Posts tagged ‘Jan van Eyck’

May 22

The Ghent Altarpiece in Person

Some people travel to new countries to expand the percentage of the world they’ve seen. Some less adventurous but equally ambitious travelers try to visit all 50 US States, all the Major League baseball parks or some other coherent list of places. Personally, I travel to see art. Jan van Eyck’s Ghent Altarpiece was high on my “To Do List”. Sadly, efforts to protect and preserve the work really interfered with my enjoyment of the painting, making this art pilgrimage a little disappointing.

My favorite panels are the three mystic figures in the upper central section of the altarpiece – Mary, God the Father/Jesus, and St. John the Baptist (shown). (Photo: Wikicommons)

Apr 29

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A Heavenly Van Eyck

You know the cliché about the incredible man or woman who turns heads as they enter the room? Somehow they have a power, beauty or shear presence that cannot be ignored. That’s essentially my experience seeing Jan van Eyck’s The Madonna and Child with Canon van der Paele at the Groeningemuseum in Bruges. As many times as I left the gallery and walked back in, I couldn’t escape it. The painting glowed with a brilliant depth of color and mesmerizing realism. It was a window into some heavenly scene surrounded by dull and simple paintings – which is particularly impressive considering the gallery was filled with works by Hans Memling and even a few small van Eyck’s! This painting is simply a masterpiece.