The Use Of Mirrors In 16th Century Paintings - Essay Example

The Use Of Mirrors In 16th Century Paintings. Art is a manifestation of life, the one that we live and the one that surrounds us. The undeniable relationship of art with life has always ensured that art become a respectable and an honest source for documenting the age in which it is being made. If studied closely, the painting and the symbolism strewn on its canvas, can give a true account of the driving force of the age. It can show us the thoughts and ideas that occupied a prominent position in the era in which that particular piece of art had been created. Due to this reason, it is vital to analyze closely the objects depicted in the work. These objects, though at first sight might appear random, yet their importance cannot be denied. The artists employ the symbols as a vehicle for explaining their point of view and the statement that they are trying to make. The symbol serves as a guarantee that the coming generations will understand the true meaning of their work. This is perhaps the sole reason why art is eternal – as it is wholly free from the restraints of language barriers. Throughout the history of art, one comes across a multitude of symbols employed by artists to convey a special meaning to their work. The mirror is one such symbol. It features prominently in the works of famous 16th century painters. It has been used by different artists to convey different messages. Sometimes, it was introduced in the painting to add a feeling of space, sometimes to reflect an image not painted by the painter in the foreground, sometimes as an optical trick and sometimes to serve allegorical purposes. In the sixteenth and the seventeenth centuries, mirror characterized Time. It echoed the theory of vanitas and was used to show the transience of life. It was used to depict the simple fact that everything in life must decay and pass into oblivion (Panofsky 82). The symbol of a mirror features regularly in the works of some prominent mannerists of the 16th century. The school of mannerists deliberately labored to achieve certain stylishness in their paintings combined with a clarity of form and a tendency to draw geometric figures. The figures in their paintings looked sculptural and had exaggerated gestures. The scenes were often dramatic or had a highly evocative quality about them (Bousquet 26). Since a great deal of interest had been revived in sculptor in that era, the painters strove to confer upon their paintings sculptor-like characteristics. Since a painting was created on a flat surface, it was impossible to view it from all angles and therefore equally impossible to admire and appreciate to the fullest the exquisiteness of human form. For this purpose, sometimes painters adorned their paintings with a mirror so that the entire human form could be seen and admired. It is believed that Giorgione once painted a nude figure seen from the rear. At the feet of this figure was a pool of water which reflected the figures front; the polished metal of a breast plate of a suit of armor gave a lateral view of the figure, while on the left side, a mirror allowed one to see the other flank. This painting by Giorgione is lost (Bousquet 97). Another noteworthy peculiarity of the mannerists was that they delighted in painting optical puzzles. Anamorphosis gained popularity in that era. Anamorphosis is that particular style of drawing in which the piece of art appears distorted until it is viewed by the observer at a particular angle or by means of a special lens. Sometimes whole scenes and landscapes were embedded in these picture puzzles (Chilvers 14, Bousquet 155). A classic example of such a work will be Parmigianino’s Self Portrait done in the year 1434. For this painting, he placed a convex mirror in front and painted exactly what he saw. To lend an added air of authenticity to the image, Parmigianino especially constructed a wooden sphere and cut it in half in exact accordance to the dimensions of the convex mirror. As a result, Parmigianino’s hand appears disproportionately, almost grotesquely large, as it is placed near the mirror. The window and ceiling in the background appear in a dome-like shape. This work of Parmigianino has intrigued art critics for quite some time. For some, this particular creation of Parmigianino appears to be mocking the earlier renaissance handling of space and seems to be making a defiant statement about the bold and eccentric mannerist style (Bousquet 115). To really understand the painting, one must first and foremost observe the manner in which it contrasts with the well-groomed and neat appearance of the painter himself. Parmigianino appears well dressed. This might have been done to create a jarring effect and to further highlight the distortion. Perhaps, this was Parmigianino’s take on reality or commonly accepted views on reality. He wanted to show the world that reality or what we see can never be perfect and that everything around us is distorted in some way, though we may choose not to see it. Perhaps, it was Parmigianino’s rebellion against accepted notions of reality and appearances. To date, the real message of the painting remains a mystery. Jan van Eyck’s The Arnolfini Marriage, probably done in the year 1434, depicts the betrothal of Giovanni Arnolfini. It shows the couple standing in a bedroom, holding hands. The bedroom is strewn with everyday objects to give it a casual feel, but once viewed closely, it will be noticed that almost all the objects, though hap-hazardly thrown around, have a deep symbolic importance pertaining to marriage. The lighted candle above Arnolfini’s head signifies the presence of God, the marriage-bed signifies fidelity and a rosary hangs on the wall (Murray 82, Levey 168). Behind the couple hangs a mirror framed in a wooden frame bearing roundels depicting scenes from the life of Jesus Christ. This mirror, along with its frame, is perhaps the most pronounced and prominent iconic object in the painting as it serves to reinforce the religious importance of the event that has taken place. Eyck, however, has employed an interesting optical trick by placing a mirror at the end of the room and so that the mirror is reflecting persons from the opposite end of the room, a position where the viewer of the painting stands. This trick was later used by Velazquez (or Velasquez) in his Las Meninas (The Maids of Honor) (Levey 190). The painting depicts the royal princess surrounded by her maids of honor, a young child and a dog, interrupting the painter while he is busy painting a portrait of the King and Queen, while a man passing by stops and is glancing in the direction of the turmoil. In the background are two paintings of Ruben seen hanging. The King and the