Basic Information: 
Artist: Jan Van Eyck
Date: 1434
Locations: Burges, Flanders
Patron: Arnolfini, a wealthy merchant
Purpose: To depict the wedding(?) of the Arnolfinis and to showcase their wealth
Description:
The painting shows two people holding hands in the foreground, along with a small furry dog. The man on the left holds his wife’s hand as well as holding his other hand up in what is seemingly a greeting. The woman holds her massive skirt to her hip with her left hand and hold her husband’s hand with the other. Lower in the painting there is a small fluffy brown dog. On the bottom of the painting, the artists also painted two pairs of shoes, and a fine and detailed rug. On the right of the painting is a large red bed decked out in velvet and expensive cloth. On the left is an open window showing a sunny day, and some scattered oranges on a table. The top of the painting has an ornate brass chandelier with a single lit candle. In the dead middle of the painting, is a mirror. Reflected in the mirror are two other men, one wearing red the other wearing blue. Above the mirror is the Artist’s signature, Johannes de eyck fuit hic. (Jan Van Eyck was here, 1434) The mirror itself is a convex mirror that features even small pictures of the Stations of the Cross (the basics of the Jesus story) around the outside.
Methods:
Van Eyck makes very good use of the new techniques of oil painting using multiple layers of paint to get a luminous feel. Everywhere in the painting the light is show with extreme attention to detail. The figures of the man and woman are also painted extra long to divide the space of the painting and bring in the classic use of threes. Unlike the Italian Renaissance the scene is very clustered. The painting use contrasting colors (the green dress over the red bed) as well as balanced colors (Arnolfini is painted darkly, while his wife is painted in vibrant color). To say the painting, use attention to detail is an understatement. The stations of the cross are detailed and legible yes, but on the original are literally smaller than a thumbnail. These tiny scenes were likely painted with a single hair brush.
Themes & Symbolism
Scholars have spent literal centuries trying to decipher the symbols in this painting. The first large symbol is the dress, no the woman portrayed is not pregnant that was simply the style at the time. However, the fact that they are wearing winter clothes when the painting appears to be set in late spring or summer is telling. Cherries and oranges evoke ideas of hope and fertility. The bed in the image does not mean this is a private room, no one would hide a symbol of wealth like this bed. Everything about it is meant, as the clothes and furnishings are, to show wealth. The little dog is not a hunting or guard animal (obviously), but is a companion. This is likely a symbol of fidelity, or loyalty. The single candle, lit during the day, above everyone, is probably a symbol of the presence of God, and even is shown just above the depiction of the crucifixion. Lastly, the mirror, brings together the mood of witnessing something important. The message of the piece overall is to convey wealth and the bond between the couple. Many scholars have also noted that the woman may have died before this was painted making it an odd memorial as well.
Student Made History 