1. NORTHERN EUROPE, 1400-1500 GARDNER CHAPTER 20-2 PP. 527-532

2. ROGIER VAN DER WEYDEN  Rogier van der Weyden, Deposition, center panel from triptych, Louvain, Belgium, ca. 1435, oil on wood  Dynamic compositions stressing human action and drama  Shallow stage for figures jammed into a confining space  Great attention to details  Strong emotional impact of the scene -> depiction of desolating anguish -> passionate sorrow -> depiction of the agony of loss  Patrons of the archers’ guild symbolized in crossbows in the corners  Figures in mirrored compositions -> Christ and Mary

3. THE ARTISTS PROFESSION IN FLANDERS  Guilds controlled the Flemish artists’ profession  Apprenticeship -> then became a journeyman -> then became eligible to become a master and apply for admission to the guild  Through the guild the artist obtained commissions  The guild enforced quality control  Women were excluded from apprenticeship as they involved living in homes of male masters  Later from the 16 th century on women were excluded academic training -> figure painting involved dissection of cadavers and study of the male nude models  Most often women artists were trained by their fathers and husbands

4. SAINT LUKE  Rogier van der Weyden, Saint Luke Drawing the Virgin, ca. 1435-1440, oil and tempera on wood  Probably commissioned by the Guild of Saint Luke -> the artists in Brussels  Some believe that the figure of Saint Luke is a self-portrait of Rogier  Recording of every detail w/loving fidelity to optical appearance  Ox on right -> symbol of Saint Luke  Carved armrest -> Adam, Eve, Serpent -> reminds viewer that Mary is the new Eve and Christ is the new Adam who will redeem humanity from Original Sin

5. PORTRAIT OF A LADY  Rogier van der Weyden, Portrait of a Lady, ca. 1460, oil on panel  Private portrait -> dress and bearing imply noble rank  Lowered eyes, tightly locked fingers, and fragile physique = pious and reserved demeanor

6. PETRUS CHRISTUS  Robert Campin, Jan van Eyck, and Rogier van der Weyden = first generation of the “Northern Renaissance”  Second generation -> 2 nd half the 15 th century  Petrus Christus, A Goldsmith in His Shop, 1449, oil on wood, 3’3” x 2’10”  Traditional interpretation -> Saint Eligius -> marriage couple selecting rings -> betrothal girdle on the table as a symbol of chastity -> crystal container for Eucharist wafer on right = scene of a religious nature

7. PETRUS CHRISTUS  More recent scholarship -> painting should be seen in context of the tradition of vocational paintings for installation in guild chapels  Commissioned by goldsmiths’ guild in Bruges -> Saint Eligius was the patron saint of smiths  New interpretation = depiction of an economic transaction and focuses on the goldsmiths’ profession  Objects depicted serve as advertisement for the guild -> raw materials like stones, beads, crystal, coral, pearls and finished products like rings, buckles, brooches  Convex mirror shows another couple and street outside the shop

8. DIRK BOUTS  Dirk Bouts, central panel of The Last Supper, 1464-1468, oil on wood, St. Peter’s, Louvain, Belgium  Influence of Italian painting -> one of the earliest Northern European paintings to use a VANISHING POINT -> all of the orthogonals lead to single vanishing point in the center of mantelpiece above Christ’s head  Less the Biblical drama of the Last Supper than the seriousness of the sacrament being created  Four contemporaries appear as servants -> perhaps they are the patrons of the painting

9. HUGO VAN DER GOES  Hugo van der Goes, Portinari Altarpiece, from Sant’Egidio, Florence, Italy, ca. 1476, tempera and oil on wood  Rare instance of the awarding of a major commission in Florence to a Flemish painter  Central image is the Adoration of the Shepherds  Portinari, the patron of the painting, his family and their patron saints appear on the wings  Mary is the central figure -> Christ placed on a sheaf of wheat symbolizing the Eucharist -> from the right rear enter the shepherds -> wintry northern landscape unify the three panels -> flowers symbolize the sorrows of the Virgin -> variation of in the scale of figures/scenes in the background

10. HANS MEMLING  Hans Memling, Virgin with Saints and Angels, center panel of the Saint John Altarpiece, Hospitaal Sint Jan, Bruges, Belgium, 1479, oil on wood, 5’8”x5’8”  Exudes opulence -> rich colors, tapestries and brocades, balanced and serene, sparkling and luminous colors, execution of highest technical quality = all characteristics of 15 th century painting