This Week In Art...

We are continuing our study of the artist Jan Van Eyck.

The Adoration of the Lamb by Jan van Eyck.

This painting is part of the Ghent Altarpiece which is pictured below.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghent_Altarpiece

Van Eyck pays as much attention to the beauty of earthly things as to the religious themes. The clothes and jewels, the fountain, nature surrounding the scene, the churches and landscape in the background, everything is painted with remarkable detail. The landscape shows an enormous richness in vegetation, much of it non-European.
( Copied from the link above. Check out the link it has great information on this painting and lots of photos so that you can see the detail of the painting.)

WHY WAS IT CREATED ?
The altarpiece was painted to decorate the private chapel of a rich couple, Judocus (Joost) Vijd and his wife Elisabeth Borluut. Joost Vijd belonged to the most influential citizens of his town, and his wife belonged to the famous Borluut family of Ghent. Presumably, Joost Vijd ordered the painting already in 1420. On usual weekdays the polyptych was closed. The inside panels were shown to the public on Sundays and religious holidays. From the beginning it drew large crowds to the cathedral. Only recently, the altarpiece has been taken out of its original chapel and is now to be admired in one of the side-chapels at the entrance of the cathedral. (copied from http://www.trabel.com/gent/gent-misticlambintroduction.htm )

Also check out these websites:

http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/e/eyck_van/jan/index.html

http://www.biographybase.com/biography/van_Eyck_Jan.html

http://nhcs.k12.in.us/staff/pbortka/pronouceguide/ This site helps with pronouncing the names of artist.