Iconography
- Harbison
Harbison:
- van Eyck's work tends toward Realist philosophy & he incorporated symbolism to support religious truths 599
- Early 15th c painting developed to make symbols "more believable" 601
- Ward
- 15th c. Netherlandish art characterized by "embedded" symbols > embedded = "relatively small, in the background, or in the shadow" 11
- v.E used embedded symbols/iconography 12
- Ward believes v.E intentionally disguised symbols/iconography to delay recognition for the viewer "initially to overlook, and eventually to discover" the symbols 12
- the spiritual world exists in the material world 12
- Ward believes the symbolism v. pervasive & the work must be studied again and again to see it 12
- v.E "invites" viewer to find even more symbols & a hence a deeper meaning 13
- i.e demon carved above bride's wrist in Arnolfini portrait > which Ward can't decipher 24
- v.E painted symbols/iconography that showed "the promised passage from sin and death to salvation and rebirth" 26
- Card. Rol. > carvings of Adam/Eva = man's fall & christ the redeemer 31
- Symbols are interwoven and invite viewer to search for deeper meaning 32
- v.E uses symbols to "enact the fundamental Christian doctrines" and the paintings seem "come alive" and viewer achieves state of "heightened consciousness" 36
- Harbison 2
- Nicholas of Cusa believed too much emphasis on the eucharist & not enough on christ; in the paintings v.E shows the reality behind the eucharist & symbolize the meaning of mass 91
Iconography
Early Netherlandish art is characterized by the use of symbolism and iconography, often embedded in the work in such a way to be rendered "relatively small, in the background, or in the shadow".[1] Art historian John Ward explains that van Eyck frequently used symbolism and iconography, often embedded or disguised, to show that the spiritual world exists in the material world. Ward believes van Eyck’s use of symbolism is pervasive to the point that a piece of work must be studied over and over with each viewing showing an yet undiscovered symbol, added for the viewer "initially to overlook, and eventually to discover", delaying recognition for the viewer.[2] By “inviting” the viewer to search for iconography, the painter brings a multi-layered experience to the viewer and with it a deeper meaning of the painting with symbols that are interwoven and force the viewer to search for deeper meaning.[3] Much of the iconography consisted of symbols that showed "the promised passage from sin and death to salvation and rebirth", [4] and fundamental Christian doctrines such as carvings of Adam and Eve embedded in paintings showing man’s fall juxtaposed with Christ the Redeemer.[5] Nicholas of Cusa believed at the time too much emphasis was given the the symbol of the eucharist and van Eyck shows in his paintings the reality behind the eucharist and the meaning of mass,[6] and the art made the symbols of the eucharist more believable.[7]
- brainstorming
- Iconography of the great deesis > vestments > it's a mass
- bench & apostles, etc
- byzantine & should include specific icons
Iconography
The known works of the first generation of Early Netherlandish painters are often characterised by rich and complex iconography with many details having symbolic meaning. According to the art historian John Ward, van Eyck employed these elements to highlight what he saw as the co-existence of the spiritual and material worlds. He often subtly embedded iconographical features into his paintings as "relatively small, in the background, or in the shadow" details.[8] The significance of van Eyck's iconographical elements was often so densely and intricately layered that a single work often had to be viewed multiple times before even the most obvious meaning became apparent. According to Ward, they were commonly positioned "initially to overlook and eventually to discovered".[9] Burroughs writes of the Last Judgement panel, "each of it's several scenes requires attention for itself alone."[10] By forcing the viewer to search for the meaning of the iconography, van Eyck brings a multi-layered experience to the viewer and rewards him with a deeper meaning of the painting and its interwoven symbols.[11]
Much of van Eyck's iconography consisted of symbols conveying "the promised passage from sin and death to salvation and rebirth", [12] and this is especially apparent in the Deësis portion of the right hand panel, which includes images of fundamental Christian doctrines such as the carvings on the bench of the fall of man.[13][14] Art historian Craig Harbison explains that at that time Nicholas of Cusa believed too much emphasis was given to the ritual of the eucharist and van Eyck shows in his paintings the reality behind the ritual and by showing the images of the body of Christ, the crucifixion, the resurrection, and the accompanying symbols, made Mass more meaningful.[15][16] For example, van Eyck repeats iconography associated with the crucifixion in the Last Judgement panel with the two angels on either side of Christ bearing symbols of the crucifixion. The left hand angel holds a lance and crown of thorns, the angel on the right a sponge and nails.[17][18]
