Jan van Eyck biography briefly. Jan van Eyck and the Arnolfini Mystery

Jan van Eyck (Dutch. Jan van Eyck, c. 1385 or 1390, Maaseik-1441 Bruges) - Dutch early Renaissance painter, portrait master, author of more than 100 compositions on religious subjects, one of the first artists who mastered the technique of painting with oil paints.

Biography of Jan van Eyck

Jan van Eyck is the younger brother of the artist and his teacher Hubert van Eyck (1370-1426). Jan van Eyck's exact date of birth is unknown. Born in the Northern Netherlands in Maaseik.

He studied with his elder brother Hubert, with whom he worked until 1426.

He began his activity in The Hague at the court of the Dutch counts, first mentioned between 1422 and 1426 as "Master Jan" in the rank of chamber junker to Count Johann III.

From 1425 he was an artist and courtier of the Duke of Burgundy, Philip III the Good, who highly valued him as an artist and generously paid for his work.

In 1427-1428. as part of the ducal embassy, ​​Jan van Eyck went to Spain, then to Portugal.

In 1427 he visited Tournai, where he was received with honor by the local guild of artists.

Probably met with Robert Campin, or saw his work.

He worked in Lille and Ghent, in 1431 he bought a house in Bruges and lived there until his death.

Eyck's work

Eyck's style, based on the implicit power of realism, served as an important approach in late medieval art.

The outstanding achievements of this realistic movement, such as the frescoes of Tommaso da Modena in Treviso, the work of Robert Campin, influenced the style of Jan van Eyck.

Experimenting with realism, Jan van Eyck achieved astounding precision, unusually pleasing differences between the quality of materials and natural light. This suggests that his careful delineation of the details of daily life was done with the intention of displaying the splendor of God's creations.

Some writers falsely credit Jan van Eyck with the discovery of oil painting techniques. Undoubtedly, he played a key role in perfecting this technique, achieving with its help an unprecedented richness and saturation of color.

Jan van Eyck developed the technique of oil painting. He gradually achieved pedantic accuracy in depicting the natural world.

Many followers unsuccessfully copied his style. The distinguishing quality of Jan van Eyck's work was the difficult imitation of his work.

His influence on the next generation of artists, in northern and southern Europe, cannot be overestimated. The whole evolution of the Flemish painters of the 15th century bore the direct imprint of his style.

Among the works of van Eyck that have survived, the greatest is the "Ghent Altarpiece" - in the Cathedral of Saint-Bavon in Ghent, Belgium. This masterpiece was created by two brothers, Jan and Hubert, and completed in 1432. Exterior panels show the day of the Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel visited the Virgin Mary, as well as images of St. John the Baptist, John the Evangelist. The interior of the altar consists of the "Adoration of the Lamb", revealing a magnificent landscape, as well as paintings above showing God the Father near the Virgin, John the Baptist, angels playing music, Adam and Eve.

Throughout his life, Jan van Yayk created many magnificent portraits, which are famous for their crystal-clear objectivity and graphic accuracy.

Portrait of Jan de Leeuw Annunciation Ghent altarpiece

Among his paintings: a portrait of an unknown man (1432), a portrait of a man in a red turban (1436), a portrait of Jan de Lieuw (1436) in Vienna, a portrait of his wife Margaret van Eyck (1439) in Bruges.

The wedding painting "Giovanni Arnolfini and his Bride" (1434, National Gallery of London) along with the figures shows an excellent interior.

In the biography of van Eyck, the artist's special interest has always fallen on the depiction of materials, as well as the special quality of substances. His unsurpassed technical talent was especially well manifested in two religious works - "Our Lady of Chancellor Rolin" (1436) in the Louvre, "Our Lady of Canon van der Pale" (1436) in Bruges.

The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. exhibits the painting "Proclamation", which is attributed to van Eyck's hand.

Some of Jan van Eyck's unfinished paintings are believed to have been finished by Petrus Christus.

In the history of art, "Portrait of the Arnolfini" is one of the first paintings signed by the artist himself. “Jan van Eyck was here. 1434". Since up to the 15th century it was not customary to sign your paintings.

