Art is primarily seen as a depiction of the current on goings of people or what they face in their daily lives. Renaissance art is, therefore, a typical representation of the Renaissance period. During this period, European art was revived against a backdrop of economic growth. In this period, there was development of new technologies that steered various forms of art like philosophy, literature and much more. In this case, the art of painting seems to draw so much of our attention since it gives a more vivid picture of this particular period. Most forms of art were used as royal decorations. Many artists adopted different ways and styles so as to bring out various aspects of the Renaissance period. Renaissance art came about in Italy at around the 14th century; it included sculpture, decorative arts, and paintings. Among the early Italian artists were Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Many works at that time depicted religious images like Madonna and the Child with Canon van der Paele done by Jan van, Eyck.
Jan van Eyck is among the noteworthy Renaissance artists of the 15th century. He embarked on his mastery while he served John of Bavaria-Straubing, where he was engaged in redecorating the Binnenhof Palace at The Hague. Oil paintings and panel art were among the most complicated aspects of art at that time, yet he was renowned for his finesse in both. He was widely accomplished at depicting religious personalities and illustrations of biblical aspects. Some of his famous work included Adoration of the Lamb, Madonna, and Child with Canon van de Paele among others. Jan Eyck extended his prowess to private clients most of whom became patrons of his paintings, among them was the Ghent Altarpiece. Over the years, he became a celebrated artist due to his admirable accomplishments in the art industry. An interesting fact about most of his illustrations is that, the Virgin Mary was the epitome of most of his work. It goes without saying that Jan van Eyck was indeed a born artist whose work shall certainly be recollected for many more years to come. He died in Netherlands, Brudges in 1441.
One of the main styles that Jan used was iconography. In most of his work, he tended to convey a logical coexistence between what he saw with what existed in the spiritual and material world. One of his most iconic masterpieces is the Virgin and Child with Canon van der Paele. At that time, there were many other depictions of the Virgin Mary - either by herself or with her child Jesus. These are paramount illustrations of the Catholic and Orthodox churches. The iconic representations were referred to as Madonna; these images greatly permeated the Christian art. Many pictures of the Madonna have achieved fame for their intrinsic artistic qualities and their use for religious veneration. It is vital to note that despite the fact that our primary focus is majorly drawn to the work by Jan van Eyck, there are other artists who managed to do a splendid job regarding the Madonna images.
Madonna and Child with Canon van der Paele is an oil painting created by Jan van Eyck on an oak panel. It is one of the most famous illustrations of the Virgin. At face value, the picture shows three men, one kneeling and Madonna holding her child Jesus. It would not be enough to judge the painting just by looking at it since it has many avenues of critic and various channels of symbolism as the artist intended. The painting shows Virgin Mary with the child Jesus on her laps. She is elevated on a somewhat sacred platform, and she is seated in a semicircular space that seems to depict the church interior. To the left of Mary, stands Saint Donatian of Reims, who was the patron saint of the collegiate church. On her right, the painting depicts Saint George clad in his medieval knight’s armor; also, next to Saint George is Canon Van der Paele, who is kneeling before the enthroned Virgin Mary and her child Jesus. He is dressed in a white surplice, and he is also depicted to be reading a book. George is described to be lifting his helmet as a sign of respect to Mary and also presenting Canon Vane der Paele to Mary.
In the Renaissance period, it was so much of a tendency to see the patron of painting in the art itself. It was somewhat a styles painter adopted at that time. In this case, the patron of the painting is Canon Van der Paele. He can be seen as the steering wheel behind the success of the picture. It is a quite an evident occurrence since he is the only actual human who was present at the time the masterpiece was being done. The painting serves the primary purpose of illustrating how real God is in our world through the Virgin Mary and the child Jesus.
The setting of the painting regarding its interior structure is majorly endowed by gothic architecture, rugs, a tiled floor and the people in question are richly adorned in lavish finery. Mary’s seat can be alluded to that of a queen owing to the presence of a beautiful carpet that is indeed classy. It resembles the inside of a church with Mary and her child at the altar. Due to the use of oil paint in the drawing process, Van Eyck managed to depict a believably detailed masterpiece.
