During our discussion on the 30th, we talked about many of the altarpieces covered on the video lecture on the 28th, while also discussing and observing the emergence of emotions being depicted in altarpieces in the late 15th century. One of the more interesting pieces of symbolism we talked about, although I’ve seen it before (just without its title) is the Arma Christi. I thought it was an interesting title for the crown of thrones, the nails of the cross, the spear that pierced his side, and the sponge of vinegar Jesus was tricked into drinking. As was with our video lecture, we talked about the Ghent altarpiece, and how it creates a tension between realism (naturalism) and symbolism. I found the consideration of the opened/closed altarpiece especially interesting, as the portrayal of heaven (still naturalistic but with much more vivid colors) would only be visible on certain days of celebration, thus making it more of a spectacle. Although altarpieces were yet to be considered art in the modern sense, the skill of the painter, and the intention put into how it was portrayed (although also due to the patron’s wises) are just as relevant. One of my favorite pieces from this class was Deposition (1434), as the depiction of the scene, contained within what is painted to look like a golden box, bears a striking resemblance to the sculptures, carvings, and other three dimensional mediums found in churches throughout history. Although I personally prefer his earlier depiction of Jesus’ entombment, it was particularly interesting to see what concepts and ideas van der Weyden took from Northern artists to synthesize his second Entombment, which he painted in 1450. The new material from the lecture on the 30th, the Portinari altarpiece (c 1474-76) showed a continuation of major iconography, complete with plenty of symbolism, combined with the idea of the same narrative across a continuous landscape that we talked about at the beginning of our discussion.