Great Works
Van Eyck
St. Peter Treaty Center of Fine Arts
(507-679-6796)
Who is Jan Van Eyck?
Jan Van Eyck is a contemporary of Campin, and is widely considered to be the most significant Northern European painter of the 15th century. He is also known for signing his work 'ALS IK KAN' which means "As I Can", it helped him to secure his lasting reputation. Jan Van Eyck work is highly innovative and technical.
The Arnolfini Portrait
This painting is known as the Arnolfini Wedding, the Arnolfini Marriage, or the Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfinin and his wife. It represents the Italian merchant Giovanni di Nicolao and his possible wife. It's considered one of the more complex paintings in Western art because of the iconography, the use of the mirror to reflect the space. This portrait is considered unique by some art historians as the record of marriage contracts in the form of a painting.
The Ghent Altarpiece
Which is also called the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb or the Lamb of God. It is also a very complex piece of the early 15th century. The altarpiece is composed of 12 panels, eight of which are hinged shutters. This art piece was commissioned from Hubert Van Eyck which later died, so his younger brother Jan Van Eyck completed the painting.
Man in a Red Turban
Portrait of a man in a turban or in a red turban. An oil painting by the Early Netherlandish master Jan Van Eyck from 1433. The subject is often thought to be
Van Eyck himself, but there is no direct evidence for this.
Annunciation
This painting is also by Jan Van Eyck but from around 1434-1436. It is thought that it was the left (inner) wing of a triptych, there has been no sighting of the other wings since before 1817. The picture depicts the Annunciation by the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she will bear the Son of God(Luke 1:26-38).