Assignment 3, Arnolfini Portrait

Description

Arnolfini Portrait, an oil painting on oak wood by Jan Van Eyck from Italy, 1434. The size of the painting is 32^1/4” X 23^1/2”. Currently display at National Gallery, London.

Erwin Panofsky, an art historian, believes that the characters of the painting is either Italian Merchant, Giovanni di Arrigo Arnolfini and his wife, Giovanna Cenami, or, his brother Michele and his wife, or, his three cousins Battista, Bartolomeo and Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini with their wife. The female on the right hand side wearing a green wool dress which trimmed with fur, and a blue damask gown, is 45° orientation, while the male on the left hand side wearing a purple tabard with a hat of plaited straw dyed black, body orientation is almost direct facing to us. Both figures are standing straight and holding their hand with each other, show a serious face expression as well. From the middle part of this painting, the upper side is hanging a golden chandelier with one lighted candle, below is convex mirror, beside the mirror is a hanging brush, the centre is a red chair, and lower part has a carpet and a dog known as Brussels griffon. Left side of the male figure show a cherry tree outside the window with some orange below. There are two pair of removed shoes called patten which are at the left corner of the room and another one below the red chair. The right hand side show a red bed. There is a signature of artist on the wall behind.

The painting contains most of the vertical lines, such as window, floor, bed yarn, human standing pose, showing a serious and still mood. While the figures and the dog shows organic line and shape. It is a 3D value, which can see the light from the window, the face and hands are the high key part. The dog, clothe, chair and the bed have show stimulated texture. The warm colours of this painting are orange, yellow green, red, yellow and brown; while cold colours include violet, blue and blue purple. There are also complimentary colours between the green clothe and red bed which have make a contrast eye-catching.

Judgement

In the imitative part, Erwin Panofsky argues this painting showing a marriage, while Edwin Hall said it is an engagement. The figures showed in the painting is a couple, we can indentify from the way they pose, male stand near to window while female stand near the bed, this consider as gender role, which male is work outside, female is caretaker. From the women headdress, we can say that she is married, because non-married lady will put down their hair according to Margaret Carroll. The surrounding subjects have show the sign of wealth of this couple, such as orange, fruit is expensive during that period, and also the golden chandelier, carpet, dog, clothing, the more cloth a person wore, the more wealthy he or she is.

For emotionalism part, there are some symbols show in this painting, for example cherries symbolize love, orange symbolize purity according to Erwin Panofsky, or wealth, removed shoes symbolize love or sexual passion in seventeenth century Dutch art by Craig Harbison, the statue of St Margaret shows the desire to fertility revealed by Panofsky and Harbison, candle symbolizes love and sexual union, or symbol of his husband, the only lighted candle on the male side contrast with the burn out candle on female side, in a metaphor literature lighted candle means he is live on, candle wax means she is dead. The painting might be a remembrance of his dead wife, another example is the mirror, it can interprets as God’s promise of salvation, or on the other hand, the frame of the mirror show the tiny scene from Passion of Christ, all the scene on wife’s side are Christ’s death and resurrection, while on the husband’s side are Christ’s life. The dog symbolizes loyalty or lust, the desire to have a child. The brush represents domestic care.

Move to functionalism part, Panofsky claim that artist paint this as a legal document to record a marriage according to the artist’s signature on the wall behind. The painting also functions as a gift for exhibit in the castle of Carlos II, the last Habsburg King of Spain.

Assigment 1, Discus Thrower

Credit line

Discobolus, discus thrower, an ancient Greek statue made by Myron on Classical Period ( 5^th Century BC).The original sculpture bronze in color while all those replicated are in marble white.

This statue is a naked muscular male which has six packs abdominal as fitness body. He has serious and focus expression. This statue shown athletic action by showing mid swing—an action prepared to throw discus. His faces facing backward while his right hand grip the discus and arm lifted up. His left foot curved down while right foot bent down a bit. The whole appearance looks like the torso smooth and open while the leg closed and angular.

This sculpture has fine texture on skin, rough texture on hair and bulging texture on his muscle. Besides, this statue was in actual 3-Dimensional shape. He has an accurate human body proportion which is 8 heads high and 2 heads wide shoulders with V-shape torso. The line of his muscle included organic and curve line. His body created a S-shape while a diagonal line formed from his arm through his body and follow by his leg. The statue has 3D value meanwhile his face, chest arm and hair part faced light were lighted area. His back and leg against the light were shaded area.

Judgement

The judgment of ‘Discobolus’ , as know as the Discus Thrower will be categorized into three categories which is under Imitative, Formalism and Functionalism.

The artist, Myron, was intended to express the athletic energy through the statue. The discus thrower has been captured in the momentary pause between two actions which is back swing and forwards throw. Other than that, he also focused on the individual muscles, facial expression and body proportion. He has achieved the purposes through his artwork by accurately describe the object and subject matter.

On the other hand, the artist has experimented the principle of art onto the design of the statue such as rhythm, harmony, balance and scale. These principles of art it creates the sense of a body simultaneously in motion through the use of curves.

The Discobolus is a well know statue of a man throwing a discus, this is the first segment of Olympic pentathlon and it also exemplified some important characteristics of classical sculpture which is , it is a representation of the nature and beautifulness of human body.

It also served a function as an encouragement of athletic energy in sports.

Baroque painting (sketch)

Rembrandt van Rijn, 1606-1669, Self Portrait in a cap Open Mouthed 1630

*image source: Lecture slide

Rembrandt van Rijn paint this painting during the baroque period. Baroque, in my understanding, it is a style that magnificence, full of passion, motion and comprehensive. In the above painting, Self Portrait in a cap Open Mouthed, the artist used cross lines to express his emotion, it is similar to what I learn in my drawing class, cross hatching. The difference between what I learned is the way the artist cross the lines, his lines is a motion line, create movement instead of doing shading. From the portrait, the painter seems to express his shocked. Because of this expression, he grab the attention of viewers.

Similar painting:

Self Portrait, Frowning

*image source: http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/aria/aria_assets/RP-P-OB-20?lang=en&context_space=&context_id=

Rembrandt van Rijn has done a series of etching about drawing himself in different facial expression. He has a desire to study and record his face expression, change of appearance. Most of his drawings are representing human feeling. The above portrait, Frowning, showed the angry mood of Rembrandt van Rijn.

Self Portrait with Saskia

*image source: http://www.mystudios.com/rembrandt/rembrandt-etchings-sp-with-saskia.html

Rembrandt van Rijn with his wife, Saskia.

The design of my blog

First of all, the first photo you see is the Malacca Red House that selling chicken rice ball. I take this photo when I join my Digital Photography class's trip, with Miss Lee Li Su, 16th of July 2011. The reason I put this photo is because this building contain the structure of Greek Architecture, which is ionic columns. It is a kitsch from eastern Greece.

*image source: http://www.citizenarcane.com/index.php/archives/2005/05/17/doric-ionic-corinthian/

For the background photo, it's a Buddha sculpture. I took this photo from Blogger design template, I chose this photo is just because I am a Buddhist, and the surface of this sculpture showed it had been made long time ago. It might contain historical value.