Italian and Northern Renaissance

The Ghent Altarpiece

This is the open view of The Ghent Altarpiece.

This is the closed view of The Ghent Altarpiece. 

Description: 

This art piece is called a Polyptych, which means it is made up of many panels. The Panels are connected by hinges. Noah Charney states that The Ghent Altarpiece is heavier than an elephant and the size of a barn door. 

Open view description:

There is originally a missing panel in the bottom left corner of this polyptych. The middle panel represents God. Mary is represented on the left of God. On the right side of God is Saint John the Baptist. There are Angels singing beside Mary, and Angels playing music beside John. The other two panels beside them are Adam and Eve. The middle bottom panel represents Jesus as a Lamb, who sacrificed his life for us. There are angels, people, prophets, and saints around the lamb. There is also a fountain in the middle of the people.

The closed view description: 

The top of this art piece represent Prophets and Sybil's, which are in this piece to predict the coming of Jesus. According to Smart History, the moment they predict the coming of Christ, is showed below them. 

In the middle, the angel Gabriel is delivering the news of the birth of Jesus to Virgin Mary. He is holding Lily's, which can be a sign of Mary's innocence and purity. There are also words coming out of both Gabriel and Mary's mouth. The words that are coming out of Mary's mouth are upside-down and backwards. The stone carved people are Saint John people. 

Background of this The Ghent Altarpiece:

This art was created by Jan and Hubert Van Eyck. It is also known as Adoration of the Mystic Lamb. This Polyptych was made in 1432, and is placed in The Saint Bravo Cathedral in Ghent, Belgium. According to SmartHistory, the painting was believed to be closed most of the year and opened on feast days. This art piece became lost during the Reformation because of attacks on the Catholic Church. It was also wanted by the Nazis, and was found in The Altaussee Salt mine in 1945.

My analysis:

There are so many details within this art piece. I feel like all of it comes together so elegantly. I like the closed view more than the open view. I feel like I can understand the closed view better because there is so much going on in the open view. I like how there are so many objects that have a different meaning for the painting. It feels like the prophets who are on the top panels are watching their prediction unfold. I also feel like the people at the bottom of the panels are praying to the ones above. Everything about this Polyptych makes me think about stories in the Bible. I have mixed feelings about everything in it. It's very interesting how the artist put everything together. It paints a picture for everyone to imagine what it may have been like. 

This art piece was so great that those of high status stole, kill, and fought for this painting. It definitely holds a lot of religious importance.

Hickson, Dr. Sally, and Dr. Sally Hickson. “Jan Van Eyck, the Ghent Altarpiece.” Smarthistory, https://smarthistory.org/van-eyck-the-ghent-altarpiece/. 

Staff, NPR, and Noah Charney. “Is This the World's Most Coveted Painting?” NPR, NPR, 23 Dec. 2010, https://www.npr.org/2010/12/25/132283848/is-this-the-worlds-most-coveted-painting.