Jan Van Eyck (IKE) was born in the Netherlands.
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His paintings are very detailed. He was not the first
to use oil
paint, but he perfected the use
of oil in paints. The colors in his paintings are delicate and have a
beautiful shine. He was called "The King of Painters" by people even
hundreds of years after his time.
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The painting we are studying; The Arnolfini
Marriage , is
a record of the marriage of the two people in the picture.
In modern days, a couple would hire a photographer to record their
wedding. Giovanni Arnolfini hired an artist to paint the picture.
In addition to being a portrait, it is also a legal record showing that
the marriage took place. The artist signs it as a
legal document.
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You will enjoy looking at some of the details of the
painting in the links below.
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It is thought that Jan Van Eyck had a brother named
Hubert. Supposedly,
the famous Ghent Altarpiece was started by Hubert and finished by Jan
after his brother's death. This magnificent painting is very large; two
stories high and painted in three
parts. It is called a triptych (TRIP tik) because it is a
picture in three panels.
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