Jan van Eyck, in some places the hand of another artist is clearly identified, in others - on the contrary, that supposedly detailed research recent years proved the opposite.

Three Marys at the Holy Sepulcher
It is believed that Hubert van Eyck began this work between 1410 and 1420, but did not finish it. It was completed in the 1440s by someone from the van Eyck workshop.

There is a version that Hubert was not so much an artist as a decorator, and he and his brother worked as a “family contract.” Other researchers believe that Hubert is just a namesake and a very mediocre artist in reality. And some even believe that no Hubert existed at all, and this is all a hoax. I don’t know which version is true, so let’s leave the idea of ​​Hubert participating in collaborations alone for now, and let’s talk only about Jan. It must be said that the Belgians did not really understand the breadth of their soul, and erected a monument to both brothers in Ghent. In gratitude for the famous altar.

Stigmatization of Saint Francis
29.5 X 33.7 cm
Sabauda Gallery, Turin
There is no exact evidence that this is the work of van Eyck - the style seems to be his, but the emotionality of the characters is not characteristic of him. Researchers are confused by Francis's companion, Luke - he is allegedly too affected, which van Eyck never had. However, it seems to me that the monk is simply sleeping - according to legend, during a walk in the mountains, Luke dozed off, and at that time Francis was “attacked” by stigmata.

Jaa's early works have not survived. Don’t believe Wikipedia - he most likely did not participate in the creation of illustrations for the “Turino-Milan Book of Hours”; smart books write that now most scientists have rejected this hypothesis.

He began his career in 1422, becoming the court painter of the Count of Holland, Zealand and Gennegaut, Johann the Third of Bavaria. At the same time, he lived in The Hague. He was relatively young at that time, but, apparently, he was already known as a skilled painter, because just anyone would not have been taken to the court. By that time, Jan already had his own workshop and students - it seems to me that in light of this, his years of birth are still closer to 1385-90, it is unlikely that it was 1400; after all, in this case, at the age of 22 he should be a master with students, and this is hardly possible - Rogier van der Weyden, for example, only became an apprentice to Kampen at the age of 26.

Portrait of a man in a blue headdress ("Portrait of a Jeweler")
1430-33
National Museum Brukenthal, Romania

It is known that Jan van Eyck took part in the decoration of the Bienenhoff Palace, which belonged to the Count of Holland. It was during that period that his name was first mentioned in documents - “Master Yang, artist.” His patron was a restless person, constantly getting into some kind of armed conflict with his neighbors, it was not for nothing that he was called Johann the Merciless. He died early (possibly poisoned), at the age of 23 (1425), and van Eyck had to look for a new job.

She was found almost immediately, since the artist’s talent had long been noticed and appreciated by the Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Good (he was an ally of the Count of Holland in some armed conflicts and probably knew about his gifted court painter). He invited Jan van Eyck to the court, the artist moved to Lille. It is safe to say that the relationship between the feudal lord and his court artist was not the usual relationship of servant and master, it was a real strong friendship that lasted throughout van Eyck’s life.

Timofey
1432, 33.5 X 19
National Gallery, London
It is assumed that this is posthumous portrait composer Gilles Binchois - also served at the duke's court. Most likely, he is completely bald - no hair, no eyebrows. Even the eyelashes are supposed to have been added during a late restoration.

The Duke not only trusted Ian with very delicate diplomatic assignments, such as mediating marriages, for example, he was godfather his son. Ian often accompanied his patron on pilgrimage journeys. A few years after Eyck’s death, when his daughter needed to be placed in a monastery (for education, apparently), the Duke actively worked for her and allocated the necessary funds for this.

Portrait of a man with a carnation
1435
40 X 31 cm
National Museum, Berlin

A document has been preserved confirming Philip’s very high loyalty to the artist, this is his angry letter of 1435 to the city treasurer of Lille, who tried to “cut off” the amount that he had to pay van Eyck: “This greatly upsets Us, since We cannot name any one other artist, equal to Us in tastes, and so experienced in matters of painting and science! It should be added that in the service of the Duke, Jan van Eyck was not paid by the piece, for work performed, but was “at a fixed rate,” and quite high. This gave him complete creative freedom, so he carried out orders from other people, and not just fulfilled the “picturesque whims” of his patron.

Portrait of Baudouin (or hangover?)) de Lannoy
1435
26 X 20 National Museum, Berlin
The Governor of Lille and the Knight of the Golden Fleece are depicted, so don't look at how brutal the face is

It must be said that the nickname “Kind” did not at all mean the gentleness of the Duke’s character; in English his nickname sounds “Good” - “good”, he was a good warrior and a good sovereign, but his temper was explosive and hot. And at the same time, van Eyck remained at his court, being in favor, for 16 years, until his death. By the way, the Duke assigned a large lifelong allowance to his widow Margaret. Another one interesting story about the duke - his father, John the Fearless, was killed in 1419, Philip was 23 years old at that time, this event struck to the core. He grieved for a long time and sincerely, then all his life he remembered his father and therefore allegedly asked to be depicted in black in all portraits. I don’t know how true this is - in almost all portraits of dukes and kings of that time they are dressed in black.

