Jan Van Eyck's Ghent Altarpiece - Assignment Example

Jan Van Eycks Ghent Altarpiece Jan Van Eyck’s Ghent Altarpiece, “The Adoration of the Lamb” and “Annunciation” is a three piece fresco that has outer altar wings. This is one of the most intriguing pieces of art to be painted in the Renaissance. Since being painted Ghent Altarpiece has been studied, prayed before, looted and even stolen. Throughout the centuries since Jan Van Eyck finished his brother Hubert’s polyptych painting, the artists’ purpose has been lost in time. This altarpiece was created to worship God, but like so many other paintings and sculptures of the time has only become a valuable art piece with no religious ties. Huber and Jan Van Eyck were Flemish artisan brothers (“Eyck, Van”). Hubert Van Eyck started on a disputed date the Ghent Altarpiece, but his brother Jan finished the painting in 1432(“Hubert and Jan Van Eyck.”). Although Hubert contributed to this work of art, his brother soon began receiving all the credit. The Ghent Altarpiece “The Adoration of the Lamb” and “Annunciation” has become Jan Van Eyck’s creation. Jan Van Eyck did not set out to steal his brother’s work. If his brother had not died, Jan probably would have not finished his work. History is to blame for the erroneous credit. The Ghent Altarpiece is a painting with three pieces, a center and two altar wings. The full painting open is the “The Adoration of the Lamb”. The inside shows a detailed scene of worshipers kneeling before a Lamb on the bottom. Up top are the pictures of the Virgin Mary, God the Father, John the Baptist in between Angels singing and on the outer wings, Adam on one side with Eve on the other (Dhanens). When the two wings are closed it depicts the “Annunciation” (Phillip). Closed the painting also portrays John the Baptist, John the Evangelist and the donor. Jodocus Vijdt and his wife donated the money to have the fresco painted for their mortuary chapel (Phillips). The Ghent Altarpiece has patron saints, such as John the Baptist and John the Evangelist. The donors and patrons of the Ghent community are represented by Jodocus Vijdt and his wife, plus the town people represented by worshipping the lamb. The town people shown in the Ghent Altarpiece are depicted realistic. Some of the men are on horses, while others are obviously middle class, yet on the right of the Altarpiece barefoot and poor. Although the Vijdts paid for this piece of art, Jan Van Eyck used this medium to show the economic plight in Ghent during that time. The social order is also made apparent by the grouping of the worshippers by the artist. The lamb is supposed to be Jesus Christ, but some have thought the lamb represented the church. Before the Reformation, the Catholic Church expected lamb like obedience from their worshipping congregation members. If people saw this fresco, they might be inspired to be more dedicated to the Catholic Church, like the lamb, Jesus. Each piece of the painting had great meaning to the Van Eycks and the Ghent community as a whole. This community was rooted in Catholicism. Since this mural was painted during the Renaissance, before the Reformation, murals, sculptures and other means of art helped people feel closer to God. Only priests could read the Bible at that time. For Jan Van Eyck to capture Biblical images so clearly, he must have had a priest or Bishop guiding the creation of the Ghent Altarpiece. The Ghent Altarpiece had symbolic meaning in every frame. The three major parts represent the three personalities of the Triune God that is central to the Christian belief. Closed, the “Annunciation” shows the donors, the Vijdts, worshipping John the Baptist and John the Evangelist. This could represent the Vijdts’ gratitude toward both Johns for spreading the Gospel. On normal days of the week, the mural stayed closed. Symbolically this could mean that people should turn to the priests on the festival days and Sundays to learn more about the two Johns and their message. On festival days and Sundays, the Ghent Altarpiece was opened to reveal “The Adoration of the Lamb”. In the middle is a lamb surrounded by worshippers. This lamb represents Jesus. The background is of Ghent. A little talked about element of the Ghent Altarpiece is the well below the lamb. A well might symbolize the water used to baptize Christians. The well could also represent eternal life. Water is needed to sustain any kind of life. A working well in Ghent could mean life and death to the residents. Above the lamb, God the Father sits wearing a papal hat. On the left, the