Queen are not shown in the foreground but are reflected in the mirror mounted on the wall right behind the painter. Velazquez has positioned the mirror in such a way in his work that the King and the Queen seem to be standing at exactly the point where the spectator is standing. The work might appear casual at first glance and seems to be an impression of the court life but Velazquez has cunningly placed many symbols in the work to portray different themes. Velazquez, himself appears most prominently in the foreground and this, critics believe, is an emphatic pronunciation of his greatness and his pride in his work. The two Rubens positioned at the background might be placed to hint at mortality and the impermanence of all things, no matter how great. The greatest concern however, is the symbolism behind the mirror. The fact that Velazquez did not bother to place prominent figures like the King and the Queen in the foreground and relegated them to the background serves as a resounding personal statement about his own greatness. Perhaps, by placing the King and the Queen inside the mirror, Velazquez wished to comment on the transience of life. It is possible that he wished to show that greatness that comes with rank and wealth, with nobility and birth, is no greatness as it is destined to fade away with time. The true greatness however, belongs to art, as it will live forever. This view does seem more probable when one sees that the mirror lies just beneath the paintings of Reuben. The painting is what Chilvers terms “an expression of the high claims he made for the dignity of his art” (550). Petrus Christus, another follower of Eyck, made use of the mirror in one his paintings as well, namely A Goldsmith in His Shop. Completed in the year 1449, it is believed that the painting shows Saint Eligius, the patron saint of goldsmiths, working in his shop while a couple is shown purchasing a ring for their betrothal. There is a framed convex mirror placed near Saint Eligius’ elbow, supported by the wall and standing at a tilted angle. In this mirror, the viewers can see the reflection of the street outside. There are two young boys reflected in the mirror in the backdrop of a few houses and one of the boys is holding a falcon in his hand. The mirror is strategically placed to introduce the external world into the snug interior of the shop without destroying that charming touch of quaintness. The holding of the falcon by the boy actually hints at the idleness with which the two young men are wasting their life. This contrasts with the diligence of the goldsmith who is quietly laboring at his work and is proving to be industrious and productive. Falcon itself is considered to be a symbol of pride and greed. It is also believed that Christus showed a reflection of the street in the mirror simply so that he could further highlight the tranquility and the snugness of the scene inside as compare to the bustle of the streets of Bruges. As stated earlier, mirrors were employed in a painting to serve allegorical purposes as well. In some cases it was placed to provide a moral commentary and point towards human vices such as vanity and pre-occupation with beauty and outward appearances. For instance, in Baldung Grein’s Death And The Maiden, done in the year 1510, the concept of vanitas is employed coupled with allusions to human vices and weaknesses. Grein painted the picture of a beautiful naked woman, gazing fixedly in a mirror held in her hand. The decayed and deformed figure of death is shown holding an hourglass above her head while a small, frightened child tries to seek refuge in the robe of the woman and a man standing near her tries to ward off the hand of death. The woman seems oblivious to the danger behind her and to the silent protestations of the angelic child at her feet. Her own image and her beauty mesmerize her. Grein has deliberately portrayed the mesmerism of the woman with herself to show the evils of vanity and obsession with beauty and the presence of the convex mirror in her hand has helped Grein in expressing his beliefs. Grein wanted the beholder to understand that life is transient and ones fixation with human weaknesses leads one, in a state of insensibility, towards death and destruction. The mirror has also been used by Grein, as has been used by many others of his time, to hint towards the inevitable decay of health and beauty (Panofsky 82). Caravaggio also seems to have employed the symbol of the mirror to attach moral undertones to his work Martha And Mary Magdalene, done in 1598. The painting shows Martha trying to convince Mary Magdalene to give up her ways and to embrace a life of piety. Caravaggio depicted Mary standing facing her sister and holding an orange blossom while one of her arm lies absently on a convex mirror as she leans on it. Caravaggio has cunningly used Mary’s position and her mere proximity to the mirror to show that she has not yet converted to Christianity. The fact that her arm rests negligently on the mirror shows that she has not given up her life of sin and vanity as yet. In this way, the painter used the mirror as a symbol of vice and sin. Georges De La Tour’s (George De La Tour) The Repentant Magdalene brings yet another touch of novelty to the usage of mirrors. Here, Tour portrays Mary Magdalene, seated in front of a mirror, gazing absently at it, while her left hand is lightly placed on a skull and the candlelight casts a shadow on her face. The reflection of the mirror is used to point towards the inner reflections of Mary Magdalene. Here the mirror is used to symbolize introspection. Magdalene is shown as gazing at the mirror; it is her inner world, however, that she is gazing at. Mirror signifies reflection: reflection of the physical world around Magdalene and the reflection of her inner turmoil. These examples are only a few. There are many others of this kind where one can see the mirror not just embellishing a painting and adding to its visual and artistic value but also conveying a deeply symbolic and moral meaning. References Bousquet, Jacques. Mannerism: The Painting and Style of the Late Renaissance. New York: Braziller, 1964. Chilvers, Ian. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996. Levey, Michael. A Concise History of Painting: From Giotto to Cezanne. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1962. Murray, Linda and Peter Murray. The Art of the Renaissance. New York: Praeger, 1963. Panofsky, Erwin. Studies in Iconology: Humanistic Themes in the Art of the Renaissance. New York: Oxford University Press, 1939. Praeger, F.A. Praeger Picture Encyclopedia of Art. New York: Praeger. 1958. Ventury, Adolfo, and Edward Hutton, transltr. A Short History of Italian Art. New York: Macmillan, 1926. Read More