This person is an amazing painter. was. was an amazing painter.
His paintings are amazing. Did you know he used a brush with only 1 hair? can you believe that? I guess that's how he was able to capture the details. Thank goodness for the people in the North discovering oil (Ithink he was actually one of the first to use it) and it's slow drying properties (that's probably why).
JUST LOOK AT THE DETAILS! (lots to come, because I love him.)
I know you can't see it very well, but those are miniature scenes of the passion of Christ around that frame. yup. crazy good. Here is more goodness. This is the altarpiece at Ghent.
Can you seriously believe that? I also just LOVE the Virgin Marys of the Northern Renaissance...they're beautiful, but not in a creepy way like they sometimes are in Italy.I give you the Madonna and Child with Chancellor Rolin.
You have the Virgin (the queen of Heaven) being crowned on the right and Child.Her lap is presented like an Altar- and the baby Jesus as a sacrifice upon it. Here, instead of being robed in her virginal and pure blue- she's in the royal robes of red.
The enclosed garden-Mary's guarded womb and purity. And I love how there are so many links between the Old Testament and the New Testament, the fall of man and the redemption of all through the life and mission of Christ. So cool. I love the detail the stories from left to right the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, Cain murdering Abel, and the Drunkeness of Noah-failings of men abouve Rolin.
Above Christ and Mary-the only one you can see is the meeting of Melchizedek and Abraham. Noah was supposedly the first to plant the grape and make wine (thus getting drunk) and Melchizedek was the first to use it in the Eucharist-bloodless sacrificial symbol.
I could go on for days about symbolism in the North, and for days more about van Eyck because I LOVE him. If you want to see more by him, google it. 'cause he's awesome. one of my favorites, simply for his skill, and the era he epitomizes.
1 comment:
You know, I was always just fascinated by the fact that there was a reflected image in the mirror of such great detail. I never knew about the scenes around the edge! The marriage scene is one of my favorite paintings!
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