Interpreting the Visual Evidence
Realizing Devotion
These two paintings by
the Flemish artist Rogier
van der Weyden
(FAN- d e r-V I E- d e n,
c. 1400–1464) capture
some of the most compelling characteristics
of late medieval art, particularly
the trend toward realistic representations
of holy figures and sacred stories.
On the left (image A), the artist depicts
himself as the evangelist Luke, regarded
in Christian tradition as a painter of portraits;
he sketches the Virgin nursing the
infant Jesus in a town house overlooking
a Flemish city. On the right (image B),
van der Weyden imagines the entombment
of the dead Christ by his followers,
including the Virgin (left), Mary Magdalene
(kneeling), and the disciple John
(right). Here, he makes use of a motif
that became increasingly prominent in
the later Middle Ages: Christ as the Man
of Sorrows, displaying his wounds and
inviting the viewer to share in his suffering.
In both paintings, van der Weyden
emphasizes the humanity of his subjects
rather than their iconic status (see Chapter
7), and he places them in the urban
and rural landscapes of his own world.
Images
Questions for Analysis
1. fiogf49gjkf0d fiogf49gjkf0d How are these paintings different
from the sacred images of the earlier
Middle Ages (see, for example, pages
213 and 290)? What messages does
the artist convey by setting these
events in his own immediate present? |
|
2. fiogf49gjkf0d fiogf49gjkf0d In what ways do these paintings reflect
broad changes in popular piety
and medieval devotional practices?
Why, for example, would the artist
display the dead and wounded body
of Christ—rather than depicting him
as resurrected and triumphant, or as
an all-seeing creator and judge? |
|
3. fiogf49gjkf0d fiogf49gjkf0d In general, how would you use these
images as evidence of the worldview
of the fifteenth century? What do
they tell us about people’s attitudes,
emotions, and values? |
|
Submit to Gradebook: