Northern Renaissance: The Supreme Art

     Through the BBC 4 documentary, "Northern Renaissance: The Supreme Art," the viewer is shown how paint became the "supreme art."  The narrator discusses how and why the Northern Renaissance artists, more so than the Italian Renaissance artists, transformed the way the world thinks about paint and paintings.  Through the remarkably realistic and symbolic works of Jan van Eyck, we are transported to a different time, a different place.  Paintings by Jan van Eyck were commissioned by Dukes, Earls and wealthy merchants who were able to become rich by moving commodities between countries.  The remarkable realism shown in northern Europe was borne out of increased interest in the natural world.  People began observing the natural world and creating illustrated studies of plants and animals with intense naturalism.  

     Jan van Eyck's work was considered masterful and was looked up to even by Italian Renaissance artists as an example of work that is extremely realistic and, in their eyes, holy.  His work was so good, not only do the people look and feel real, the clothing and jewelry seems to pop out and exist in the space.  Paintings done at this time were considered extremely spiritual, and were most often depictions of stories from the Bible.  After being commissioned to create the work now called the "Ghent Altarpiece,"  he gained fame and was employed by dukes and wealthy merchants.  One merchant, a vineyard owner, Nicholas Rolin, owned a hospital and commissioned an altar piece from Jan van Eyck.  This act was considered extremely generous and charitable, not to mention he ran the hospital off profits from his vineyards.  Rolin's accomplishments and wealth were depicted in his portrait, where he is portrayed with the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus in front of a window which looks out upon vineyards and a bustling port city on a river, "with the whole world laid out before him."   In order to create a larger sense of community, this piece was available to be viewed by everyone.  The community at large, poor people, common workers, everyone, wanted to see Jan van Eyck's work and wealthy merchants and higher-ups provided these to the public.  Finally, people of more modest means than Dukes were able to commission pieces because van Eyck had a workshop, or team of artisans working for him.  They helped him paint his huge masterpieces and allowed him to work more closely with Dukes, in particular.  He worked for Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy, traveling around Europe, painting portraits of princesses so that Philip could choose a wife, which worked out successfully.  


     Everything in Jan van Eyck's paintings is symbolic, holding some meaning or another.  No brush stroke is laid upon the canvas without a purpose.  The reason he became so famous, and thereby made oil painting as popular as it was, and still is, was because his work is consistent.  Every surface, every detail, every painting has the same quality and attention to detail.  The imagery, line quality, brush strokes, colors, lighting within the paintings and composition of the pieces he created were accurately portrayed, creating the illusion of realism.  The objects, people, tapestry and lighting in every painting was nearly true-to-life; people who commissioned and viewed his works were able to believe they were communing with God, in the case of the Ghent Altarpiece.  In addition to allowing the viewer to feel closer to God, Jan van Eyck's work allowed people to conspicuously show off their wealth without feeling blasphemous about it because they were commissioning pieces that were used in prayer.