Renaissance Blog
Robert Campin Master of Flemalle
Portrait of a women and Portrait of a man
Portrait of a Man. c.1430. National Gallery London. (s)
These paintings were painted by Robert Campin, or Master of
Flemalle, as he was known. He was a
Flemish painter of the northern Renaissance and was one of the first artists to
depict realistic interpretations of the subjects he was painting. He was also one of the first painters of the
time to experiment with oil paints, along with Jan van Eyck. These paintings were created in 1430.
In the paintings we can see that even though we do not know
who these two people are, we can tell that they are not excessively rich by
their clothing. Most likely they were just towns people used as subjects for
the paintings. Although the paintings are two different paintings, they were
painted as a set and are displayed as though they are looking at each other.
The paintings provide a since of texture through the skin
and fabrics presented. It looks as though he has captured every little wrinkle or blemish. There is a great deal of detail within the
paintings. I think the fact that Camping
was able to capture the facial expressions so will make these paintings stand
out. They make you wonder what the subjects were thinking or feeling at the
time. The presentation of the paintings is very simplistic. Since they are very
simple, the focus is drawn to the faces themselves, not just the painting.
These paintings would be of the humanistic style of
painting. It is a highly realistic work of art and uses shading to define the
perspective that is meant to be seen. Campin has used illusionistic techniques
to showcase the detailed features on both the woman’s and the man’s face. These
are both key techniques that are used when painting humanistic style paintings.
The way he used what appears to be light to capture every detail he possible
can.
I do not think I would have copies of these in my home.
Although I like them, they are not my style. In my opinion these paintings are
great representations of the people presented in them. They are so detailed,
they could possible be mistaken as photographs.
The National Gallery. https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/robert-campin-a-woman
The National Gallery. https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/robert-campin-a-man
Vincent Finnan. Italian Renaissance-Art.com https://www.italian-renaissance-art.com/Robert-Campin.html
2008-2021
Hi Lisa,
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned how the viewer could easily wonder what the people are thinking, spot on! This is exactly what I want to know. One of the elements of the paintings stands out to me, I'm curious what you think of it -the light source. It looks as if the woman has light from many directions, there are minimal shadows. Then the man has the majority of his light coming from his right. The turban allows the artist to extenuate the mans wrinkles. Then I thought about the color scheme. I find this interesting because the woman depicts youthfulness and life while the man shows the wear and tear of life. Maybe I'm reading into it, but I see meaning between the two and how they are always displayed together seems maybe someone else did too.
The last thing I wanted to comment on is how similar the faces look. Yes they have obvious differences, but the facial proportions are comparable. Notice how the eyes sit the same, yes, one has more wrinkles, but they are both very doe like. See how the eyebrows are both curved similar. I also think the noses are similar, taking into account that the human noses "bulb" the tip, grows as people age. Maybe it was just his style of painting, but something tells me such a good artist would most definitely pick up these details. I wonder if they are related. What do you think?
Also the links are great, I was able to zoom in on the paintings, which I love!
Best, Ava
Hi Lisa,
ReplyDeleteThese paintings are amazing! The detail and use of texture just blows my mind. Your mark on these paintings makes me want to do a little research on life in the early 1400’s in Netherland. As you mention they may not be “rich” due to their clothing. I wouldn’t know, but I think they are dressed well and may be a part of a church or some sort of higher place in society. But that’s only my thought.
I agree, these paintings are very detailed. This is the first time I’ve ever heard of an illusionistic technique for art. Thank you for sharing! Definitely opened my mind and thoughts.
Hi Lisa,
ReplyDeleteI think I just found my new favorite piece of art in this class! I absolutely love this painting. The detail and definition in this is breathtaking. It’s astounding how someone from 1430 created this; you never see artwork like this created anymore. Awesome work!