Appreciation of Arnold Finney and his wife's works

The characters in the oil painting are Giovanni di Nicola Anofini and his wife, but this painting is not to record their wedding. His wife was not pregnant (which is often misunderstood), but was holding a big dress in her hand, which was a kind of etiquette at that time. Arnold Finney lives in Bruges. He comes from a merchant family in Lucca. In this painting, two couples are dressed in luxury.

In the portrait of Arnold Finney and his wife, the painter depicts the newlyweds of typical wealthy Dutch citizens. He vividly depicts the portraits of young couples in an extremely delicate style, especially the interior furnishings, including the decoration of walls and roofs, which shows the painter's unique skills in book illustration. Arnold Finney, a real man knighted by Duke Philip in 1420, is rigidly and politely welcoming guests with his new wife in the bridal chamber: he raised his right hand as a ceremony, symbolizing his commitment to love; The bride puts her right hand on the groom's left hand and vows to be her husband's faithful companion forever. Luxury and bloated clothing is a kind of clothing for the rich in the Netherlands. All the details in the room, such as candles, brushes, brooms, apples, rosaries and dogs between them, are symbolic to some extent, suggesting the association of a happy marriage. This painting is full of piety and peace, expressing praise for the lifestyle and moral norms of citizens. On the wall in the center of the background, there is a decorative convex mirror, which is a detail worthy of the viewer's attention. From this small round mirror, we can not only see the back of the newlyweds, but also see another person standing opposite them, that is, the painter himself (the painter is raising his right hand to salute the newlyweds). This physics game shows the painter's knowledge of using so-called light reflection. Please pay attention to the radian of the window on the left side of the convex mirror. Ten pictures of Jesus' crucifixion are embedded around a small frame, and the images are so small that they can hardly be seen. There is also a chandelier with golden light above their heads, which leaves a deep impression on modern photographers. This is a traditional meticulous painting method unique to the Netherlands, and enriching the picture space with mirrors is the characteristic of this painting. Later, Dutch genre paintings and similar paintings in the Netherlands benefited from this painting method.

In addition, Van Eyck adopted a new oil painting method in this painting, which kept the picture fresh and beautiful for a long time. It is said that he was the original inventor of oil painting. Whether it is accurate or not, he is a pioneer in trying to match colors in oil paintings and obtaining artistic effects in oil paintings.

The painter in the oil painting is marked in Latin, "Jan van eyck was here1434" ('Jan van eyck was here 1434'). This graffiti-like marking is not accidental. Ike often grades his works in a humorous way.