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17

chapter 17
Fifteenth-Century Art in
Northern Europe
In northern Europe, cities grew, and a middle class emerged during the
fifteenth century. Artists expressed the practical concerns of the new middle
class while they continued to represent spiritual ideas.

Lesson 1
Renaissance Painting in Northern Europe
During the fifteenth century in northern Europe, artists continued to refine
the detailed International style of the Gothic period. Symbolism also became
more important as a way to express ideas through everyday objects. Previ-
ously painters had used tempera, a paint made with dry pigments mixed with
egg yolk. Now they began to use oil paints, pigments mixed with oils and
turpentine. They could be used as transparent glazes that added new brilliance
to colors. Since these paints took longer to dry, they allowed artists more time
to work. The Flemish artist Robert Campin adopted this new medium and
used familiar settings to depict religious stories. Another Flemish artist, Jan
van Eyck, created paintings full of crystal-clear light where every object was
rendered with absolute precision. In his painting The Arnolfini Wedding,
he used various symbols, such as a single lit candle to indicate the
presence of God.

Lesson 2
Realism and Emotionalism
Eventually in northern Europe the realism of Jan van Eyck was combined
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with emotionalism and attention to design. The works of Rogier van der
Weyden were still precisely detailed, but they also emphasized the emotional
impact of his subject matter. In his Descent from the Cross, the figures are
organized around two repeating curved axis lines. They are also grouped into
a shallow space, forcing the viewer to focus on the drama of the scene. The
faces and bodies of the figures are rendered to convey each person’s emotions.
Van der Weyden also painted subtle portraits that conveyed the personalities
of his subjects.

(continued)

Unit 6 Fast Files Chapter 17 Art in Focus 147