Philip III the Good
Copy of a portrait of Rogier van der Weyden

Eick’s interests were not limited solely to painting; it seems that he was a real “Renaissance man”: he knew geometry well, had some knowledge of chemistry, was interested in botany, and was also very successful in carrying out diplomatic assignments for his patron. It is known that van Eyck modeled clothing styles and jewelry, and was engaged in what is now called “interior design.” He also knew languages ​​- this is indirectly evidenced by the fact that in the inscriptions on his paintings he uses Latin, as well as the Greek and Hebrew alphabets. His tombstone depicts the family coat of arms - apparently, he came from the minor nobility, which allowed him to receive a classical education, which other artists of that time could not afford. This, apparently, led to Jan taking a special position at the duke’s court, one might say, making a career that an ordinary artisan would never have been able to achieve.

Interestingly, Eyck was not the first Dutch artist to serve at the Burgundian court. A few years before him, another one served at the court of Philip the Third the Good's father, Philip the Second the Bold. famous artist from the Netherlands - Melchior Bruderlam (1328-1409). So the high skill of the Dutch has been known and highly valued for a long time.

Alleged portrait of Jan van Eyck
This engraving was created in 1572, 130 years after the death of the master.

A little about Ian's diplomatic service. He played the role of matchmaker twice - once he had to visit Tournai (where he met with local artists, including Campin) in 1427, the ambassadors of Isabella of Spain, the Infanta, came here to negotiate her possible marriage with the dowager Duke Philip . This time something didn’t work out, the wedding didn’t take place. This did not in any way affect the Duke’s attitude towards Jan van Eyck - apparently, in this situation the circumstances did not depend on the ambassador, and a couple of years later (1427-1428) Jan went to look for a bride for the Duke again - this time to Portugal. Here he stayed for nine months. It was a very useful experience - Jan got the opportunity to admire the lush southern flora, which was reflected in his work: in some of his works (the Ghent Altarpiece, for example) in the background we see not a dull Dutch landscape, like most of his colleagues -compatriots, but lush exotic vegetation, which is much more suitable for simulating paradise.

The Portuguese voyage turned out to be more successful, consent to marry 33-year-old Isabella of Portugal was received, Ian painted her portrait and brought it to the Duke; the wedding took place soon. The wedding was celebrated on February 10, 1430 in Bruges; van Eyck was the main organizer and decorator of the mass celebration.

Isabella of Portugal.
Van Eyck's workshop, ca. 1435

I did not find Isabella’s portrait in available sources; later I found out that it had not been preserved. I hope Isabella looked better in her younger years than in her youth. famous portrait Rogier van der Weyden (she is 47-50 years old in it), otherwise you wouldn’t envy the Duke - Rogier portrayed her as far from beautiful. Although, maybe she was a good person. On the other hand, the Duke was not particularly worried - he had at least 17 illegitimate children; Looks like he never missed a skirt!

Isabella of Portugal
Rogier van der Weyden, approx. 1445

From 1430 van Eyck lived permanently with his family in Bruges. In general, his life’s geography is quite extensive, the man has taken him around the world: it is known that he visited Ghent, The Hague, Lille, Tournai, where he communicated with Campin and his students (about 130 km from Bruges), and also traveled to Portugal, as already it was said to Prague and London.

He married quite late - after forty years, in 1432. He chose the girl Margaret as his wife, judging by the portrait - not an ounce of beauty, but much younger than Ian. She bore him a son and a daughter, and in general, unlike Kampen, Jan van Eyck “was not seen in discreditable connections.” Jan had to be torn between his craft and diplomatic activities in the service of the Duke, so he had no time for nonsense. His professional productivity was colossal for such a painstaking filigree technique - many of his works have survived to this day, but how many more could have perished during the period of iconoclasm, one can only guess. But he lived relatively little - about 55 years. He died, it seems, suddenly, from a fleeting illness - there were many sketches and unfinished works left. After his death, the workshop was headed by brother Lambert.

Margaret van Eyck
1439
32.6 X 25.8 cm
Museum Grunninge, Bruges
Well... so... The maestro was not picky

A few words need to be said about his technique.
It seems that now even a very superficially educated person who is not experienced in art history already knows that oil paint was not invented by Van Eyck, although for a long time the authorship of this invention was attributed to him.