- Harbison 2
- Nicholas of Cusa believed too much emphasis on the eucharist & not enough on christ; in the paintings v.E shows the reality behind the eucharist & symbolize the meaning of mass 91
- "These paintings, then, gave the spectators a new way of understanding the Mass...With the help of these images, the sacramental metaphor was made more believable, more real, more true, for van Eyck's patron. p. 92
Iconography current draft
The known works of the first generation of Early Netherlandish painters are often characterised by rich and complex iconography with many details having symbolic meaning. According to the art historian John Ward, van Eyck employed these elements to highlight what he saw as the co-existence of the spiritual and material worlds. He often subtly embedded iconographical features into his paintings as "relatively small, in the background, or in the shadow" details.[8] The significance of van Eyck's iconographical elements was often so densely and intricately layered that a single work often had to be viewed multiple times before even the most obvious meaning became apparent. According to Ward, they were commonly positioned "initially to overlook and eventually to discovered".[19] Burroughs writes of the Last Judgement panel, "each of it's several scenes requires attention for itself alone."[20] By forcing the viewer to search for the meaning of the iconography, van Eyck brings a multi-layered experience to the viewer and rewards him with a deeper meaning of the painting and its interwoven symbols.[21]
Much of van Eyck's iconography consisted of symbols conveying "the promised passage from sin and death to salvation and rebirth", [22] and fundamental Christian doctrines such as carvings of Adam and Eve embedded in paintings showing the fall of man juxtaposed with Christ the Redeemer.[23][24] Art historian Craig Harbison explains that at that time Nicholas of Cusa believed too much emphasis was given to the ritual of the eucharist and van Eyck shows in his paintings the reality behind the ritual and by showing the images of the body of Christ, the crucifixion, the resurrection, and the accompanying symbols, made Mass more meaningful.[25] and that juxtaposing symbolism against realism, "both reality and symbol became more believable".[26]. For example, van Eyck repeats iconography associated with the crucifixion in the Last Judgement panel with the two angels on either side of Christ bearing symbols of the crucifixion. The left hand angel holds a lance and crown of thorns, the angel on the right a sponge and nails.[17][18]
Discussion
- The Ward quote seems off; "be overlooked" and "be discovered" perhaps? Or just "discover" at the end?
- I don't think listing some examples of the iconography would be synthesis - the first paragraph in the section has established that it is intentional - but I wouldn't start with "For example" which connects it back to a specific claim.
- I still don't get how a symbol "becomes more believable". I know this is a direct quote from Harbison but it isn't a very good one. I suppose he means that the symbols become better associated with the elements of reality they are supposed to represent, but that's not what he says. The use of "reality" is difficult here too, as the crucifixion story is largely allegorical and the Last Judgement panel is a vision of the Apocalypse and no more real than the symbols. I'd be inclined to drop the last part of that sentence: Harbison has made his point. Yomanganitalk 11:23, 30 May 2012 (UTC)
- Okay, thanks. Busy today and tomorrow but might get some work done here tomorrow night. I agree about dropping that part of the sentence. I have to re-check the Ward quote - Ceoil thought it was off too. Truthkeeper (talk) 01:09, 31 May 2012 (UTC)
- You also need to differentiate between the two Harbison sources in the refs. On another note I keep seeing Murasaki popping up on my watchlist and though the argument is now too long to read it seems from the initial flurries to be over the lead image being anachronistic. Here's a couple of alternatives that we don't seem to have on WP: I don't know who the first one is by or if it's PD (a Japanese speaker might be able to recognise the gagoin) but the second one is Hiroshige. Ignore them if the argument has moved on, they've already come up, or you can't be bothered. Yomanganitalk 06:33, 31 May 2012 (UTC)
- Yeah I know I have to fix the Harbison sources in mainspace - haven't had time. Thanks so much for these Murasaki images - the first I've seen and never could find to determine whether it's PD so didn't bother to upload, the second would be fine to use. Do you by chance remember where you found them? Truthkeeper (talk) 16:22, 31 May 2012 (UTC)
- Copying in the full Ward quote here so as to decide how much to use because it's very a long sentence:
