Of all religious subjects, that of the Annunciation is closest to the artist as a Christian. The subject is described only by Luke, patron saint of painters, who was popularly believed to have been a master of their craft as well as a physician. 1 Flemish painting was founded in the Low Countries at the start of the fifteenth century. The Low Countries, consisting of what is now Belgium and Holland, as well as the provinces of Artois and Hainault, and the cities of Arras and Cambrai.
No other artists give quite the same sensation of being free to see, through a window of a picture frame, a vanished world preserved in all completeness, as a piece of amber preserves the fragile detail of an insect from centuries ago. 3 Though many artists and works of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries are considered to be of Flemish origin, the reality is that artists, either due to intrigue with their area, or for economic reasons, chose to make their home or place of work in the region.
Many of the more famous Flemish artists spent their childhood in Germany, France, or just outside of the Flemish territory. By paying or earning their way into these communities, artists became known as Flemish, and because so many talented people worked closely together, a similarity of style developed, thus we have the Flemish style of painting. Not one artist should be considered to be the greatest painter of the region because quite a few were able to distinguish themselves from the generic, and thus developed their ow individual ways of presenting their ideas.
The Annunciation is one of the most popular biblical scenes depicted in the early northern renaissance painting community. By focusing on this one particular scene, as painted by artists considered to be great at their craft in the Flemish region, either by birth or by employment, it is possible to note the individual style of each, and therefore, prove that not one of these artists should be considered the best. Master Bertram, from Minden, in Westphalia, was the earliest documented painter for whom exist extant panels.
The head of a large workshop, he settled in Hamburg from 1367-1415. In 1410, he was elected Deacon of the painters guild. During is career, he traveled to Rome to heighten his knowledge of painting and other artists. 4 One of the largest Gothic shrines, measuring twenty-four by six feet when opened, the Saint Peter Altarpiece from 1379 was one of Master Bertrams most impressive works. 5 All of the sections of this polyptych have the narrative in rich, bright colors playing against the contrast of the bold, golden background.
Though there was very little attempt at creating a three-dimensional background, the charm in the work is evident. The Annunciation scene from this altarpiece, 31 1/2 x 21 5/8, shows Mary, interrupted from her reading by Gabriel, who holds a ribboned banner arcing Marys head. The Holy Father sends out a child carrying a cross, following a white dove, at Mary. God the Father has features which are lightly sketched in red, which suggests his pure being. Gabriel, although set in a harsher stance, also has the soft red tints, alluding to the angel as someone between human and divine natures.
While not as popular as Jan van Eyck or Gerard David, Master Bertram used large size and eminent charm to his advantage, setting apart his work from others of his era. The symbolism is subtle and the technique is more simple than others, but this was very early in the Northern Renaissance evolution, and for that reason, Master Bertram can be seen as one of the first artists of that time to evolve into the newer style of painting. Jan van Eyck was born possibly at Maaseyck, near Maastricht. Around 1422-4, he worked for John of Bavaria at The Hague.
Jan lived in Lille until the end of 1429. As one of the first Early Netherlandish artists to sign paintings, Jans work combined meticulous technique, detailed observation, and superior intellect and learning. 8 He died in Bruges in late June, 1441. The Annunciation that was the left shutter of a triptych, probably also featuring Nativity and Presentation scenes as well, was completed around 1435-7. A panel transferred to canvas, 36 1/2 x 14 3/8, the scene depicts Madonna as the church, not simply in it. Symbolically, this piece is a whole lot more.
The Annunciation was not just a communication to Mary, it was also the very moment of the Incarnation when the Holy Ghost overshadowed the Virgin and Child conceived in her womb, the consummation of her marriage to God. 9 This painting shows Jehovah standing in a single stained glass window above Mary, accompanied by two seraphim, holding a tablet that reads Ego sum Lux10 (I am the Light). Mary has her hands raised as an elaborately dressed Gabriel relays his message. A divine light shines down on the Virgin alluding to her role as a pure mother of Gods only son.
There are two roundels in the spandrels of the nave arcade above Mary, with bust portraits of Issac and Jacob, the earliest ancestors of Christ. 11 The floor of the church is tiled with images of Samson and David. There are medallions at the corners of these narratives, decorated with zodiac signs. Jan van Eyck is known for his rich glazes and highly detailed paintings, but also for his use of symbolism in disguised form. No one can argue that van Eyck was an important and innovative painter of his time, and to this day is still admired for his superior talent.
Artists learned from his technique and so he became one of the greatest painters to hail from the Northern Renaissance. Hans Memling was born in Steligenstadt, near Frankfurt, around 1433. On January 30, 1465, he obtained citizenship in Bruges, though he may have been living there for some time. 12 While Memling was a soldier in the army of Charles the Bold, he was seriously wounded at the Battle of Nancy. In the winter of 1477, he stayed at Saint Johns Hospital in Bruges, where he painted the Shrine of Saint Ursula and The Mystical Marriage of Saint Catherine, among other works. 13
He died in Bruges on August 11, 1494. Memlings Annunciation, completed around 1482, a painted panel 29 1/2 x 22 1/8, depicts Mary in a middle class bedroom with three angels. Eislers observations of this painting include his belief that the angel bearing Marys train, forms a sad smile, and the other angel, the only full-face depiction, has the air of bearing all the sadness and all the griefs which await the Mother of the Crucified One. 15 This does not appear to be the case, however, at first glance. Mary seems less disturbed than she ought to be, calmly but modestly responding to Gabriel with her hand by her heart.
