Jan van Eyck, The Betrothal of Arnolfini (1434)Select one of the paintings posted and review it according to Alberti's criteria for painting. First, decide how you understand Alberti's criteria. Then, talk about the painting and the ways that it appeals to its viewers.
9 comments:
Alberti:
istoria- The primary focus of this painting is on the man and woman and their expected baby. The placement of the woman's hand on her stomach and the other on with her husband shows her two most important responsibilities. Their facial expressions, however, do not seem to be ones of happiness. Rather, they appear to be serious in their expectance of a baby (one of duty rather than happiness). The woman's eyes are fixated on her husband while he is looking straight ahead.
I agree with what I believe Alberti's interpretation would be; however, I could not help but notice the use of color in this painting. He uses primary colors and alot of shadowing. The green in the picture is the first thing that grabs my attention, so I immediately look at the woman and recognize the fact that she is pregnant. The red of the of the bed and the placement of the woman near it shows that her responsibility is at home. However, the placement of the man towards the window shows the amount of opportunity he has. Their attire and the furnishing of the apartment show the time period and the credibility of the painting.
I feel as though when Alberti is saying that it is important for the painter to be amiable, he means it because it was the only way for a painter to survive back then. Painters needed patrons to budget their art. So Alberti is not straying away from art techniques when he says this, but is stating the survival of the artist. A lot of what Alberti says makes sense in regards to color and lines, however, each painter has his/her own style of art and has their own freedom to draw how they want. I'm sure Alberti would not agree with the Surrealist movement because of how it differs from Alberti's methods.
According to Alberti's critique, this painting is not too bad. It is copious because it has a lot of things in it, but not too much so that it is not cluttered. There are also few main characters (the people) as possible). The light is reflected well off the different objects like chandelier/mirror. Alberti wants the viewer to feel what is going on in the picture, and the viewers can feel the holiness of the ceremony of marriage. Also, if the viewer knows all the symbolisms like the oranges and the candles, then they can also understand and feel the importance of the picture. The draperies of the women fall heavy to the floor like Alberti says should happen. The two center people draw the most attention from the painting. The people are also pretty proportional. Alberti would also like color juxtaposition.
The viewer can obviously tell by the title of the painting that someone is getting married. It appeals to viewers as it focuses on the main people in the painting but is also filled with symbolism, which can mysterious to the viewer. The colors are also nice to the viewer and the dog is cute. The painting would require some research for the viewer to understand it completely. It could also appeal to a pregnant women since this picture seems to glorify pregnant women.
the reference to "surreal" art is interesting; certainly, i think that alberti was a realist. i'm thinking of how he talked about dignity, for example. other criteria for his realism?
Shannan's post: Alberti’s criteria includes appropriateness in terms of age, beauty, and emotion. Alberti also emphasizes that a painting must stay true to nature, and each small detail must tie to the “istoria” of the painting.
In his painting, The "Betrothal of Arnolfini", Jan van Eyck very closely follows Alberti’s criteria. Just like Alberti’s method, the painting makes the woman in the picture look beautiful with a combination of rosy cheeks and smooth skin. The painting appeals to viewers as it includes natural elements including the structure of the human body and the gestures of commitment. The natural elements are shown with the precise body language of hand holding and of a pregnant woman holding her belly. There is plenty of dignity in the painting, but it seems like the facial expressions of the people do not show love. This may be a mistake or it may show that the couple had an arranged marriage. The painter follows Alberti’s method as he shows his study of reflection and angle with his painting of the mirror.
Jan van Eyck uses details to indicate the high social class of the people. He follows Alberit’s method of including details such as nice cloth, tapestries, a rug, and a multi- colored dress with many layers to show an "istoria" that the people have money. The painting also includes stockings, a nice hat, and a fur jacket on the man to indicate the wealth. The painter creates the “istoria” of wealth with a gold shandeleer and precise shading to make the room look huge.
I agree with ahanna1 when said that the primary focus is obviously the woman who is expecting a baby. The painter dresses the man in dark clothing and the woman in bright clothing which directs our eyes initially on her and then notices that she is pregnant by how she is holding her stomach. Although an expectant baby normally is a happy occasion, the painting is seeming to tell us otherwise and that is because of the facial expressions we see on the couple. You can't help to wonder what the problem is and why there actually is a problem when it should be a time of happiness in one's life.
When I look at this painting, it looks like the woman is sort of a young girl, dresses in bright clothing who is married to this man and wants to start her life. But then I see the man dressed in dark clothing and I get a sense that he is in control and the woman is always in submission to him and to anything he says. She has a sad/ashamed look on her face. by the title and having "betrothal" in it is telling us that they are engaged and the picture is showing us that she is deep into her pregnancy...so it seems as if she's ashamed for possibly a mistake that happened??
Alexis Wong says:
In Alberti's terms, this painting would best fit his criteria and be most pleasing to him among the paintings presented in this blog. The positioning of the bodies, the lighting scheme which reveals that it is dawn and the harmony between the individual elements within the painting mostly fall into Alberti's conception of beauty and quality within a painting.
There are, however, a few elements within the painting which Alberti would object to because they do not constitute that which is beautiful in Nature. The facial expressions of the newly wed couple do not express any sort of happiness but look rather grim instead. According to Alberti, grimness is not an element of beauty because only brightness and happiness constitute beauty. Also, there is little movement in the painting as in the others. Alberti stated that in a painting of worth, animate and inanimate characters should be shown moving in seven different directions. The Arnofini painting is very static in its presentation. There is a certain dryness and oldness to them which discount them as beautiful in Alberti's eyes.
the istoria follows Alberti's praise and admiration of the art. It appeals to both the enlightended, and the unlearned, since there are objects and themes apparent to both. The vivid imagery of the food moves the soul.
The most distinctive feature about this painting is its stunning capture of depth perception. Alberti would have enjoyed viewing this work and considered it istoria, something that moved the soul. He considered paintings beautiful when their parts fit well together, when a painting's "bodies harmonize together in the istoria in both size and function. Beautiful works of art stand out among the rest to Alberti because he says that when the viewer looks upon it, even if not educated, can interpret his own meaning from the image.
In this painting every object the viewer sees is precisely porportioned to the size of the room and its surrounding objects. This effect gives the room and the couple standing in it 3-D dimension. The viewer experiences the close quaters of the room and can feel the close proximity he would have stood to the couple if he was inside the painting. The realism of the painting is accentuated by details. For example, looking straight ahead the viewer not only sees the mirror, but a reflection of the couple inside it. Looking to the left the viewer would have seen the window and up the chandelier, which heighten the effect of the claustrophobic feeling the painting embodies because both objects are so close to the man.
Alberti would have admired this painting for its ability to evoke the viewer's emotions. One can feel the sadness of the woman as one gazes upon her face full of sorrow. The contrast between the woman's beauty and youth with the dark, cold, appearance of the man, portrays the despair the woman must have. The viewer can also relate to the trapped feelings of the woman seeing that she stands the farthest from the window, in a tiny room, and pregnant.
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