The short answers to these questions advanced here [how far to look for symbols] is that van Eyck had a specific purpose for symbolic disguise: to delay rather than to prevent recognition; that he wanted any viewer who made a sustained effort to contemplate his pictures and who combined a general familiarity with the Christian doctrine of salvation with some knowledge of traditional symbolic imagery initially to overlook, and eventually to discover, much of the symbolism; and that, given the complexity of symbolic relationships in Van Eyck's pictures and strong evidence of his desire to create works in which, as Panofsky wrote, "all reality is saturated with meaning,"16 overinterpretation is less of a danger than overlooking some of Van Eyck's devices to create a reality in which the spiritual can be glimpsed through the material.[27]
- Lane, Barbara G,The Altar and the Altarpiece, Sacramental Themes in Early Netherlandish Painting, Harper & Row, 1984, ISBN 0064301338 - is short & good on this area. Johnbod (talk) 01:50, 2 June 2012 (UTC)
Iconography
- Harbison
Harbison:
- van Eyck's work tends toward Realist philosophy & he incorporated symbolism to support religious truths 599
- Early 15th c painting developed to make symbols "more believable" 601
- Ward
- 15th c. Netherlandish art characterized by "embedded" symbols > embedded = "relatively small, in the background, or in the shadow" 11
- v.E used embedded symbols/iconography 12
- Ward believes v.E intentionally disguised symbols/iconography to delay recognition for the viewer "initially to overlook, and eventually to discover" the symbols 12
- the spiritual world exists in the material world 12
- Ward believes the symbolism v. pervasive & the work must be studied again and again to see it 12
- v.E "invites" viewer to find even more symbols & a hence a deeper meaning 13
- i.e demon carved above bride's wrist in Arnolfini portrait > which Ward can't decipher 24
- v.E painted symbols/iconography that showed "the promised passage from sin and death to salvation and rebirth" 26
- Card. Rol. > carvings of Adam/Eva = man's fall & christ the redeemer 31
- Symbols are interwoven and invite viewer to search for deeper meaning 32
- v.E uses symbols to "enact the fundamental Christian doctrines" and the paintings seem "come alive" and viewer achieves state of "heightened consciousness" 36
- Harbison 2
- Nicholas of Cusa believed too much emphasis on the eucharist & not enough on christ; in the paintings v.E shows the reality behind the eucharist & symbolize the meaning of mass 91
Iconography
- brainstorming
- Iconography of the great deesis > vestments > it's a mass
- bench & apostles, etc
- byzantine & should include specific icons
Iconography
- Harbison 2
- Nicholas of Cusa believed too much emphasis on the eucharist & not enough on christ; in the paintings v.E shows the reality behind the eucharist & symbolize the meaning of mass 91
- "These paintings, then, gave the spectators a new way of understanding the Mass...With the help of these images, the sacramental metaphor was made more believable, more real, more true, for van Eyck's patron. p. 92
Notes from sources
- Harbison
- van Eyck's work tends toward Realist philosophy & he incorporated symbolism to support religious truths 599
- Early 15th c painting developed to make symbols "more believable" 601
- Ward
- Copying in the full Ward quote here so as to decide how much to use because it's very a long sentence:
The short answers to these questions advanced here [how far to look for symbols] is that van Eyck had a specific purpose for symbolic disguise: to delay rather than to prevent recognition; that he wanted any viewer who made a sustained effort to contemplate his pictures and who combined a general familiarity with the Christian doctrine of salvation with some knowledge of traditional symbolic imagery initially to overlook, and eventually to discover, much of the symbolism; and that, given the complexity of symbolic relationships in Van Eyck's pictures and strong evidence of his desire to create works in which, as Panofsky wrote, "all reality is saturated with meaning,"16 overinterpretation is less of a danger than overlooking some of Van Eyck's devices to create a reality in which the spiritual can be glimpsed through the material.[28]
- 15th c. Netherlandish art characterized by "embedded" symbols > embedded = "relatively small, in the background, or in the shadow" 11
- v.E used embedded symbols/iconography 12
- Ward believes v.E intentionally disguised symbols/iconography to delay recognition for the viewer "initially to overlook, and eventually to discover" the symbols 12
- the spiritual world exists in the material world 12
- Ward believes the symbolism v. pervasive & the work must be studied again and again to see it 12
- v.E "invites" viewer to find even more symbols & a hence a deeper meaning 13
- i.e demon carved above bride's wrist in Arnolfini portrait > which Ward can't decipher 24
- v.E painted symbols/iconography that showed "the promised passage from sin and death to salvation and rebirth" 26
- Card. Rol. > carvings of Adam/Eva = man's fall & christ the redeemer 31