A painting by Jan van Eyck, a master from Bruges, a Flemish painter of the early renaissance, in which a clue is hidden. The painting is called "Portrait of the Cheta Arnolfini".

The picture simply shines with a huge amount of detail, which is quite interesting, because it was painted only in 1434. And a hint about how the author managed to make such a big step forward in the realism of the image is the mirror. And also a candlestick - incredibly complex and realistic.

Jan van Eyck was a painter at the court of John of Holland (1422 - 1425) and Philip of Burgundy. While serving Duke Philip, Jan van Eyck made several clandestine diplomatic trips. In 1428, in the biography of van Eyck, a trip to Portugal took place, where he painted a portrait of Philip's bride, Isabella.

Eyck's style, based on the implicit power of realism, served as an important approach in late medieval art. The outstanding achievements of this realistic movement, such as the frescoes of Tommaso da Modena in Treviso, the work of Robert Campin, influenced the style of Jan van Eyck. Experimenting with realism, Jan van Eyck achieved astounding precision, unusually pleasing differences between the quality of materials and natural light. This suggests that his careful delineation of the details of daily life was done with the intention of displaying the splendor of God's creations.

Some writers falsely credit Jan van Eyck with the discovery of oil painting techniques. Undoubtedly, he played a key role in perfecting this technique, achieving with its help an unprecedented richness and saturation of color. Jan van Eyck developed the technique of oil painting. He gradually achieved pedantic accuracy in depicting the natural world.

Many followers unsuccessfully copied his style. The distinguishing quality of Jan van Eyck's work was the difficult imitation of his work. His influence on the next generation of artists, in northern and southern Europe, cannot be overestimated. The whole evolution of the Flemish painters of the 15th century bore the direct imprint of his style.

Among van Eyck's works that have survived, the greatest is the "Ghent Altarpiece" - in the Cathedral of Saint-Bavon in Ghent, Belgium. This masterpiece was created by two brothers, Jan and Hubert, and completed in 1432. Exterior panels show the day of the Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel visited the Virgin Mary, as well as images of St. John the Baptist, John the Evangelist. The interior of the altar consists of the "Adoration of the Lamb", revealing a magnificent landscape, as well as paintings above showing God the Father near the Virgin, John the Baptist, angels playing music, Adam and Eve.

Throughout his life, Jan van Yayk created many magnificent portraits, which are famous for their crystal-clear objectivity and graphic accuracy. Among his paintings: a portrait of an unknown man (1432), a portrait of a man in a red turban (1436), a portrait of Jan de Lieuw (1436) in Vienna, a portrait of his wife Margaret van Eyck (1439) in Bruges. The wedding painting "Giovanni Arnolfini and his Bride" (1434, National Gallery of London) along with the figures shows an excellent interior.

In the biography of van Eyck, the artist's special interest has always fallen on the depiction of materials, as well as the special quality of substances. His unsurpassed technical talent was especially well manifested in two religious works - "Our Lady of Chancellor Rolin" (1436) in the Louvre, "Our Lady of Canon van der Pale" (1436) in Bruges. The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. exhibits the painting "Proclamation", which is attributed to van Eyck's hand. Some of Jan van Eyck's unfinished paintings are believed to have been finished by Petrus Christus.

His younger contemporary, the Italian humanist Bartolomeo Fazio. A century and a half later, the Dutch painter and biographer of Dutch artists Karel van Mander gave the same enthusiastic assessment: banks of the lovely river Meuse, which can now challenge the palm of Arno, Po and the proud Tiber, since such a luminary has risen on its banks that even Italy, the land of arts, was struck by its brilliance.

Very little documentary information has been preserved about the life and work of the artist. Jan van Eyck was born in Maaseik between 1390 and 1400. In 1422, Van Eyck entered the service of John of Bavaria, the ruler of Holland, Zeeland and Genegau. For him, the artist performed work for the palace in The Hague.

From 1425 to 1429 he was the court painter of the Duke of Burgundy Philip the Good in Lille. The duke valued Jan as an intelligent, educated man, in the words of the duke, "unequaled in art and knowledge." Often, Jan van Eyck, on the instructions of Philip the Good, carried out complex diplomatic missions.

