Northern Renaissance

            In the documentary of the Northern Renaissance, many ideas and thoughts were changing at a unfathomable rate. From the beginning of the Renaissance in Flanders, to the eventual renaissance in Italy. Before the renaissance, many of society’s thoughts and action were under the influence of the Church, specifically the Roman Catholic Church. Artists could not proclaim or sign their art because the Church thought it a sin of vanity and egotism. So many artists were anonymous. The video heavily discusses the starter of the new renaissance, Jan Van Eyck. Jan Van Eyck gave birth to a new revolution in art, at the time sculpture was thought of as the supreme art form because of the ability of artists to depict humans in the round, giving them a more realistic appearance. Sculptors such as Sluter achieved a new level of sculpting were not only did he sculpt humans, but he gave complex detail to the clothing and face to give the viewer the illusion that the sculptures were real human beings. As well as the clothing was given a sense that it was flowing and real.

Jan Van Eyck, like Sluter, wanted to reach a new level of realism, but he wanted to expand it to other medium. Before the Renaissance, tapestries were considered very valuable and high art, but as new ideas came, people wanted a new fresh take on art. Jan Van Eyck was one of the first to use oil painting as a medium to make supreme art. Many of the art produced at this time was religious scenes, famous victories, and sacred peoples. Eyck changed that by paint self-portraits, daily activity scenes, and modest normal people. Unlike the previous painters of his time who were anonymous Eyck made an effort to make his mark on his artworks, such as signatures, self-mottos, and inserting himself in painting. This was he was able to be globally known. What also gave him and other future painters more fame was the invention of the printing press. This allowed artists artwork to be copied and distributed, so that more people found out about their work.

            At the time of the renaissance there was two Popes in conflict that both proclaimed they were they real Pope. This caused many to doubt and distrust the Church and start looking for answers themselves. This allowed people like Jan Van Eyck to make his own interpretations of religious scenes. What made Eyck so different from other painters was his use of detail. He was determined to incorporate as much detail as possible. Not only that, but he wanted his work to look as real as possible. Eyck’s skill in layering oil paint allowed him to give a consistent illusion of reality, which astounded people of that time until today. The pigments he used were derived from various natural elements and involved a long and difficult process, so being as labor intensive, it was expensive to obtain oil paints. Eyck’s skill gave him the sponsorship of noblemen such as the Duke of Burgundy to finance his profession.

            During the Northern Renaissance, change was coming forth and going towards realism. To achieve a new level of skill and thinking, art during the renaissance was trying to convey itself more as a natural thing in the world, rather than a window open to the world. Oil painting especially captured this and very quickly became the new supreme art.