In this class, we basically discussed how naturalism is embedded in artworks in the 15 century. In Jan van Eyck’s Ghent Altarpiece, the details on clothes, jewels, and crowd are so vivid in real-life style, and the churches in the background are similar to the churches in the real contemporary world. The purpose of these natural details is to help people to relate themselves to heaven, and they become reasonable if we realize that since no living human has been to heaven before, the artist can only relate to real-life stuff when depicting and creating something in imagination. There are also other technics that embed reality into artworks, such as the use of light and shadow applied to the body of Adam and Eve to create a sense that it is the real light from the chapel windows that is shining upon their bodies. Naturalism is also revealed in Rogier van der Weyden’s Entombment, where no landscape is drawn in the background for the reason that the altarpiece is placed indoors. Symbolism also appears in this altarpiece if we look at the same position of Mary and Jesus, meaning that the virgin is in compassion (suffer with) her son. We then compared two paintings: Fra Angelico’s Entombment from Italy, which is symmetric, and Rogier van der Weyden’s another Entombment from Northern Europy, which breaks the symmetry. The symmetry of the former one makes the artwork more formal and statue-like, and Jesus in it looks less dead, peaceful, and harmonic. Weyden’s work, however, is closer to reality: the atmosphere is more gruesome, so the audience would feel more emotional suffering with Jesus and thus more compassionate. Therefore, if we reflect on all these altarpieces mentioned in class, that altarpieces have religious functions besides aesthetic value are disclosed by the artist’s application of realism: in order to help prayer in front of the altarpiece to be more related to the religious and holy scene depicted in it, these artworks must be realistic and close to the real life.