The information reported by the chroniclers of that time speaks of the artist as a multi-talented person. The already mentioned Bartolomeo Fazio wrote in The Book of Famous Men that Jan was passionately engaged in geometry, created a kind of geographical map. The artist's experiments in the field of oil paint technology speak of knowledge in chemistry. His paintings demonstrate a detailed acquaintance with the world of plants and flowers.

There are many ambiguities in Jan's creative biography. The main thing is Jan's relationship with his older brother Hubert van Eyck, with whom he studied and with whom he performed a number of works. There are disputes about individual paintings by the artist: about their content, painting technique.

The work of Jan and Hubert van Eyck owes much to the art of the illustrators of the Limburg brothers and the altar master Melchior Bruderlam, who worked at the Burgundian court at the beginning of the 15th century in the style of 14th-century Zion painting. Jan developed this manner, creating on its basis a new style, more realistic and individual, heralding a decisive turn in the altar painting of Northern Europe.

In all likelihood, Jan began his career with a miniature. Some researchers attribute to him some of the best sheets (“The Funeral Service” and “The Taking of Christ into Custody”, 1415-1417), the so-called Turin-Milan Book of Hours, performed for the Duke of Berry. One of them depicts Saint Julian and Saint Martha carrying Christ across the river. True images of various phenomena of reality were found in the Dutch miniature even before van Eyck, but not a single artist had previously been able to combine individual elements into a coherent image with such art. Van Eyck is also credited with the authorship of some early altarpieces, such as the Crucifixion.

In 1431 van Eyck settled in Bruges, where he became court painter as well as city painter. A year later, the artist completed his masterpiece - the Ghent Altarpiece, a large polyptych consisting of 12 oak doors. Work on the altar was started by his elder brother, but Hubert died in 1426, and Jan continued his work.

E. Fromentin colorfully described this masterpiece: “Centuries have passed. Christ was born and died. The redemption has come to pass. Do you want to know how Jan van Eyck - not as an illustrator of a prayer book, but as a painter - conveyed this great sacrament in a plastic way? A vast meadow, all dotted with spring flowers. In front of the "Source of Life". Beautiful streams of water fall into the marble pool. In the center is an altar covered with a purple cloth; on the altar is a white lamb. Around are a garland of small winged angels, which are almost all in white, with a few shades of pale blue and pinkish gray. A large free space separates the sacred symbol from everything else. The lawn is nothing but dark green thick grass with thousands of white star daisies. In the foreground on the left are kneeling prophets and a large group of standing people. Here are those who believed in advance and announced the coming of Christ, and pagans, scientists, philosophers, unbelievers, from ancient bards to Ghent burghers: thick beards, snub-nosed faces, pouting lips, completely lively physiognomies. Few gestures and few postures. In these twenty figures is a concise outline of the spiritual life before and after Christ. Those who still doubt hesitate in thought, those who deny are confused, the prophets are seized with ecstasy. The first plan on the right, balancing this group in that deliberate symmetry, without which there would be neither grandeur of design, nor rhythm in construction, is occupied by twelve kneeling apostles and an impressive group of true ministers of the Gospel - priests, abbots, bishops and popes. Beardless, fat, pale, calm, they all bow in complete bliss, not even looking at the lamb, confident in a miracle. They are magnificent in their red robes, golden robes, golden miters, with golden staffs and stole embroidered with gold, in pearls, rubies, emeralds. The jewels sparkle and shimmer against a glowing purple, van Eyck's favorite color. In the third plane, far behind the lamb, and on a high hill, beyond which the horizon opens, is a green forest, an orange grove, bushes of roses and myrtle in flowers and fruits. From here, on the left, comes a long procession of the Martyrs, and on the right, a procession of the Holy Women, with roses in their hair and palm branches in their hands. They are dressed in delicate colors: pale blue, blue, pink and purple. The martyrs, mostly bishops, are in blue vestments. There is nothing more refined than the effect of two solemn processions clearly visible in the distance, distinguished by patches of light or dark azure against the austere background of the sacred forest. It is unusually subtle, precise and lively. Farther still, a darker strip of hills, and then Jerusalem, depicted as the silhouette of a city, or rather, bell towers, high towers and spiers. And in the background - distant blue mountains. The sky is immaculately clear, as it should be at such a moment, pale blue, slightly tinted with ultramarine at its zenith. In the sky - mother-of-pearl whiteness, morning transparency and a poetic symbol of a beautiful dawn.

