Early Netherlandish Painting

Together with Italy, the leading region in Europe for the production of paintings during the fifteenth century was an area roughly corresponding to modern-day Belgium. Several of the greatest painters of the time worked there, including Jan van Eyck and Rogier van der Weyden, whose works we will study in this course. The image on the screen depicts a part of van Eyck’s The Arnolfini Portrait (1434), housed in the National Gallery in London. It serves as a great example of the main characteristics of Netherlandish painting, where artists sought to achieve a higher degree of realism than their medieval predecessors. Unlike Italian artists who emphasized linear perspective to create depth, Netherlandish artists focused on the meticulous rendering of details in objects and materials to create lifelike realism. The lamp, mirror, and other details in van Eyck’s work illustrate this technique, giving the illusion of reality with remarkable precision. However, this emphasis on realism coexisted with strong symbolic elements. Netherlandish painters still used symbolism to communicate deeper meanings, which could be linked to religious, social, or personal contexts. In van Eyck’s The Virgin of Chancellor Rolin (c. 1435), a vineyard appears behind the figure of the Chancellor. At first glance, it may seem like just a landscape, but it’s symbolic. Art historians have noted that Rolin, the man depicted, made his wealth from vineyards in Burgundy. Thus, the vineyard serves not just as a natural backdrop but also as a subtle reference to his wealth and status, blending realism with symbolism. Now, before we focus on van Eyck and van der Weyden’s achievements, let’s clarify two important concepts: Netherlandish painting and the technique of oil painting. Netherlandish painting refers to the work of artists in the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries in what is now Belgium and the Netherlands. This region, especially cities like Brugge, Ghent, Brussels, and Leuven, was home to many leading painters of the time. The term early Netherlandish painting specifically refers to the period when these artists were active, around 1400 to 1500. The second concept is the technique of oil painting, which was used by Netherlandish artists instead of the tempera technique common in Italy. Oil painting was groundbreaking because the pigments were mixed with oil (often linseed oil) instead of egg yolk, which allowed for a smoother, more translucent finish. Unlike tempera, which dries quickly and is opaque, oil paint dries slowly and creates a characteristic gloss, allowing for smooth color blending and depth. This ability to build up thin layers of paint over a white ground created a luminous effect in paintings, where light seemed to emanate from the surface. A restorer once described it like spreading dark jam over buttered toast—the white beneath makes the dark layer appear to glow. This effect was key to the richness of Netherlandish painting. Additionally, the slow drying time of oil paint allowed artists to blend colors gradually, creating smoother transitions between light and shadow. This was particularly evident in the smooth modeling of volume, as seen in van Eyck’s portrayal of the human form. The gradual shift in tones on the belly and legs in his paintings creates a lifelike, three-dimensional effect that would be hard to achieve with tempera. By the sixteenth century, oil painting became the dominant technique throughout Europe, though its use evolved. While other artists focused more on texture and surface qualities, the Netherlandish artists maintained their focus on precision and meticulous detail, making their works uniquely expressive way.

Images in Video: The Fifteenth Century in the Netherlands

of workshop of Robert Campin, Annuntiation Triptych (known as Merode Altarpiece), c. 1427-1432,