- Symbols are interwoven and invite viewer to search for deeper meaning 32
- v.E uses symbols to "enact the fundamental Christian doctrines" and the paintings seem "come alive" and viewer achieves state of "heightened consciousness" 36
- Harbison 2
- Nicholas of Cusa believed too much emphasis on the eucharist & not enough on christ; in the paintings v.E shows the reality behind the eucharist & symbolize the meaning of mass 91
- "These paintings, then, gave the spectators a new way of understanding the Mass...With the help of these images, the sacramental metaphor was made more believable, more real, more true, for van Eyck's patrons". p. 92
- Charney (??)
- Angels' mulitcolored wings = peacocks and parrots. In Catholic iconography the peacock symbolizes resurrection and the multi-colored parrot = Mary and immaculate conception. 20
- Dhanens
- Ghent altarpiece had a Hell scene in the predella, now lost, "obliterated by incompetent painters" because it was done in watercolor. p. 69
- Ghent altarpiece iconography > sources = scriptures, church, theologians, Rupertus of Duetz (perhaps). Dhanens says Hubert was familiar with earlier medieval symbols to be found in mosaics, wall paintings, etc,. and that he favored "symbolic forms more characteristic of Romanesque and Byzantine art". p. 9
- Pächt
- the concept of rendering a crowd scene emerged in Italy & was known & used in the Duke of Berry's book workshops by 1400 191
- crucifixions w/ crowds typically consisted of "two-tiered composition that was particularly suited to the filling of tall, narrow pictorial formats." 191
- New York crucifixion = steep slope rendered in perspective similar to a tapestry. Artist separated "emotive group around Mary from the hostile crowd" - emotive group is closest to the viewer. Magdalene has her "head thrown back" gazing up to the execution / back against the viewer 191
- Next is a pair of standing figure, backs to the the viewer, then mounted men, they "form a ring around the cross", closest mounted men seen from the rear, farther up the slope seen from the front. Above is Jerusalem, a river valley, a mountain range. The crosses rise high into the sky. 191
- "It is the whole world in one painting, an Orbis Pictus". 191
- Judgment = multiple narrative in "superimposed layers" - Heaven to Hell in a single space 192
- Deeis above/ Michael is the divide between the two. Michael "officiates not as the weigher of souls but as the vanquisher of all evil". 192
- Death = largest figure. Batwinged skeleton, bony arms & legs parallel to wings, arches above hell [CP here] 192
- Death = protagonist in the painting 192
- Archangel = victory over death but "the viewer finds it hard to believe that this youthful warrior can ever prevail against his monstrous adversary" 192
- Punishments of wicked = more convincing than the rewards of the virtuous [a little close to the source here] 192
- Hell more detail than heaven > w/ a "whole fauna of zoomorphic fiends" it's a "bestiary of hell" derived from medieval monsters. Made real & natural = more terrifying than any hell seen before 192
- On death's wings are written CHAOS MAGNUM (Great Chaos)/ UMBRA MORTIS (the Shadow of Death) 194
- Middle ground = resurrection & earth. Fires here but no fires in hell 194/195
- "In heaven itself, all is sweetness, gentleness and order" > clergy are shown on the left, laity to the right - segregated by angels 195
- Note: Pacht thinks more Hubert than Jan, & definitely the artist of from the Milan/Turin hours. Refers throughout as "the artist" the "van Eyckian artist" > won't attribute to either brother
Tweaks needed
Some repetition in lead - 1st para mentions that the top of the judgement painted by followers/workshop members > repeated in last para
"Art historian Erwin Panofsky believed the Crucifixion and Last Judgement panels were intended as a diptych rather than a triptych" > this seems to come out of nowhere >> suggest dumping this unless it's absolutely necessary > striking b/c prob okay
"In 1983, Belting and Eichberger suggested c. 1430 based on the narrative character of the works; a style defined by a "birds-eye view" perspective and horizon, densely packed figures and, especially, a pictorial narrative that moves logically across the areas of the image.[29] Belting and Eichberger believe this style was employed during the early panel works, but was largely abandoned by the 1430s.[30]" >somewhere I read that this had to do with "tapestry/wallpaper" style b/c he was also painting wall murals and designing tapestries during these years. >> Pacht 191
- "Bryson Burroughs, writing for the Metropolitan at the time of their acquisition in 1933, attributed the works to Hubert, at time still often credited works now usually assigned to Jan." >> awk
- Re Pacht and heaven (this all he says about heaven): "In heaven itself all is sweetness, gentleness and order. Neatly segregated, and escorted by angels, the clergy on the left and the laity on the right proceed to their eternal bliss." > page number???