Here is a presentation, but rather a distortion, a dry account of the central panel - the main part of this colossal triptych. Did I give you an idea about it? Not at all. The mind can dwell on it ad infinitum, immerse itself endlessly in it, and yet not comprehend either the depth of what the triptych expresses or all that it evokes in us. The eye can admire in the same way, without, however, exhausting the extraordinary wealth of those pleasures and those lessons that it gives us.

Van Eyck's first dated work, Madonna and Child, or Canopied Madonna (1433). Madonna sits in an ordinary room and holds a child on her lap, leafing through a book. The background is a carpet and a canopy, shown in perspective reduction. In The Madonna of Canon Van der Paele (1434), the aged priest is depicted so close to the Mother of God and his patron, St. George, which almost touches the white clothes of her red cloak and the knightly armor of the legendary dragon slayer.

The next Madonna - "Madonna of Chancellor Rolin" (1435) - is one of the best works of the master. L.D. Lyubimov does not hide his admiration: “Stones shine, brocade shines with colors, and every fluff of fur and every wrinkle of the face attracts irresistibly. How expressive, how significant are the features of the kneeling Chancellor of Burgundy! What could be more magnificent than his attire? It seems that you feel this gold and this brocade, and the picture itself appears before you either as a piece of jewelry, or as a majestic monument. Not without reason, at the Burgundian court, such paintings were kept in treasuries next to golden caskets, hour books with sparkling miniatures and precious relics. Look at the hair of the Madonna - what in the world can be softer than them? In the crown that the angel holds over her - how she shines in the shade! And behind the main figures and behind the thin colonnade, there is a river going in a bend and a medieval city, where Vanaykovskaya amazing painting sparkles in every detail.

The artist's last dated work is The Madonna at the Fountain (1439).

Jan van Eyck was also a remarkable innovator in the field of portraiture. He was the first to replace the chest type with a waist type, and also introduced a three-quarter turn. He laid the foundation for that portrait method, when the artist focuses on the appearance of a person and sees in him a certain and unique personality. An example is "Timothy" (1432), "Portrait of a man in a red cap" (1433), "Portrait of his wife, Marguerite van Eyck" (1439), "Portrait of Baudouin de Lannoy."

The double "Portrait of the Arnolfini couple" (1434), along with the Ghent Altarpiece, is van Eyck's most important work. By design, it has no analogues in the 15th century. An Italian merchant, a representative of the Medici banking house in Bruges, is depicted in marriage chamber with his young wife Giovanna Cenami.

“...here the master, as it were, focuses his gaze on more specific life phenomena. Without deviating from the system of his art, Jan van Eyck finds ways to an indirect, roundabout expression of problems, the conscious interpretation of which will come only two centuries later. In this regard, the image of the interior is revealing. It is conceived not so much as a part of the universe, but as a real, vital environment.

Since the Middle Ages, a tradition has been held to give objects a symbolic meaning. Van Eyck did the same. Apples, and a dog, and a rosary, and a candle burning in a chandelier have it. But van Eyck is so looking for a place for them in this room that, in addition to their symbolic meaning, they also have the meaning of everyday life. Apples are scattered on the window and on a chest near the window, a crystal rosary hangs on a carnation, casting sparks of sun glare as if strung one on top of the other, and the symbol of fidelity - the dog goggles its button eyes.

The portrait of the Arnolfini couple is an example of the ingenious flexibility of the van Eyck system and its narrow framework, beyond which the artist intuitively sought to go. In essence, the master stands on the threshold of the appearance of a holistic and definite, characteristic and self-contained image, characteristic of the developed forms of the early Renaissance.

Although oil paints were already in use in the 14th century, van Eyck most likely created a new mixture of paints, possibly tempera with oil, thanks to which he achieved hitherto unknown luminosity, as well as varnish, which gives the picture impenetrability and brilliance. This mixture also made it possible to soften and nuance the colors. In van Eyck's art, the new technique served as an exceptionally well-thought-out composition that made it possible to convey the unity of space. The artist possessed a perspective image and, combining it with the transmission of light, created a plastic effect, until then unattainable.

