Arnolfini and His Bride

   Before break we were discussing love, so I chose to analyze a painting that portrays a more formal depiction of love from the 1400's. This piece, filled with hidden messages, is considered to be one of the most famous celebrations of love and reveals to us the inner meaning of what was believed to be a true marriage.

  This piece, even though originally unnamed, his referred to as many things such as "The Arnolfini Marriage" or "Arnolfini and his bride" or "Arnolfini wedding portrait". This was created by Jan Van Eyck in 1434 with oil paint. This painting is can be considered the epitome of Northern Renaissance art, exemplifying two major characteristics of this artistic movement, hidden symbols and a certain detailed realism that focused on the tiniest detail of every image.

 In this painting we see Giovanni Arnolfini, a prosperous Italian banker who had settled in Bruges, and his wife, standing side by side in a bridal chamber, facing towards the viewer. The husband is holding out his wife's hand. Despite the restricted space, Van Eyck has surrounded the couple with many, very detailed symbols.To the left, is what is believed to be oranges placed on the low table and the windowsill are a reminder of an original innocence, of an age before sin. Unless, that is, they are not in fact oranges but apples. In which case they would represent the temptation of knowledge and the Fall, but it is difficult to tell which it truly is. Above their heads, the candle that has been left burning on one of the branches of an ornate copper chandelier can be interpreted as the nuptial flame, or the eye of God. The small dog in the foreground is an emblem of fidelity, loyalty, and true love. Meanwhile, the marriage bed with its bright red curtains evokes the physical act of love which, according to Christian doctrine, is an essential part of the perfect union of man and wife.

  The focal point of the whole composition is the mirror, not the couple themselves, and what can be seen when looking into it. Two tiny figures can be seen reflected in it, they have been identified as the painter himself and a young man, arriving to act as witnesses to the marriage. The essential point, however, is the fact that the convex mirror is able to absorb and reflect in a single image both the floor and the ceiling of the room, as well as the sky and the garden outside, both of which are otherwise barely visible through the side window. The mirror thus acts as a sort of hole in the texture of space. It sucks the entire visual world into itself, transforming it into a representation. This detail is particularly amazing because it is so small, one of the smaller details in the image but one of the most magnificent.