Renaissance: A Goldsmith in his Shop
A Goldsmith in his Shop:
I chose to analyze an oil painting, A Goldsmith in his Shop, which was painted in 1449, by Petrus Christus. I am not a very big fan of the painting, because it is not a painting of anything that looks cool, it is only a painting of a few people inside of a shop. I will say though, that it has quite a number of different elements that are used to make the painting look realistic, and to draw you in. It also has quite the story behind it. This painting was completed in 1449, which is the same year that Mary of Guelders married King James II of Scotland. In 1449, Mary's great uncle, Philip the Good, hired a goldsmith to make her and King James II some wedding rings (Zappella). It is believed that the woman and the man are to be married, because there is a wedding girdle on the table, and because the woman is putting her hand out to get the ring that the goldsmith has. It is also believed that the people are to be married because the man has his hand around the woman, which shows that they are obviously close. It is believed that the people there are Mary of Guelders and King James II of Scotland, because their clothes appear to be that of rich people, and they were married in the same year that this painting was done.
Color
Petrus Christus does a lot with the color that he used in his painting. He creates a lot of form in the painting, with the use of color. He uses white, to help us see the glass containers in the upper-righthand corner of the painting, while allowing us to see that the glass containers are round, three dimensional objects, with the light reflecting off of them. Petrus Christus uses darker colors throughout his painting to create shadows for a number of things. These shadows allow us to see where the light is coming from. The shadows help us to know that the light is coming, not only from above, but also from in front of them, and to their right. In other words, the light is coming from above, and to the left of us, as we are standing back, looking at it. These shadows help us to know that the people are in a three dimensional space. He also uses color to show that the frame of the mirror, and the gold on the container that is located in the middle right of the painting have fancy curves in them, because the parts that pop out the most are lighter, since they are hit more by the light.
Lines
Petrus Christus used specific types of lines in his oil painting, to convey specific meanings. If you look at the lady's dress, you will find that it has a mixture of complex lines, where the lines are jagged, and yet curved at the same time. The dress is also made up of a mixture of thin lines and thick lines. Curved lines suggest comfort, while jagged lines suggest anxiety. I feel like the lines on the lady's dress, is supposed to be a representation of how she is feeling at this time in her life. The lady has the feeling of happiness and comfort, because she is soon going to be with a man who she will be able to comfortably live with, but she is also anxious, because she is not sure that she wants to spend the rest of her life with the man that she is about to marry. Thin lines are used to express delicacy, while thick lines are used to express strength. I would suggest that the dress was designed this way, to show that the woman is only a delicate, fifteen year old girl, but that she is growing into a strong woman, who is shortly, going to move out of her parents house, to live with a man.
Lines are also used on the crystal container with the golden top and bottom, which is located in the middle-right of the painting. This container is believed to be for the church, so that they can put sacramental bread in it, because it has a gold pelican on the top of it, "which is a symbol of God's sacrifice for mankind" (Harris). The top of the container has a bunch of curved lines, which are used to represent comfort. These lines are on the container, so that the people taking the sacrament from the container, will have the sense of comfort, as they believe that they are repenting of their sins.
Texture
Petrus Christus creates texture in his painting, by making it look like there are divots in the desk, near the bottom, left of the painting. He uses the imperfections in the desk, to make the picture look more realistic. This is because nothing is perfect, there are imperfections in the world all around us.
Reformation
Reformation is a style of art that was known during the Northern Renaissance. Mary-Madeleine Renauld explains that the Reformation "artists focused on non-religious themes such as still life, landscape, portraiture, and genre painting." The painting, A Goldsmith in his Shop, by Petrus Christus was influenced by the Reformation, because it is a simple genre painting, which is a painting that depicts scenes from ordinary life. It is a picture that depicts a casual day in the goldsmith's shop, only this time, he is giving wedding rings to a royal couple.
This painting is in a museum, for people to enjoy, but there have been copies made that can be bought. I enjoy the painting, because it is interesting, but I would not want to buy it for myself, because it is not really something enjoyable to look at. I am more into the peaceful art, than historical art.
References
Renauld, Marie-Madeleine. “The Art and Artists of the Protestant Reformation.” TheCollector, 10 Dec. 2021, https://www.thecollector.com/art-artists-protestant-reformation-hans-holbein/.
Zappella, Christine. “Petrus Christus, a Goldsmith in His Shop.” Smarthistory, https://smarthistory.org/petrus-christus-a-goldsmith-in-his-shop/.
Hi Ivan! Even though you noted that you aren’t a big fan of the painting, I quite love it! I think it’s a wonderful representation of the era of that day and the details and fine woodwork framing it is absolutely amazing. I am a huge fan of history and know that these paintings take quite a deal of work, so I think that’s where a lot of my passion for art comes from. I love that it has a story relating to marriage since I also used a painting with a similar background. You did a great job of being very in-depth regarding your analysis. Something I also noticed is the contrasting colors that were used, like the red and green that seemed to be an accent color within a few of the objects. Your description of how the lines show the delicacy and strength of the girl is spot on. I didn’t realize the girl was so young, but it would make sense since it was normal for girls to be married off at such a young age. Wonderful job on your post. I learned quite a bit from it. :)
ReplyDeleteI find it funny that you didn't enjoy this painting because it was one of the ones that stuck out the most to me this week and I really enjoy it. The noses and eyes of all three people almost remind me of mannerism with how they seem slightly out of place, but that could also just be the style Christus used to make the faces uber-realistic compared to the rest of the piece. I love the use of color as well; the goldsmith's...gown? I'm not sure what the terminology is, especially for those times, but the vibrant red of what he's wearing contrasts the rest of the image so well and makes the image come together. The connection to the Reformation is valid as well; it's such a simple painting and doesn't dive too deep into religion or politics (from what I can tell). Ultimately, I really love the painting and feel like I keep finding new things tucked away every time I look at it.
ReplyDeleteHi, I agree that it is kind of a boring painting, but I do like the colors. I also like that the artist included items that would be used in that era, because it gives people in the present an idea of what life was like in that time period. Although it is connected to the reformation, it also depicts humanism. The way that the artist painted the people with porcelain skin with lack of pigment, and not very much detail when it comes to skin texture shows humanism. Although there's nothing too exciting going on, I do like how it gives an insight to that era.
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