Van Eyck is considered one of the most significant artists of his time. He initiated a new vision of the world, the impact of which extends far beyond the limits of his era.

The artist died in Bruges in 1441. In the epitaph of van Eyck it is written: “Here lies John, glorious with extraordinary virtues, in whom love for painting was amazing; he painted life-breathing images of people, and the earth with flowering herbs, and glorified all living things with his art ... "

His younger contemporary, the Italian humanist Bartolomeo Fazio. A century and a half later, the Dutch painter and biographer of Dutch artists Karel van Mander gave the same enthusiastic assessment: banks of the lovely river Meuse, which can now challenge the palm of Arno, Po and the proud Tiber, since such a luminary has risen on its banks that even Italy, the land of arts, was struck by its brilliance.

Very little documentary information has been preserved about the life and work of the artist. Jan van Eyck was born in Maaseik between 1390 and 1400. In 1422, Van Eyck entered the service of John of Bavaria, the ruler of Holland, Zeeland and Genegau. For him, the artist performed work for the palace in The Hague.

From 1425 to 1429 he was the court painter of the Duke of Burgundy Philip the Good in Lille. The duke valued Jan as an intelligent, educated man, in the words of the duke, "unequaled in art and knowledge." Often, Jan van Eyck, on the instructions of Philip the Good, carried out complex diplomatic missions.

The information reported by the chroniclers of that time speaks of the artist as a multi-talented person. The already mentioned Bartolomeo Fazio wrote in The Book of Famous Men that Jan was passionately engaged in geometry, created a kind of geographical map. The artist's experiments in the field of oil paint technology speak of knowledge in chemistry. His paintings demonstrate a detailed acquaintance with the world of plants and flowers.

There are many ambiguities in Jan's creative biography. The main thing is Jan's relationship with his older brother Hubert van Eyck, with whom he studied and with whom he performed a number of works. There are disputes about individual paintings by the artist: about their content, painting technique.

The work of Jan and Hubert van Eyck owes much to the art of the illustrators of the Limburg brothers and the altar master Melchior Bruderlam, who worked at the Burgundian court at the beginning of the 15th century in the style of 14th-century Zion painting. Jan developed this manner, creating on its basis a new style, more realistic and individual, heralding a decisive turn in the altar painting of Northern Europe.

In all likelihood, Jan began his career with a miniature. Some researchers attribute to him some of the best sheets (“The Funeral Service” and “The Taking of Christ into Custody”, 1415-1417), the so-called Turin-Milan Book of Hours, performed for the Duke of Berry. One of them depicts Saint Julian and Saint Martha carrying Christ across the river. True images of various phenomena of reality were found in the Dutch miniature even before van Eyck, but not a single artist had previously been able to combine individual elements into a coherent image with such art. Van Eyck is also credited with the authorship of some early altarpieces, such as the Crucifixion.

In 1431 van Eyck settled in Bruges, where he became court painter as well as city painter. A year later, the artist completed his masterpiece - the Ghent Altarpiece, a large polyptych consisting of 12 oak doors. Work on the altar was started by his elder brother, but Hubert died in 1426, and Jan continued his work.

