Northern Renaissance
Things, textures and details become carriers of observation and meaning.
Key ideas
In the Netherlands and the German states, oil painting made it possible to convey the shine of metal, fabric, skin and the smallest reflections. Jan van Eyck did not invent oil, but he achieved outstanding results in working with it. Printed graphics helped spread images far beyond the workshop.
Looking deeper
A detail is not always an unambiguous symbol. The interpretation must be checked against historical texts, the purpose of the work, and analogies. Religious changes in the 16th century affected the commissioning and circulation of images differently in different areas.
Jan van Eyck, "Portrait of the Arnolfini Couple"; Dürer's engravings.
Find the work in the museum's official catalog and start with a description of the visible details.Divide interior details into those that are clearly observable and those that are supposedly symbolic.
Useful terms
- Diptych and triptych
- Works of two or three interconnected parts. The meaning is also determined by their combination and the method of disclosure.
External educational material or museum catalogue. The above review is not a literal translation of the source.