The Arnolfini Portrait (1437) is an oil painting on an oak panel by the early Netherlands painter Jan Van Eyck. I decided to include this painting in my blog as it is not only very famous but the oldest panel painting to have been created with oils as an alternative to tempera. In 1842 the painting was purchased by the National Gallery in London for £600, where it remains today. Unfortunately, the shutters have gone along with the original frame.
Visiting the National Gallery a few month ago and viewing this painting has given me the inspiration to research into more detail possible meanings associated with it.
The illusionism of the painting was said to have been remarkable for it's time, in part for rendering the detail but more specifically for the use of light - evoking space in and interior.
In my opinion it displays a convincing depiction of a room and the people within it.
It is believed that the subject of the painting is of either Giovanni di Arnigo or his cousin Giovanni di Nicalo Arnolfini, alongside an unknown wife of either one of them. It has been recently proposed that the woman was the first wife of Giovanni di Nicalo, her name being Costanza Trenta, who had died in February 1433. If that is the case, the painting may be an unusual memorial portrait of one living person and the other who had passed away.
As the audience of the picture it is visible that there is a large amount of hidden meaning. The cherry tree on the outside of the window indicates that it is summer time which appears create a dramatic contrast between the weather and the subjects outfits. This allowed me to draw the conclusion that those in the picture are very wealthy; both figures are very richly dressed - despite the season his tabard and her dress are trimmed and fully lined with fur. In the 1400's both outfits would have been deemed as enormously expensive. The interior of the room also shows other signs of wealth - for example, the large brass chandelier would have been very expensive. Even the oranges were a sign of wealth as they were very expensive in Burgundy.
After researching into the 'convex mirror' at the back of the room, I found out that this was shown larger than such mirrors could be made at this period in time which shows a discreet departure in realism by Van Eyck. This disappointed me somewhat as it made me question whether this painting was an accurate portrayal of the rich such a long time ago.
The painting also appears to be signed (inscribed and dated on the wall above the mirror) - "Johannes de eyck fuit hic. 1434." which can be translated to "Jan Van Eyck was here. 1434." In 1934 Erwin Panofsky published an article ('Jan Van Eyck's Arnolfini Wedding) in the Burlington Magazine. He argued that the inscription on the wall along with many other factors indicated that the painting was a legal document recording a marriage.
Panofsky argued that the items presented in the painting all have a disguised symbolism attached to their appearance. The placement of the man and the woman present to us (or suggest) conventional 15th century views of gender roles and marriage. The woman is standing well into the room which to a certain degree may symbolise her role of the caretaker of the house. Differentially the man stands near the open window - symbolic perhaps of his role in the outside world. His hand is also vertically raised representing his position of authority - in contrast with her hand which is held horizontally displaying a more submissive pose. She also appears to gave obediently at her husband. As she is gazing directly at him however, alternatively I think that this could mean she is his equal as she is not staring at the floor like lower class women would have been more likely to do all them years ago.
In this painting the wife is also attended by a small dog - which is a common sign used to display loyalty and possibly in this case fidelity. In the Arnolfini's chandelier, the burning candle may also represent the light of God. Perhaps this suggests that as an audience we are supposed to like these people painted in front of us. In my opinion, there is nothing to suggest that they are anything but 'good' people.
Overall, Jan Van Eyck appears to have successfully created a very interesting painting. He appears to have carefully disguised textures and captured surfaces precisely whilst rendering effects of both direct and non-direct light by showing the light from the window reflected by various surfaces. The combination of techniques and interesting possible symbolism make the painting very eye-catching, intriguing and unique. These are clearly important aspects of any media text!
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