E. Fromentin colorfully described this masterpiece: “Centuries have passed. Christ was born and died. The redemption has come to pass. Do you want to know how Jan van Eyck - not as an illustrator of a prayer book, but as a painter - conveyed this great sacrament in a plastic way? A vast meadow, all dotted with spring flowers. In front of the "Source of Life". Beautiful streams of water fall into the marble pool. In the center is an altar covered with a purple cloth; on the altar is a white lamb. Around are a garland of small winged angels, which are almost all in white, with a few shades of pale blue and pinkish gray. A large free space separates the sacred symbol from everything else. The lawn is nothing but dark green thick grass with thousands of white star daisies. In the foreground on the left are kneeling prophets and a large group of standing people. Here are those who believed in advance and announced the coming of Christ, and pagans, scientists, philosophers, unbelievers, from ancient bards to Ghent burghers: thick beards, snub-nosed faces, pouting lips, completely lively physiognomies. Few gestures and few postures. In these twenty figures is a concise outline of the spiritual life before and after Christ. Those who still doubt hesitate in thought, those who deny are confused, the prophets are seized with ecstasy. The first plan on the right, balancing this group in that deliberate symmetry, without which there would be neither grandeur of design, nor rhythm in construction, is occupied by twelve kneeling apostles and an impressive group of true ministers of the Gospel - priests, abbots, bishops and popes. Beardless, fat, pale, calm, they all bow in complete bliss, not even looking at the lamb, confident in a miracle. They are magnificent in their red robes, golden robes, golden miters, with golden staffs and stole embroidered with gold, in pearls, rubies, emeralds. The jewels sparkle and shimmer against a glowing purple, van Eyck's favorite color. In the third plane, far behind the lamb, and on a high hill, beyond which the horizon opens, is a green forest, an orange grove, bushes of roses and myrtle in flowers and fruits. From here, on the left, comes a long procession of the Martyrs, and on the right, a procession of the Holy Women, with roses in their hair and palm branches in their hands. They are dressed in delicate colors: pale blue, blue, pink and purple. The martyrs, mostly bishops, are in blue vestments. There is nothing more refined than the effect of two solemn processions clearly visible in the distance, distinguished by patches of light or dark azure against the austere background of the sacred forest. It is unusually subtle, precise and lively. Farther still, a darker strip of hills, and then Jerusalem, depicted as the silhouette of a city, or rather, bell towers, high towers and spiers. And in the background - distant blue mountains. The sky is immaculately clear, as it should be at such a moment, pale blue, slightly tinted with ultramarine at its zenith. In the sky - mother-of-pearl whiteness, morning transparency and a poetic symbol of a beautiful dawn.

Here is a presentation, but rather a distortion, a dry account of the central panel - the main part of this colossal triptych. Did I give you an idea about it? Not at all. The mind can dwell on it ad infinitum, immerse itself endlessly in it, and yet not comprehend either the depth of what the triptych expresses or all that it evokes in us. The eye can admire in the same way, without, however, exhausting the extraordinary wealth of those pleasures and those lessons that it gives us.

Van Eyck's first dated work, Madonna and Child, or Canopied Madonna (1433). Madonna sits in an ordinary room and holds a child on her lap, leafing through a book. The background is a carpet and a canopy, shown in perspective reduction. In The Madonna of Canon Van der Paele (1434), the aged priest is depicted so close to the Mother of God and his patron, St. George, which almost touches the white clothes of her red cloak and the knightly armor of the legendary dragon slayer.

The next Madonna - "Madonna of Chancellor Rolin" (1435) - is one of the best works of the master. L.D. Lyubimov does not hide his admiration: “Stones shine, brocade shines with colors, and every fluff of fur and every wrinkle of the face attracts irresistibly. How expressive, how significant are the features of the kneeling Chancellor of Burgundy! What could be more magnificent than his attire? It seems that you feel this gold and this brocade, and the picture itself appears before you either as a piece of jewelry, or as a majestic monument. Not without reason, at the Burgundian court, such paintings were kept in treasuries next to golden caskets, hour books with sparkling miniatures and precious relics. Look at the hair of the Madonna - what in the world can be softer than them? In the crown that the angel holds over her - how she shines in the shade! And behind the main figures and behind the thin colonnade, there is a river going in a bend and a medieval city, where Vanaykovskaya amazing painting sparkles in every detail.

The artist's last dated work is The Madonna at the Fountain (1439).

Jan van Eyck was also a remarkable innovator in the field of portraiture. He was the first to replace the chest type with a waist type, and also introduced a three-quarter turn. He laid the foundation for that portrait method, when the artist focuses on the appearance of a person and sees in him a certain and unique personality. An example is "Timothy" (1432), "Portrait of a man in a red cap" (1433), "Portrait of his wife, Marguerite van Eyck" (1439), "Portrait of Baudouin de Lannoy."

The double "Portrait of the Arnolfini couple" (1434), along with the Ghent Altarpiece, is van Eyck's most important work. By design, it has no analogues in the 15th century. An Italian merchant, a representative of the Medici banking house in Bruges, is depicted in marriage chamber with his young wife Giovanna Cenami.