Such information has spread and been exaggerated down to our time, thanks to the biography of the artist, written in the 16th century by the Dutch author Karel van Mander; we're talking about about his work “The Book of Artists” (it deals not only with van Eyck, it is something like Vasari’s book only “in the Northern style”). The author did not skimp on flowery expressions: “What neither the Greeks, nor the Romans, nor other peoples were able to achieve, despite all their efforts, was achieved by the famous Jan van Eyck, who was born on the banks of the lovely Meuse River, which can now challenge the palm near the Arno, the Po and the proud Tiber, since such a luminary rose on its banks that even Italy, the land of art, was amazed by its brilliance.”

Christ
1439

Mander did not delve too deeply into the facts, but simply awarded the pioneer laurels to his brilliant compatriot, although most of the Netherlands, including the Kampen school, also actively used this technique. In Italy it was also known, although less widespread; there it was not altar painting that flourished, but rather fresco painting, where egg tempera was more suitable.

Madonna of the Fountain ("Mary at the Fountain of Life")
19 X 12.2 - absolutely tiny!
Royal Museum fine arts, Antwerp

The virtues of oil were important to van Eyck's work - he worked using numerous translucent layers that helped achieve the necessary depth and expressiveness of the image. Tempera pigments mixed with water and egg yolks were not transparent, the boundaries between color spots were sharp and dry, and it was more difficult to simulate chiaroscuro. Using oil, van Eyck achieved astonishing visual effects that were beyond the reach of anyone before him; This was his innovation. The oil had one drawback - it took quite a long time to dry, and work using a multi-layer technique could take years. Ian experimented by mixing different types oils and driers, and achieved fairly quick drying, using a mixture of linseed and nut oils in a certain proportion.

Our facial expressions somehow worked every now and then...
(fragment of the Ghent Altarpiece)

He never strictly followed the laws of linear perspective and did not try to achieve a geometrically verified effect, like the Italian masters (in the sketches of their paintings, modern researchers often find an intended perspective grid in infrared rays) - he simply depicted what he saw. And it worked out well.
The only thing that, in my opinion, van Eyck did not do very well was depicting the facial expressions and emotions of his models.
But he is an unrivaled master of light and a “singer of detail.” Jewelry, folds of clothing, hairs in his hair, the texture of fabrics are depicted with diabolical precision.

Fragments of paintings showing the masterful rendering of the texture of expensive fabrics

He worked on oak boards (most often Baltic oak, from the territory of present-day Poland), covered it with a very dense layer of white primer, resulting in a smooth, shiny surface. Then he would paint, sometimes very detailed, then make a translucent underpainting and begin applying translucent layers of oil one after another. The colors in his paintings almost fluoresced, the light seemed to come from the depths of his works. The stunning play of chiaroscuro very accurately conveyed the textures of rich fabrics, for example. At the same time, Eick learned to convey space in a unique way, emphasizing its depth with the help of various tricks. Erwin Panovsky put it very precisely: van Eyck seemed to be looking through a microscope and a telescope at the same time.

Madonna of Lucca (so called because for a long time it was in the collection of Carlo Luigi, Duke of Lucca)
1436
65.5 X 49.5 cm
State Art Institute, Frankfurt
We saw similar symbolism in Kampen - lions on the throne of Solomon (throne of Wisdom), a bottle of water and a basin for washing as a symbol of purity, fruit on the windowsill - a symbol of the forbidden fruit

The abstractness of the depiction of mythological characters is striking in comparison with the realism of portraits of living people, painted from life; however, like most of his compatriots-artists. You especially pay attention to this when you look at religious paintings in which donors are present. Van Eyck paints their faces with merciless realism, while the biblical heroes look idealized. Emotionality and affectation are alien to the heroes of his portraits, but we see deep inner concentration in them. Researchers very figuratively say that Eick was the first to try to open a window into inner world their heroes.

Saint Jerome at work
1441
20 X 12.5 cm
Institute of Arts, Detroit
This is one of latest works Eika, and even then it’s not finished. On it you can see the numbers 1442, and Jan van Eyck died in 1441. The upper part of the picture was completed by a master, probably started by van Eyck, the rest was completed by his student after the master’s death.

Please note that all of his characters, who traditionally were supposed to demonstrate asceticism and humility - the Virgin Mary, the saints - are dressed in luxurious clothes and studded with precious stones. This once again reminds us that Jan van Eyck was a court artist, surrounded by luxury every day. So he portrayed her so skillfully.

There is a version that some “Flemish primitives” used optics to paint portraits and simply copied the projection of the image obtained using lenses and mirrors, which is why they turned out so frighteningly accurate, while others, painted without tricks, were rustic and even primitive.