Two Panofsky sources? 1964 and 1969 - or are these the same?
- Re-read Labuda and Burroughs re narrative & perspective
- "In the Last Judgement the damned<!--and the saved, unless everyone is damned--> are placed in the lower mid-ground while the saints and angels are positioned higher in the upper foreground." > rewrite; damned in hell; damned & saved in middle, the rest in heaven. How does Borchert describe it?
- Van Eyck was a central influence on Petrus Christus and the younger painter is known to have studied the panels while they were still in van Eyck's workshop.[31]<!--any more detail on this? When, how do we know?-->
Reread sources re sybils - read somewhere that the one on the right might be the donor (?) try to find that
- Donors: according to the Met website a possible donor is as follows: "Some writers have plausibly suggested that this individual may be the man elegantly dressed in an ermine-trimmed coat and extravagant hat who is shown at the right beneath the cross in the Crucifixion."
Scorn
How bitterly our painter hated those who surrounded the crosses, all but the centurion who recognizes the divinity of Christ, the brutal, impassive soldiers to whom the occasion is just something in the day's work, those who regard with satisfaction the execution as a triumph of law and order, the idle onlookers with their carelessness or their amused curiosity, those who have come to the Crucifixion as to a spectacle! [32]
Sources
- Dhanens, Elisabeth. Hubert and Jan van Eyck. New York: Tabard Press. 1980. ISBN 0-914427-00-8
- Harbison, Craig. Jan Van Eyck: The Play of Realism. London: Reaktion Books, 1991. ISBN 978-094-846279-5
- Harbison, Craig. "Realism and Symbolism in Early Flemish Painting". The Art Bulletin, Volume 66, No. 4, 1984. 588-602
- Pächt, Otto. Van Eyck and the Founders of Early Netherlandish Painting. 1999. London: Harvey Miller Publishers. ISBN 1-872501-28-1
- Ward, John. "Disguised Symbolism as Enactive Symbolism in Van Eyck's Paintings". Artibus et Historiae, Volume 15, No. 29, 1994. 9-53
- Weale, Edward. The Van Eyck's and their Art
Stuff rescued from elsewhere
- Bouts
- Dunkerton, Jill. Giotto to Dürer: early Renaissance painting in The National Gallery. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1991 ISBN 978-030-0050-820
- Koch, Robert. "The Getty 'Annunciation' by Dieric Bouts". The Burlington Magazine, The Burlington Magazine, Volume 130, No. 1024, July 1988.
- Leonard, Mark, et. al. Dieric Bouts's 'Annunciation'. Materials and Techniques: A Summary. The Burlington Magazine, Volume 130, No. 1024, July 1988.
- van der Weyden
- Crispin, Philip. "Scandal, Malice and the Bazoche". in Harper, April, Proctor, Caroline (eds). Medieval Sexuality: A Casebook. New York: Routledge, 2008. ISBN 0-415-97831-6 Parameter error in {{ISBN}}: checksum
|