Virgin Mary sits reading a book. The meaning is clear. The Virgin Mary has a higher status than the common women. She can read because of her rank. It can also be viewed that the Virgin Mary was a consort to God the Father. John the Baptist is on God the Father’s right. He represents the Holy Spirit. In the Christian religion, the Holy Spirit, teaches the Christian about Jesus, just like John the Baptist preached about Jesus. It’s obvious that Jan Van Eyck did not have access to the Bible. The scriptures clearly state Abraham will sit at the right hand of God, not John the Baptist. Praising Angels sing on either side of the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist worshipping the three central figures (Kruger). The last figures are on the left and right of the fresco. On the top left is Adam and opposite is Eve. These two are standing, while the Virgin Mary, God the Father and John the Baptist are sitting. Both Adam and Eve are holding fig leaves in the Ghent Altarpiece. Adam covers his genital with a leaf, while holding his other hand across his chest. Eave also covers her lower genital with a leaf, but her breasts are bare. Eve holds a piece of fruit in her empty hand. It could be Eve’s breast was left bare to show how she tempted Adam to eat the forbidden fruit. Jan Van Eyck’s depiction of Adam and Eve is unique. Unlike Tommaso Masaccio, who also painted Adam and Eve for the Brancacci chapel, Jan Van Eyck’s vision of Adam and Eve was a little different (Masaccio). Tommaso Masaccio portrayed Adam and Eve classically. Jan Van Eyck differed from Masaccio and the other Italian artists because of “the complete absence of references to classical antiquity (“Renaissance Art and Architecture.”). Jan Van Eyck’s Adam and Eve were different from other classical Italian nudes because the Ghent Altarpiece was anti-classical. Jan Van Eyck’s Adam and Eve showed more detail than Masaccio’s Adam and Eve. The facial features in the Ghent Altarpiece were sharper and clearer. Masaccio painted lines that were vague and blurred. On the other hand, Jan Van Eyck’s Adam and Eve were painted with sharper lines. Even the light blue background and lighter colors for Masaccio’s Adam and Eve differed from Jan Van Eyck’s. Jan Van Eyck placed his Adam and Eve on a black background. Masaccio even had a lighter hair color for Adam and Eve. If each painting was placed side by side, an ignorant viewer would not be able to connect the two Adam and Eves as the same people. There has been a controversy whether or not Eve is pregnant in the Ghent Altarpiece. Symbolically it would probably fit that Eve was pregnant in this mural. “The Adoration of the Lamb” represents worshippers around the lamb, or Jesus. For Jesus to fulfill the requirements of Christian salvation, Adam and Eve must fall into a sinful nature. This is represented by the fruit in Eve’s hand. Yet, it would be futile for the lamb, Jesus, to be sacrificed if there was no one save Adam and Eve to benefit from a savior. This means if Eve is pregnant, Jesus becomes the savior to all of humankind. Biblically it would make sense if Eve was pregnant in this picture. Realistically, I do not believe Eve was pregnant. Although Eve’s stomach is extended, this proves nothing. Other paintings of this time, “The Birth of Venus" by Sandro Botticelli, for example, shows a woman with slight bulge in her stomach. Peter Ruben’s “Three Nymphs with a Cornucopia” shows two robust women with bulging stomachs. At the time of the Renaissance, only rich men could afford to feed their wives well. A chubby wife would mean prosperity. Another reason I do not believe Eve was pregnant is the timing of the Ghent Altarpiece. Eve is holding the forbidden fruit. Adam and Eve are both covering themselves with fig leaves. These events happened upon being evicted from Eden. Eve would not have had time to conceive in that short amount of time. The last reason for my unbelief of Eve’s pregnancy is physical. Yes, Jan Van Eyck’s portrays Eve with a distended stomach, but what of her breasts? Women who are with child have engorged breast, even earlier trimesters. Eve’s breasts in this picture are quite small. It just does not seem feasible to me that Eve is pregnant in the Ghent Altarpiece. Jan Van Eyck did make Eve a model of what he thought a woman should be. At that time men thought women should be pregnant. That was the fashion statement in the Renaissance. Women were good for keeping their husband’s estates, home or hut, but in the end women were made to give their husband children. To fit in that societal