“...here the master, as it were, focuses his gaze on more specific life phenomena. Without deviating from the system of his art, Jan van Eyck finds ways to an indirect, roundabout expression of problems, the conscious interpretation of which will come only two centuries later. In this regard, the image of the interior is revealing. It is conceived not so much as a part of the universe, but as a real, vital environment.

Since the Middle Ages, a tradition has been held to give objects a symbolic meaning. Van Eyck did the same. Apples, and a dog, and a rosary, and a candle burning in a chandelier have it. But van Eyck is so looking for a place for them in this room that, in addition to their symbolic meaning, they also have the meaning of everyday life. Apples are scattered on the window and on a chest near the window, a crystal rosary hangs on a carnation, casting sparks of sun glare as if strung one on top of the other, and the symbol of fidelity - the dog goggles its button eyes.

The portrait of the Arnolfini couple is an example of the ingenious flexibility of the van Eyck system and its narrow framework, beyond which the artist intuitively sought to go. In essence, the master stands on the threshold of the appearance of a holistic and definite, characteristic and self-contained image, characteristic of the developed forms of the early Renaissance.

Although oil paints were already in use in the 14th century, van Eyck most likely created a new mixture of paints, possibly tempera with oil, thanks to which he achieved hitherto unknown luminosity, as well as varnish, which gives the picture impenetrability and brilliance. This mixture also made it possible to soften and nuance the colors. In van Eyck's art, the new technique served as an exceptionally well-thought-out composition that made it possible to convey the unity of space. The artist possessed a perspective image and, combining it with the transmission of light, created a plastic effect, until then unattainable.

Van Eyck is considered one of the most significant artists of his time. He initiated a new vision of the world, the impact of which extends far beyond the limits of his era.

The artist died in Bruges in 1441. In the epitaph of van Eyck it is written: “Here lies John, glorious with extraordinary virtues, in whom love for painting was amazing; he painted life-breathing images of people, and the earth with flowering herbs, and glorified all living things with his art ... "

Portraits occupy a special place in the work of Jan van Eyck. In fact, it was van Eyck, along with Robert Campin, Rogier van der Weyden, who turned the portrait into an independent genre. Prior to this, the portrait was an integral part of religious works, such as portraits of donors. The works of the masters of early Netherlandish painting "are distinguished by greater (in comparison with the Italian portrait) spiritual sharpness, subjective accuracy of the image ... The hero of their portraits often appears as an inseparable particle of the universe, organically included in its infinitely complex system."

The portraits by Jan van Eyck are small in size and executed in oil on a wooden board. They are distinguished by strict simplicity and sophistication of means. The external features of a person are conveyed very carefully, one might say, with merciless realism. His characters are self-absorbed, full of dignity. According to the researchers, Eyck was the first to try to open a window into the inner world of his characters.

One of the earliest surviving portraits by van Eyck is "Portrait of a Man in a Blue Chaperon". This small painting (22.5 cm x 16.6 cm with frame) was created around 1430. The man is depicted against a dark background, his figure is turned three-quarters and inscribed in a narrow space, which is typical of the artist's style. The model's face is sharply lit from the left, which gives a striking play of light and shadow, drawing the eye of the viewer. It should also be noted the realism and jeweler's precision in the depiction of small details of appearance. The man in the portrait is depicted with a one- or two-day stubble, written out very carefully.

The painters of that period did not name their works, and the identity of the man depicted in the portrait remains unknown. Since he is holding a ring in his hands, it was assumed that this is a portrait of a jeweler. Recently there was a version that the ring is a symbol of engagement. The small size of the painting confirms this assumption - the portrait could be sent with a marriage proposal to the bride and her family.

In the upper left corner you can see the sign with which Albrecht Dürer signed his paintings. But it was found that the sign was painted later. By whom and for what purpose - is not established.

