Jan van Eyck (ca. 1390-1441) The Arnolfini Portrait, détail, 1434, National Gallery, London. The writing above the mirror says “Jan van Eyck was here, 1434” The illusionism of the painting was remarkable for its time, in part for the rendering of detail, but particularly for the use of light to evoke space in an interior, for "its utterly convincing depiction of a room, as well of the people who inhabit it". It is considered one of the most original and complex paintings in Western art history. The view in the mirror shows two male figures just inside the door that the couple are facing. The one in front, wearing blue, is presumably the artist although, unlike Velázquez in Las Meninas, he does not seem to be painting. National Gallery, London.
2009-09
