Mérode Altarpiece By Robert Campin Analysis

464 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: The influence of renaissance art

The Mérode Altarpiece possibly by Robert Campin was created during the Early Renaissance in the 1400s. At this time, the Renaissance brought back the interest in the natural and secular world after many years of Christian church doctrine. Therefore, the Renaissance is a rebirth to represent the material world, portray the human body accurately and use scientific ways to create linear and atmospheric perspective to reproduce the appearance of the natural world. However, the Renaissance not only occurred in Italy, but also in the Low Countries that are located in the north of the Alps such as Belgium and Netherlands, which is where the piece was painted. The Mérode Altarpiece is a triptych because it includes 3 paintings in one or 3 panels with hinges that can be closed together. The painting on the left shows two people praying and on the right a man is working. As can be seen, the painting in the middle is a recreation of the Annunciation scene stated in the Bible where the angel Gabriel descends from heaven to tell Mary that she will have a baby named Jesus who is the son of God. …show more content…

A couple of symbols that can be observed closely in the middle painting are the lily flower which is Mary’s symbolic flower, the vessel in the niche represents Mary’s womb, the star pattern in her dress is the star of Bethlehem that the Magi were looking for and underneath the window is a little guy carrying the cross, a symbol of Jesus’s crucifixion. In the right painting the symbol of the grapes are inferred implicitly because Joseph is making tools to harvest grapes which are needed to make the wine used in the Holy Communion which then becomes the blood of

Show More
Related

  • Saint Peter Altarpiece

    803 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Altarpiece of Saint Peter Art is a window to the past and there is no place other than the many museums of the world where this is more strongly felt. More specifically, it is also seen through Martin de Soria's work, The Altarpiece of Saint Peter, which was completed around 1480. According to the panel near the altarpiece in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the piece is an enormous work of tempera on panel with parchment ground; it is a typical Spanish altarpiece of the medieval period and is comprised of a complex arrangement of twenty-six paintings. This piece was chosen as a representative of the medieval period because its emphasis is placed entirely on religion, the style with which it was painted and decorated

    Read More

  • Sculpture: The Betrayal and Arrest of Christ

    639 Words  | 2 Pages

    This is an extremely high relief sculpture made of limestone. It is to be viewed from a frontal standpoint. It however does have a potential for movement. There seems to be a great deal going on in such a close space. It is very crowded, but dramatic. The figures are intertwining with each other all at once even though there are different things happening. It reminds me of a play with scenes. You can actually step in to it and feel as though you are a part of what is happening because of all the different directions each individual is facing.

    Read More

  • Art Analysis: Adoration of the Magi by Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi

    573 Words  | 2 Pages

    This altarpiece painting was done in tempera paint on wood by Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi. He became known as Sandro Botticelli. “Botticelli” was a nickname given by his older brother meaning 'small wine cask'. “(Artble, 2014). According to our textbook, this painting is one of four Adorations he painted that have achieved lasting fame. (Wold, 2008) Botticelli was an Italian Renaissance painter whose life spanned from 1440-1510. I was unable to verify where he was born, but most of the information I came across seemed to agree his home town was Florence, Italy. “During his lifetime he was one of the most acclaimed painters in Italy, being summoned to take part in the decoration of the Sistine Chapel in Rome and earning the patronage of the leading families of Florence, including the Medici.” (Artble, 2014). Adoration of the Magi is a religious painting of the entire Medici family which was characteristic to this era. Our textbook explains that during this period the wealthy and powerful people liked “leave likenesses of them...

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Research Paper

    343 Words  | 1 Pages

    Both sculptures represent Mary holding the dead body of Jesus. According to our textbook, “This figure group represented a challenge for sculptors, because the body of the adult Christ had to be positioned across his mother’s lap,” (139). Both of the sculptures were created through carving. This is a “subtractive process in which a block of material is cut away to reveal the desired form,” (Carving).

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Ghent Altarpiece

    734 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Ghent Altarpiece painted in completeness by Jan and Hubert van Eyck in 1432. This altarpiece is filled with symbolism. One of the most important pieces of the altar is the Deity Enthroned, which represents the Lord in Christianity. The painting covered with symbols and words. The artists portrays many signs with different meanings from the deity’s clothes to the background.

    Read More

  • Comparing Northern Renaissance And Italian Renaissance Art

    1192 Words  | 3 Pages

    While the Flemish were proficient in oil painting, Italian Renaissance artists continued their predecessor’s use of tempera. Furthermore, the paintings were ultimately created for different purposes and separate viewers. Although both works are centered on the defining moment of the annunciation, The Merode Altarpiece incorporates this scene into a secular setting, therefore differing from Fra Angelico’s The Annunciation which was painted for a monastery. Finally, Flemish and Italian Renaissance paintings differ in levels of realism. Although the Flemish painters were skilled in portraying realism of physical forms, they lacked a full understanding of linear perspective. In contrast, the Italian Renaissance artists were well versed in linear perspective but lacked a complete grasp of the natural

    Read More

  • Greek Vase Analysis

    1005 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a Greek vase depicts the moment of Demeter seeing her daughter, Persephone, returning from the underworld every half year. According to the painted figures, the vase was made in 440 B.C., which defined as classical period. Classical period is ranged from 480 B.C. to 323 B.C. The paintings on vases, during this time, are characterized by their more emotional descriptions of bodies, while, in the earlier Geometric period (1200/1000-750/700 B.C.), the torso of figures is geometrical and made of rigid patterns. Between Geometric period and Classical period is Archaic period. During this age, the painted figures on the vase are shifting from statistic patterns to vivid descriptions. This painting on the vase can