The angel at the right side of Mary lacks interest in the activity, gazing out at the viewer, while none of the other participants do this. This contradicts the impressions of Eisler. He does make some important notes, though. This scene devoid of joy exhibits characteristics of the artists style. The angel holding Marys train, for instance, is typical of Memling. 16 The traditional placement of lilies in the room can be noted in front of the prayer stool. It can be seen that Memling formed his own style, and his own personality into his work.
Memling, for his part, disembodies the person, interprets and idealizes it, putting into the eyes, the features, and the attitude his own anxiety and disgust at the social life of his day. 17 The faces of the characters the artist portrays have emotional expressions that can relate to modern life at the time more than that of depictions of the actual reactions people who existed long ago. While no one can really represent Mary and Gabriel as they actually were, by introducing modern frustration to an old theme, the characterization becomes newer and more real to its viewers.
Thus Memling had a style all his own, though many people look him over as lacking the emotion just described. The local chronicler, at Memlings death, wrote, On the 11h of August died in Bruges Master Hans Memling, whom they lauded as the most skilled and excellent painter of the whole Christian world. 18 Gerard David was a successor of Memlings in Bruges, admitted to the guild of the painters in the community as a master on January 14, 1484. He was active until his death in 1523.
Davids Annunciation of 1490-1500 features a very humble Mary, simply clothed, and more affected by Gabriel than many other depictions of this scene. Her expression is of a gentle fear, as if caught completely off guard. Gabriel is not covered with expensively decorated robes, instead quite simply dressed. A vase of lilies sits on the floor in the bottom left corner of the painting. As in the traditional depictions of the Annunciation, there is a bed behind Mary and a window shining pure light into the room to accentuate the young girl. A small white dove floats above Marys head in a ball of light.
What one remembers from this picture is Davids ability to fill the grave quiet of the scene with feeling and to make the apparition of hovering angel and radiant dove, floating before a frightened girl, seem deeply real and mysterious. 20 One of Davids characteristics is to use lots of blues and dark tones in his palette. His portrait-style figures show Flemish detail and emotion. 21 What sets this artist out from others at the time is his ability to romanticize the setting without losing the realism. People are drawn to his artistic creativity and individuality in presentation.
It is relatively easy to distinguish David from others in the way the characters draw in the viewer, in to how they feel. There has been some confusion in distinguishing works by Memling and David, but by looking at the color choices and portrayal of emotions, it is easy to see that each artist had their own style of painting. Jean, Duc de Berry commissioned the Limbourg brothers to illuminate the Tres Riches Heures. These brothers hailed from Nimwegen in the Duchy of Gelders. The book features devotional and calendar pages, all hand painted with boldness and flair.
In the usual sequence of the Book of Hours, the cycle of hours proper followed the extracts from the Gospel and the two prayers to the Virgin. The Tres Riches Heures includes several series of hours grouped by the object of their devotion. The Hours of the Virgin was traditionally illustrated by scenes representing the main episodes in the mystical life of Mary. 22 The Annunciation page of the Tres Riches Heures, in all the splendor of the International Style, features Mary kneeling at a prie-dieu in a delicately decorated chapel. The golden light shining down is a pictorial metaphor of the Madonnas virginity.
There are small statues on the left. Mary half-turns in modest surprise as the angel, Gabriel kneels before her presenting a green stem with three lilies and a scroll. There are other angels at the top of the chapel in a cantonia who lean in to witness the scene while playing music. God the Father is seen in the upper left, surrounded by the heavenly choir. All around the page, there are angels who float around carrying various instruments. There is a bear and a swan on either side of the three angels, holding the arms of the Duc de Berry. The draperies of the angel are brightly colored and the calligraphy of their lines and that of the banderole seems to initiate the counterpoint echoed in the floating acanthus rinceaux. 25 The chapel is Gothic style, with leaded windows and stone statues.
The individuality that sets the Limbourg brothers apart from other Northern Renaissance artists is so incredibaly apparent. No other artists of that era could compete with the flair of rich color and fine detail in the very unique Tres Riches Heures. According to Snyder, this book is one of the most memorable creations in western art and a show piece for Northern art of its period. In addition, it displays the proclivities of the northern artist in the precision of detail and bright color that led to the incredible vision of Jan van Eyck. 27
These words dont even begin to describe the awe still felt to this day when viewing the painted pages of the Tres Riches Heures of the Limbourg brothers. The artists of the Northern Renaissance had their own style, but going even deeper, the Flemish style artists featured in this paper were innovators, spiritualists, emotional painters who represented their community in ways that no one else had before.
Not one artist from this area can be named the greatest of all time, as each made serious contributions to painting and to society. While most of the artists were born outside of the Flemish region, they all spent time or lived there and are considered Flemish artists. Van Eyck usually the first and most highly regarded painter of the area, but attention should be given to other innovators, such as the Limbourg brothers, Hans Memling, Gerard David, and Master Bertram, all of whom are extremely talented and motivated individuals, popular in their art, and well deserving for the title of One of the Greatest Painters from the Flemish Region.
