Today, I learned about Jan Van Eyck, who was SUCH an artistic
genius. I’ve seen his works before, but today in my art history class we
started talking about the early Renaissance. When I look at Renaissance art, it
bores me to death. Now looking at it with an understanding of what it all
represents and the history behind it… BLOWS MY MIND. It’s like the coolest
artwork I’ve ever seen. I believe that not only goes for Renaissance art but
for any type of art. If you have studied a piece of artwork and then you go see
it in person, you appreciate it in a much different way. It makes going to
museums fun! Now I’m thinking, why do people even go to art museums if they
have no idea what they are looking at?? Before I was really into art, I went to
art museums and marveled over the creativity and the aesthetic value of art
work. I mean, that’s fine, but just imagine how exciting it would be to go to
the National Gallery of Art in DC after studying the history of impressionism.
Woah! You would silently freak out and maybe do a little hop and giggle thing
when you saw “Woman with a Parasol” or the “Rouen Cathedral, West Façade” by
Claude Monet. (I bet you don’t know what a “façade” is.) Any way, everyone
knows Monet is one of the most famous artists ever but why? Well, it’s a long
story but impressionism was revolutionary, in that it broke the rules of
traditional, realistic, posed paintings from the Renaissance and created a composition
using loose brush strokes and depicting images of people doing everyday
things. Like I said, revolutionary! But I’m sure you’re still not getting it,
so you just have to go look it up folks or take an art history course.
So I first originally started talking about Van Eyck. He’s great.
I love him. He really is a genius with his three quarter face portraits, his
perfecting of the medium of oil paint (which I personally hate), his naturalism
and sense of detail, his involved use of iconography and the first artist
really that we know of to sign his own works. Genius. Genius. Genius. He had so
much talent, that lucky bastard. He kind of really set the standards for da
Vinci and all the other great Renaissance artists. He also had an awesome
patron, the Duke of Burgundy, Phillip the Good. And, isn’t his name just like
bad ass? I mean, if my name was Jan Van Eyck, I know I would be one kickin’
dude. It also reminds me of Dick Van Dyke, another cool, handsome fella. He
really knows how to engage the viewer too. Just look at his portraits, they all
stare you in the eyes. It’s kind of really freaky. I suggest you google (or I
prefer bing) him and you’ll see his awesomeness. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/199258/Jan-van-Eyck
Also, can I say, Thursday is my most favorite day of the
week. Yay for Thursday!
