NORTHERN EUROPE,1400-1500GARDNER CHAPTER 20-2PP. 527-532

ROGIER VAN DER WEYDEN Rogier van der Weyden, Deposition, center panel

from triptych, Louvain, Belgium, ca. 1435, oil on wood

Dynamic compositions stressing human action and drama

Shallow stage for figures jammed into a confining space

Great attention to details

Strong emotional impact of the scene -> depiction of desolating anguish -> passionate sorrow -> depiction of the agony of loss

Patrons of the archers’ guild symbolized in crossbows in the corners

Figures in mirrored compositions -> Christ and Mary

THE ARTISTS PROFESSION IN FLANDERS

Guilds controlled the Flemish artists’ profession

Apprenticeship -> then became a journeyman -> then became eligible to become a master and apply for admission to the guild

Through the guild the artist obtained commissions

The guild enforced quality control

Women were excluded from apprenticeship as they involved living in homes of male masters

Later from the 16th century on women were excluded academic training -> figure painting involved dissection of cadavers and study of the male nude models

Most often women artists were trained by their fathers and husbands

SAINT LUKE Rogier van der Weyden, Saint Luke Drawing

the Virgin, ca. 1435-1440, oil and tempera on wood

Probably commissioned by the Guild of Saint Luke -> the artists in Brussels

Some believe that the figure of Saint Luke is a self-portrait of Rogier

Recording of every detail w/loving fidelity to optical appearance

Ox on right -> symbol of Saint Luke

Carved armrest -> Adam, Eve, Serpent -> reminds viewer that Mary is the new Eve and Christ is the new Adam who will redeem humanity from Original Sin

PORTRAIT OF A LADY

Rogier van der Weyden, Portrait of a Lady, ca. 1460, oil on panel

Private portrait -> dress and bearing imply noble rank

Lowered eyes, tightly locked fingers, and fragile physique = pious and reserved demeanor

PETRUS CHRISTUS

Robert Campin, Jan van Eyck, and Rogier van der Weyden = first generation of the “Northern Renaissance”

Second generation -> 2nd half the 15th century

Petrus Christus, A Goldsmith in His Shop, 1449, oil on wood, 3’3” x 2’10”

Traditional interpretation -> Saint Eligius -> marriage couple selecting rings -> betrothal girdle on the table as a symbol of chastity -> crystal container for Eucharist wafer on right = scene of a religious nature

PETRUS CHRISTUS

More recent scholarship -> painting should be seen in context of the tradition of vocational paintings for installation in guild chapels

Commissioned by goldsmiths’ guild in Bruges -> Saint Eligius was the patron saint of smiths

New interpretation = depiction of an economic transaction and focuses on the goldsmiths’ profession

Objects depicted serve as advertisement for the guild -> raw materials like stones, beads, crystal, coral, pearls and finished products like rings, buckles, brooches

Convex mirror shows another couple and street outside the shop

DIRK BOUTS Dirk Bouts, central panel of The Last

Supper, 1464-1468, oil on wood, St. Peter’s, Louvain, Belgium

Influence of Italian painting -> one of the earliest Northern European paintings to use a VANISHING POINT -> all of the orthogonals lead to single vanishing point in the center of mantelpiece above Christ’s head

Less the Biblical drama of the Last Supper than the seriousness of the sacrament being created

Four contemporaries appear as servants -> perhaps they are the patrons of the painting

HUGO VAN DER GOES

Hugo van der Goes, Portinari Altarpiece, from Sant’Egidio, Florence, Italy, ca. 1476, tempera and oil on wood

Rare instance of the awarding of a major commission in Florence to a Flemish painter Central image is the Adoration of the Shepherds Portinari, the patron of the painting, his family and their patron saints appear on the wings Mary is the central figure -> Christ placed on a sheaf of wheat symbolizing the Eucharist ->

from the right rear enter the shepherds -> wintry northern landscape unify the three panels -> flowers symbolize the sorrows of the Virgin -> variation of in the scale of figures/scenes in the background

HANS MEMLING

Hans Memling, Virgin with Saints and Angels, center panel of the Saint John Altarpiece, Hospitaal Sint Jan, Bruges, Belgium, 1479, oil on wood, 5’8”x5’8”

Exudes opulence -> rich colors, tapestries and brocades, balanced and serene, sparkling and luminous colors, execution of highest technical quality = all characteristics of 15th century painting