structure, bearing children was a must. Who better to pattern oneself after that the mother of the whole human race? Jan Van Eyck completed the Ghent Altarpiece before the religious Reformation (“Hubert and Jan Van Eyck.”). The question must arise, how did Jan Van Eyck put so much detail in his work with out ever reading the Bible? Before the Reformation only priest, Bishops and other Catholic Church elders could read the Bible, and then only in Latin. Did Jan Van Eyck envision and create the Ghent Altarpiece with only Sunday sermons to go off of? That seems unlikely. Jan Van Eyck either studied to be a priest, or was under the tutelage of one. History will remain silent on that account. Another mystery surrounding the Ghent Altarpiece is the models. The Vijdts might have sat for their portraits. As for the rest of the people in the paintings, Jan Van Eyck could have used people from Ghent as his models. For Adam and Eve, he must have had live models. There is no way Jan Van Eyck could have put so much detail into these figures without live models. There is no evidence that he had access to dead bodies, like Michelangelo, so Jan Van Eyck must have used live models. This is another secret history will remain silent on. Jan Van Eyck and his brother also pioneered another aspect of art besides the style. They achieved a unique varnishing method. This method helped seal the oils on the canvas better. The secret was in using more Resin. This practice apparently worked. The Van Eycks used similar oils as other artists of the time. However in comparison the Ghent Altarpiece has retained it’s original beauty without modern day restorations. Jan Van Eyck would have never dreamed that his mural would survive for so many centuries. The distinctive lacquer technique used by both of the Van Eycks helped the Ghent Altarpiece survive time, but not human carelessness. After countless wars over the centuries, the Ghent Altarpiece was finally tarnished by a common thief. The lower left panel was stolen in 1934 (“Hubert and Jan Van Eyck”). A burglar stole the panel named “The Just Judges”. To this day the panel has not been found. Jef Vanderveken painted a replacement in 1945 (“Hubert and Jan Van Eyck.”). During World War II, the Nazis hunted for the Ghent Altarpiece. In the end, Ernst Buchner, a museum director and eminent scholar, took the Ghent Altarpiece. Jan Van Eyck’s masterpiece became another piece of looted Nazi art. The art world might have lost a valuable piece if the Nazis had won the war. Since the allies won the war, the Ghent Altarpiece was sent back to Ghent, at least part of it was. The center of the “The Adoration of the Lamb" is at the Ghent Cathedral in St-Bavo at Ghent, while the wings have found their way to the Museums of Berlin and of Brussels (“Hubert and Jan Van Eyck”). “[Note: The Ghent alterpiece, after many trials and tribulations during reformation and two world wars, is on display in the Ghent Cathedral (Saint Bavo).]” (“Hubert and Jan Van Eyck”). After surviving all these years with only the “The Just Judges” lost, the Ghent Altarpiece has stood the test of time. While Masaccio’s Adam and Eve had to be restored like so many other Renaissance paintings, like Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Last Supper”, the Ghent Altarpiece has stood strong with exception of theft. Despite war, robbery and looting by the Nazis, the Ghent Altarpiece remains to be admired today. This fresco is a wondrous piece of not only art, but history as well. The Ghent Altarpiece will probably survive centuries into the future, teaching future generations lessons only to be found in Jan Van Eyck’s mural. Works Cited “Eyck, Van.” The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2003 Ed. Dhanes, Elisabeth. Van Eyck: Ghent Altarpiece (Art in Context). Viking Adult, 1973. Kugler. “The Adoration of the Lamb”. Great Pictures, as Seen and Described by Famous Writers. Ed. Ester Singleton. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1899. 154-167 “Hubert and Jan Van Eyck.” The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume IX. Online Edition 2003 ed. ”Masaccio.” The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume IX. Online Edition 2003 ed. Phillip, Lotte B. Ghent Altarpiece and the Art of Jan Van Eyck. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1971. “Renaissance Art and Architecture.” 2005. Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. 19 Mar. 2006 http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761554529_3/Renaissance_Art_and_Architecture.html#howtocite Read More