1. The Renaissance in Northern
Europe
Dates
1420 – 1520

2. Painting in 15th century Flanders
Characteristics
 Solemn facial features and awkward unreal figure postures
 Less emphasis on perspective than in Italy
 Sacred scenes often portrayed in ordinary domestic interiors
 Space was often distorted to fit aspects of domestic life
 Devices like mirrors were used to reflect hidden sides of a room
 Landscape was often depicted through an open window
 Atmospheric perspective used in landscape
 Close observation of nature by artists
 Detailed perfection in the painting of flowers, jewels, shiny metal,
glass, fur, velvet and other expensive fabrics
In the cities of Ghent and Bruges (modern day Belgium)

3. Materials and techniques
 Oil painting on wood panel
 This was slow drying and allowed artists to blend the colours
and make changes more easily
 It dried to a hard, opaque, enamel like finish with a shiny
velvety texture

4. Jan Van Eyck
 Worked for time with his brother Hubert
 Perfected skills in oil painting to a very high level
 Developed ‘atmospheric perspective’ - the blurring of colours
and shapes in the distance
 Painted very fine realistic detail

5. Madonna of the Chancellor Rolin 1422
Jan van EYCK Musée du Louvre Paris

6. The Ghent Altarpiece
1432 – closed doors
Hubert and Jan van EYCK
Cathedral of St Bavo Ghent
Belgium

7. The Ghent Altarpiece
1432 – open doors
Hubert and Jan van EYCK
Cathedral of St Bavo Ghent
Belgium

8. The Ghent Altarpiece (details)
God Almighty Virgin Mary 1426-29
Cathedral of St Bavo Ghent Belgium

9. Adoration of the Lamb - Central panel from The Ghent Altarpiece
1425-29
Hubert and Jan van EYCK
Cathedral of St Bavo Ghent Belgium

10. The Arnolofini Marriage
 An Italian merchant Giovanni Arnolfini and his fiancée Giovanna
Cenami of Bruges
 The painting celebrates their betrothal
 Painted in minute detail
Symbolic details include:
 Shoes to suggest a holy place
 The dog for faithfulness in marriage
 The bride’s ‘pregnancy’ children to come
 Reflection of the artist in the mirror between the figures suggests he is
a witness
 His name written in Latin on the wall translates to ‘Jan Van Eyck was
here 1434’

11. Portrait of Giovanni
Arnolfini and his
Wife1434
Jan van EYCK
National Gallery, London

12. Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and his Wife (detail)1434
National Gallery, London

13. Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and his Wife (detail)
1434
National Gallery, London

14. The Renaissance in Germany
 Albrect Dürer
 A educated and well travelled man
 He was also a humanist
 Northern humanism was different to the Italian and had a strong
spirit of religious reform
 He was very influenced by Italian art but remained very much
his own person with his own ideas
 His works include a remarkable series of self portraits
 His made his first drawing of himself at just 13 years old

15. Self-Portrait at 26
1498
Albrect Dürer
Museo del Prado,
Madrid

16. Self-Portrait in a Fur-Collared
Robe
1500
Albrect Dürer
Alte Pinakothek, Munich
•The artist portrays a Christ
like image of himself
•This was a statement of his
faith
•His talents were God given
because God had created
man
•It is man’s duty to to follow
Christ’s example

17. Dürers woodcuts and engravings
 Dürer was an excellent draftsman
 He worked mainly as a graphic artist
 He took advantage of new technology as an opportunity for
production and distribution.
 He used wood engraving blocks and copper plates to make
copies.
 His own publishing business of printed graphics was equal to
that of his work as a painter

18. The Revelation of St John: 4.
The Four Riders of the
Apocalypse
1497-98 Woodcut,
Albrect Dürer
Kupferstichkabinett, Staatliche
Kunsthalle, Karlsruhe

19. All images from Web Gallery of Art www.wga.hu

20. Acknowledgements
Art Associates
Maria Moore
Margaret O’Shea
Local Facilitator Team
Aine Andrews
Joe Caslin
Jane Campbell
Siobhan Campbell
Niamh O’Donoghue
Niamh O’Neill
Keith O’Rahilly
Sheena McKeon
Tony Morrissey
Monica White
Many thanks to the following for their invaluable contribution to the European
Art History and Appreciation series of workshops and resource materials.
PDST Professional Development Service for Teachers

21. PDST Professional Development Service for Teachers
The PDST is funded by the
Department of Education and
Skills under the National
Development Plan 2007 -
2013
Cultural & Environmental Education
Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST)
Dublin West Education Centre,
Old Blessington Road,
Tallaght,
Dublin 24
National Co-ordinator
Conor Harrison
Mobile: 087 240 5710
E-mail: conorharrison@pdst.ie
Administrator
Angie Grogan
Tel: 014528018 Fax: 014528010
E-mail: angiegrogan@pdst.ie.