The technique that is adopted in this painting is that the group occupies a dark interior part of a church from the represented space regarding representations on the seat of Mary. There are carvings of Adam and Eve, resurrection and crucifixion of Jesus and also figures that represent the Old Testament scenes. Also, regarding the technique used, some people seem to be illuminated by some source of light that is in front of them, evidently the upper left. Also, the artist has used brighter color, active tone and texture on the group of people. The active state is depicted from the brocade of Saint Donatian that is made of gold threads. The shiny armor that is worn by Saint George, the red cloak that is worn by Mary and the white surplice worn by Canon. This technique makes the audience focus on the subject in the painting.
The style adopted by the artist is that of social realism so as to bring the issue into place and also relay a message about the religious context that involves the acts of God in bringing his only son Jesus to save the world. Social realism has been substantially achieved in many aspects of the painting. Jesus is also seen touching a parrot; this is an outright representation of the Garden of Eden. There are depictions of Adam and Eve, the story of Cain and Abel, Samson fighting a lion. There are also representations of Abraham sacrificing Isaac. The message that is expressed in every instance of the Old Testament is the mercy of God. There is the aspect of redemption from sin from the illustration of Cain and Abel. There is the issue of the power of faith through the figure of Samson. The subject of God’s grace and His goodness are depicted in Abraham. It is also evident that there is a relationship between higher beings as is seen from Saint George and Saint Donatian are celestial while Canon van der Paele is a mortal. In essence, the message that carries the day in the painting is that since the Old Testament, God has always been merciful, and that is why He sent Jesus to redeem the human race through the Virgin Mary. Canon is kneeling because he wishes to attain salvation, it is a depiction that mortals are at a lower level than heavenly beings and they ought to be respected.
Despite the work done by Van der Eyck, other artists have done a similar illustration of the matter in question in the painting of the Virgin and the Child with Canon van der Paele. There is the altarpiece called Ansidei Madonna done by Raffaello Sanzio. It is quite similar to the painting in question since they were both painted at around the same time and also the have characteristics of oil-based painting. The art also gives an illustration of the Virgin Mary and the child Jesus. This painting has quite a limitation it is not as detailed as the one done by Van Eyck, but the similarities are quite evident. They both try to show how real the concept of Chris is in the world and how merciful God is as he brought His son to the world through Mary to redeem the whole of the human race. Both paintings are aimed at strengthening the faith in people in the mission of Jesus on earth and how important humans are to God. In essence, the pictures show that the people at that time had faith in God and believed in His existence.
The picture is very similar to that of Van Eyck because, in this case, Mary is also enthroned just as in the previous case. She is seated on a wooden seat and in a semicircular space. On her laps is the Child Jesus. On her side is John the Baptist and on the other side is Saint Nicholas, who is reading. The style that has been used is slightly into social realism but mostly in effect. It is basically on the subject of the expression of divinity in the Christian context.
The Child Jesus, Mary, and the attendant saints are clearly depicted to commune together. The patron of the painting was Bernardino Ansidei for a chapel owned by his family which was dedicated to Saint Nicholas, who is represented in the art. In this case, a technique of luminous landscape has been applied as opposed to the one used by van Eyck. All in all the similarities are quite significant.
The subject matter is similar to that on Van Eyck since Mary and Jesus are the points of focus on both pictures. John is the outright depiction of the spiritual journey of Saint Nicholas, and his book is a perfect representation of spiritual knowledge. The serene landscape that is indeed soothing shows the closeness of God.
Both paintings are done to demonstrate the glory of God and his mercy upon humans. They show the relationship between humans, saintly assistants and God himself. In essence, they are meant to strengthen the Christian faith in God.
References
Hanley, Stephen. 2016. "Optical Symbolism As Optical Description: A Case Study Of Canon
Van Der Paele." Journal Of Historians Of Netherlandish Art. http://www.jhna.org/index.php/optical-symbolism-as-optical-description-a-case-study-of-canon-van-der-paeles-spectacles.
Kessler, Herbert Leon. 2014. "Jan Van Eyck | Flemish Painter." Encyclopedia Britannica.
http://www.britannica.com/biography/Jan-van-Eyck.
Kren, Emil and Daniel Marx. 2016. "The World According To Art: Jan Van Eyck: The Madonna
With Canon Van Der Paele (1436); Groeninge Museum, Bruges.".
Rijksmuseumamsterdam.Blogspot.Co.Ke. http://rijksmuseumamsterdam.blogspot.co.ke/2012/01/jan-van-eyck-madonna-with-canon-van-der.html.
