Post #9- Reading GRQ Discussion- Renaissance and Modern Art

GRQ Questions:

1. portraiture

2. window

3. linear perspective

4. aerial perspective

5. Masaccio

6. Brunelleschi

7. Jan van Eyck

8. Leonardo's

9. The School of Athens, the Birth of Venus

10. Stonebreakers

11. David

12. Modern

13. "Avant-garde"

14. Autonomous

15. "kitsch"

Discussion:

During a class discussion this week we analyzed the Arnolfini painting and tried to determine if it was a memorial or wedding portrait. Most of the class determined it was a wedding portrait, but I am convinced it was painted as a memorial. There were many symbols that indicated it could be either one, but there were some that stood out to me and convinced me otherwise. The first thing I noticed was the all black clothing on the male. Nowadays, whenever someone dresses in all black it signifies mourning and a funeral. After diving deeper into the painting and researching what different things mean, I found a few interesting things that point to a memorial painting. One thing was the gargoyle behind the woman’s hand, which signifies doom. This rang an alarm for me and made me keep digging to find more symbols. The next one I found was the meaning of the dog in front of the woman. Dogs in the ancient Roman times were used on the tombstones of women as a guide and guard into the afterlife. The dog being on the woman’s side made me believe that the woman is deceased and this is a husband clinging to the memory of his wife. In addition I learned that the decorations on the mirror have their own meanings. The left side is covered with symbols of Christ’s life (the man’s side), and the right has scenes of death and resurrection (the woman’s side). One more symbol I found was the chandelier and how that plays into the debate. The chandelier holds 1 candle on the left side, but there isn’t anything on the right. The candle burns on the side of the man while the woman’s side has wax dripping from its spot. This is interpreted as signifying the life of the man and the death of the woman as her candle is no longer there, meaning neither is she. There were many symbols that went both ways in determining the true purpose of the painting, but I am convinced that this was a memorial for the husband’s wife. I would go as far to say that the painting might be a memory of their wedding day, but with key symbols added to show that the wife is no longer alive.

Camara Obscura Project:

Click here to view Dropbox folder