"Portrait of a man in a blue chaperone"

Around 1431, van Eyck painted "Portrait of Cardinal Niccolò Albergati". The cardinal was a very famous person. At the age of twenty, he became a monk of the Carthusian order, eventually rose to the head of several communities, in 1417 he was elected bishop of Bologna, and in 1426 received the title of cardinal. According to contemporaries, Niccolò Albergati was distinguished by great learning and monastic simplicity in everyday life. He enjoyed the special confidence of Pope Martin V and often carried out diplomatic missions. He was nicknamed "the angel of peace". In the autumn of 1431 the cardinal was passing through Ghent. It was then that Jan van Eyck made a drawing that later served as the basis for the portrait, and on the back he made notes about the color of the bristles and the color of the eyes.

"Portrait of Cardinal Niccolò Albergati"

The painting "Leal souvenir" (fr. For memory) was painted in 1432. The lower part of the portrait is a parapet of chipped yellowish stone, painted with illusionistic accuracy, with an inscription carved on it and the word TγΜ.ωΟΕΟς scratched out, the end of this word falling on a crack in the stone. It is not clear whether this is the name, or the nickname of the character (Timothy), or the motto (Honoring God). The bottommost inscription reads: "Actu[m] an[n]o dni.1432.10.die ocobris.a.ioh de Eyck (This was done in the year of our Lord 1432, on the day of October 10, by John de Eyck)" . It is not known who is depicted in this portrait, nor what is his status. There is an assumption that this is either a humanist unknown to us, or a musician from the retinue of Philip the Good.

"Leal souvenir" or "Timofey"

"Portrait of a man in a red turban" was created in 1433. The picture is inscribed in a complex frame, the vertical sides of which and the central panel are actually one piece of wood. On the top of the frame is the inscription AlC IXH XAN (How can I) - a kind of pun on the name of the master. This motto is found in other paintings by van Eyck. Below is the inscription in Latin JOHES DE EYCK ME FECIT ANO MCCCC.33. 21. OCTOBRIS - Jan van Eyck made me on October 21, 1433. The letters are written in such a way that they look like carved on wood.

It is assumed that this is a self-portrait of the artist. This version was first expressed in 1655, but there is still no consensus. Clothing is quite suitable for a person of such a social position as Jan van Eyck. By the way, in fact, a man’s head is not a turban, but a headdress that was fashionable at that time - a chaperon.

"Portrait of a man in a red turban"

Around 1435, a portrait of Baudouin de Lannoy, who served at the court of Philip the Good, was painted. He was ambassador to Henry V, governor of Lille. When, in 1430, Philip the Good established the knightly order of the Golden Fleece, Baudouin de Lannoy was among the first twenty-five knights of the new order. In the portrait, he is depicted in rich clothes and with an order chain around his neck.

As in many of the portrait works of this master, the proportions of the character are somewhat disturbed. The head is drawn too large to attract the attention of the viewer.

"Portrait of Baudouin de Lannoy"

Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini was the subject of two portraits by Jan van Eyck. He was first depicted in a couple portrait with his wife (the famous "Portrait of the Arnolfini") in 1434, and the second portrait was painted in 1438.

Giovanni Arnolfini was a merchant from Lucca in Italy. At an early age, he came to Bruges, then the center of trade in northern Europe, to run the family business, and lived there for the rest of his life. He made a fortune trading in silk, tapestries and fabrics, but then his business, most likely, was shaken, since in 1442 Arnolfini signed an agreement under which, for a moderate fee, he became a resident of the city of Bruges, promising not to engage in trade.

In the portrait, he is depicted wearing a red chaperone with a burrelet overlaid on top, turning the headdress into something resembling a turban. Interestingly, the size of the burrele corresponded to the degree of nobility of its owner - the larger the burrele, the higher the person stood on the social ladder.

"Portrait of Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini"

One of the last surviving works of the master is a portrait of Margaret van Eyck, the artist's wife. On the frame there is an inscription in Greek: "My husband Johannes completed me in 1439 on June 17", and again the motto "As I can". Margaret is dressed in an elegant red wool dress with fur trim. "Horned" ennen is decorated with lace.

From a modern point of view, Margaret was not a beauty, but she gives the impression of a bright personality. Her maiden name is unknown, but she probably had a fairly high social status. The couple is known to have married in 1433 and had several children. Margaret outlived her husband by fifteen years, but there is no record of how she spent these years.

"Portrait of his wife Margaret"

J. Huizinga "Autumn of the Middle Ages"