Portrait of Cardinal Niccolò Albergatti. 1431

Jan van Eyck was the first to “come under suspicion” because... in one of his works we even see such a mirror - convex (“Portrait of the Arnolfini couple”). Honestly, I don’t trust theories that are not supported by reliable facts, especially when I so want to believe in true art and craftsmanship. What also confused me was that if this were true, the posing nobleman would have to sit motionless in place for long days and hours while the artist painstakingly redrew the projection of his face. However, my confidence has wavered somewhat over time. Very detailed sketches of the portrait of Cardinal Niccolò Albergatti were discovered, which led researchers to an idea - the model posed only for these sketches, Van Eyck painted the oil portrait from memory! Perhaps the inventors of crazy theories are right? Maybe Van Eyck cheated a little?

Well, we’ll look at the famous works (“The Arnolfini Family”, “The Ghent Altarpiece”, “Madonna of Chancellor Rolin”, “Madonna of Canon van der Paele”, etc.) later.

Have a nice evening and good night!

Jan van Eyck and his older brother Hubert van Eyck became the founders of the Dutch Renaissance. Almost nothing is known about Hubert. Jan was his student, served as a court painter in The Hague at the court of John of Bavaria in 1422 - 1425. Afterwards he worked at the court of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, and traveled to Portugal and Spain on his diplomatic missions.

From 1430 he settled in Bruges, where he became closely involved creative activity. There is a controversial opinion that van Eyck’s work began with work on miniatures of the Turin-Milan Book of Hours Chegodaev A.D. General History of Arts, volume 3, 1962. P. 586..

The work that marked the beginning of the Renaissance in the Netherlands - the Ghent Altarpiece in the Cathedral of St. Bavo - was completed in 1432. In its upper tier the scene of the Annunciation is depicted, in the lower - the figures of John the Baptist and John the Evangelist. On both sides of them are portraits of the donor Joss Wade, a Ghent burgher, and his wife. The colors of the outer side of the altar are quite restrained, especially in the images of St. John, while its inner part is filled with light and bright colors. Here, in top row God the Father is depicted on the throne, to the left and right of him are the Mother of God and John the Baptist, bowed in prayer; then on both sides there are angels playing music, and Adam and Eve complete the row. On the lower tier in the middle there is a scene of worship of a sacrificial lamb, symbolizing the sacrifice of Christ for humanity, to the left of which are the Old Testament righteous, and to the right - the apostles. Next come popes and bishops, and monks and laity complete the row.

On weekdays, being closed, the altar looks strict and restrained. On holidays, the doors of the altar were opened, and parishioners could see scenes full of cheerful colors, made using the technique of oil painting. The central composition takes place in a green meadow surrounded by groves, which represents an image of heaven on earth.

Other altar compositions by Jan van Eyck are more restrained and chamber-like, but they also contain a harmonious combination of Renaissance love of life and medieval religious severity.

One of the most famous paintings van Eyck are “Madonna of Chancellor Rolin” (c. 1435) and “Madonna of Canon van der Paele” (1436). There is a kind of mystical realism in both of these paintings. In the first work, in the background we see a sprawling landscape of a large city with a river and endless fields, and in the center of the composition is Nicolas Rolin, bowing in prayer before the Mother of God. The space of the second, on the contrary, is concentrated within the framework of a small, cramped church. Here to the right of the Madonna is Georg van der Paele. In both compositions, the images of donors indicate that portraits have become an independent genre. It is believed that one of the founders of this genre was Jan van Eyck, who later became one of the first major masters portrait painting Northern Renaissance.

One of famous portraits van Eyck is "Timothy", also known as " Portrait of a man"(1432). It depicts a man with an expressionless, but at the same time inextricably mysterious look. This example is also typical for others portrait works the artist, for example, “The Man in the Red Turban” (1433), and a portrait of his wife Margaret van Eyck (1439).

The “Portrait of the Arnolfini Couple” (1434), depicting a married couple at the moment of marriage, became a landmark in the artist’s work. The merchant Giovanni Arnolfini and his wife Giovanna are depicted in a domestic, everyday setting - at home. But the picture is filled with symbols and the smallest details, indicating the exclusivity of the moment.

For example, two pairs of shoes are depicted on the floor - this small detail refers us to the Old Testament: “And God said: do not come here; take off your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5) Pentateuch of Moses. Torah; Old Testament, Bible.. The artist shows that in this moment Holy ground for spouses is the floor of their room, since the sacrament of marriage is performed there. The concentration of postures, facial expressions and joined hands also indicate the solemnity of the occasion.

The work of Jan van Eyck introduced many new trends in the development visual arts The Netherlands and other European countries. It is still subordinate to medieval religiosity, but already carries within it an interest in the material, everyday side of everyday human life, emphasizing the importance of man in the world.