    Read More

  • Room 15: Renaissance Art Analysis

    1199 Words  | 3 Pages

    Walker really saw beauty in the Madonnas of Sassoferrato’s paintings because of the strong emotions that he portrays in her face. After seeing this painting, I would go to Room 15 to see some of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous works of art. His piece, Annunciation, is a perfect depiction of da Vinci’s incorporation of science within art. In the painting, the Archangel Gabriel, who was sent by God, is telling Mary that she will be the mother of Jesus. The Archangel Gabriel’s wings are a real bird’s wings, not just an artistic representation of wings. The scene takes place in an enclosed garden, and Gabriel is holding a Madonna lily to symbolize Mary’s virginity and the city of Florence (“The Annunciation”). There are many more famous paintings that

    Read More

  • Virgin Child And Saint John Analysis

    866 Words  | 2 Pages

    The immediate background consists of natural mounds of dirt and a brick wall that enclose the Virgin, Child, and St. John, amplifying the protective effect that Mary’s figure has. The dirt mounds roll inward with a brick wall bordering them on the right, drawing the viewer’s attention towards the three figures. The background is painted in broad terms, with a simple, uniform depiction of tree leaves and smooth rock faces on the horizon. This contrasts with the fine-lined detail and texture of Mary’s hair, facial features, and veil, which further contribute to her elegance and highlight her

    Read More

  • The Virgin In The Temple By Giotto Analysis

    234 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the panel Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple by Giotto the scene shows Mary at three years old with her parents, Anna and Jaochim, at the temple to be consecrated to God. This painting can be found in the Arena Chapel in the horizontal series of panels devoted to the Life of Virgin Mary, and is placed on top of the Baptism of Christ and the Crucifixion of Christ. The panel shows Mary in the center, on the steps of the temple in a bright white robe with a crowd of people facing her. Anna, Jaochim, and Mary all have golden halos around their head to symbolize their holiness, a common motif in works of the time. The priest’s hand reaches out to Mary and Mary’s mother Anna, seems to be in unity with the priest because they are wearing

    Read More

  • Fra Angelico Naturalism

    793 Words  | 2 Pages

    This painting has its origins between the periods of 1420-1423AD. This painting shows the scene of Jesus crucifixion on Golgotha. Some of the iconography portrayed in this painting are things like the expressions of the people in this scene and colors of clothing worn. In this scene we can see the cloth around the waist of Christ is white colored, which means purity or righteousness. Some people in the painting are shown wearing black, which shows death or sorrow and is befitting of this crucifixion scene. The mantle on Mary is colored blue due to her being highly regarded as the “Mother of God” by the church. The Skull is symbolic to represent the place in which the crucifixion takes place. The place in which Jesus was crucified was Golgotha which means in Hebrew “a place of a skull”. The expressions of the people in this scene shows varied attitudes of what is taking place. These expressions range from Mary’s collapse in grief, the indifferent attitude of some of the soldiers, and the look of astonishment from those of with Mary. Halos were still used to represent the holiness of Jesus and the

    Read More

  • Giotto Vs Duccio Essay

    603 Words  | 2 Pages

    She represented a divide but also a human, a bridge between human world and heaven. Both Duccio and Giotto painting put the most important figures which are larger in the central of their paintings along with the lesser ones on the sides. In those paintings, the enthroned Virgin holding baby Jesus was surrounded by angels and saints. Despite having a similar composition, Duccio’s saints are clearly identifiable by their clothes and personal objects in a rigidly symmetrical layout which derive from Byzantines tradition composition of formality and symmetry. Meanwhile, Giotto paintings is only vertically symmetrical, the surrounding saints is a little bit curve which create a sense of perspective. In addition, in Duccio painting, Virgin Mary turns her thigh toward the picture plane, but the knee in Giotto comes forward, which is foreshortened. This space illusion creates a stronger feel of Mary sitting on her throne as if she has weight comparing to Duccio's elegant but flat figure pose. For the throne, they both used perspective drawing as the step coming toward the viewer. However, Giotto’s perspective is stronger because of the multiple steps instead of just one like Duccio. The two angels clearly in the front of the thrones also help with the depth of the painting while Duccio’s front crowd is on the same line with the step. The arch above Mary with different

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Christ Before Pilate

    1722 Words  | 4 Pages

    The subject matter of the painting contains various stories from the latter parts of the life of Jesus Christ. While these events form

    Read More

  • The Last Supper Essay

    807 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the painting Jesus Christ is portrayed while giving the Eucharist to the apostles. The Eucharist is the act of Jesus of sharing and blessing the wine and the bread for his last supper. During the portrayed moment Jesus was also pronouncing some of the most famous verses of the Christian Religion “ Tomorrow at midnight, one of you is going to betray on

    Read More

  • Italian Art Vs Renaissance Art

    1413 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Annunciation Triptych (Merode Altarpiece) was created in the workshop of Robert Campin. This work was created from 1427–1432 C.E., and is oil on wood. This work is a depiction

    Read More

More about Mérode Altarpiece By Robert Campin Analysis

Open Document