Today we continued our focus on the Northern Renaissance and focused on a few artists, most prominently Jan Van Eyck and his painting “The Arnolfini Portrait.” This painting was used to highlight the idea of disguised symbolism, an important topic that often goes unnoticed. The fact that Van Eyck can hide so much commentary inside one painting is awe-inspiring, and it has opened my eyes to the fact that he is certainly not alone in this.
Van Eyck expertly crafted “The Arnolfini Portrait,” and I was fascinated by the mirror that he puts in the background of the painting. Several other symbols, such as the dog, make the painting mean so much more than it seems at face value. I find such artistry incredibly impressive, and am fascinated to dive deeper into a painting than I would originally interpret.