What are some details we never noticed in famous paintings?

Answer 1

   This is a great question! There are so many details in famous art pieces that get overlooked, so I will provide a few interesting details that come to mind about one piece that I believe to be a perfect example of unnoticed details. "The Arnolfini Portrait" by Jan Van Eyck, a well known oil painting made in the Netherlands in 1434, boasts some of the most overlooked hidden symbols when viewing early Renaissance artwork. To the untrained eye, one may only see the fur-clad gentleman joining hands with his fair, finely dressed bride in what appears to be a typically upper class bedroom of the time. More keen eyed individuals may notice the dog at the couple's feet, the wooden clogs on the lower left hand side, the oranges scattered near the open window near the man, the broom and bed near the woman, and the ever-conspicuous circular mirror and chandelier that lie between them, just above head level. One may ask, "But why are all these things present?" Each one of these objects symbolize different aspects of the sacrament of marriage, and man and woman's role in life going forward. 

   The more domestic items speak to the earthly role of the husband and wife. To the right of the bride is a broom and a bed, symbolizing her domestic role in managing the house (though she herself had servants for menial labor) and bearing children. The way she gathers her bright green dress upward to cause a sort of pregnancy “bump” also reinforces this concept. Adjacent to the man is an open window and a few oranges. The open window represents Arnolfini’s role as a working businessman out and about in the world of trade. Oranges, though mundane to us today, were a luxurious import from the far east, telling of the wealth and status of Arnolfini himself.

   The Christian Religion was central to the cultural and personal identity of the individual at this time, hence the multiple references to faith, God, holiness, and other symbols within the room. The small dog represents the faithfulness shared between the couple, which is why it is placed so central in the overall composition. It may look like Toto from “The Wizard of Oz,” but it is purely a coincidence. Think of that good old dog name, "Fido," which is just a variation of the latin "Fides" which means "Faith" or "Faithful." The unworn clogs (Arnolfini stands with only his stockings to cover his feet) represent the sanctity of the occasion, the removal of shoes being a religious symbol of standing on holy ground in the presence of God. There burns a single candle in the chandelier above the couple, all of the other candles having been extinguished. This very well could be a reference to the "Light of the World" symbolism used in the Christian Bible to describe Jesus Christ and his salvific role in the book of Matthew and John. Alternatively, I have read that some art historians believe that Arnolfini’s wife had passed away, hence the “dying out” of the other candles. One may note a round mirror between the couple against the back wall of the room. To the left of the mirror is a set of prayer beads, further enforcing the presence of the couple’s piety or God’s divine appointment of the union. Around the mirror itself, painted in excruciatingly small detail are small motifs from the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. If you are close enough to notice these details, one can look directly at the silvery reflection of the mirror itself. The reflection reveals the couple and the artist himself, standing at his canvas. The couple is no longer holding hands in this reflection, either a link back to the premature death of the bride and her earthly absence, or simply an artist’s jest at the reality of the marital situation (perhaps they weren’t that affectionate in real life). Just above the mirror, in a beautifully rendered and curling script, the artist signed his name in a short statement, “Johannes de eyck fuit hic” (“Johannes Eyck Was Here”).

I hope that you enjoyed my answer and encourage you to always question why artists include the content they do. Knowledge of the greater context of art history leads us to greater understanding, and a more enriching experience when we encounter artwork.

Here are a couple more works that are great examples of hidden symbolism and detail that have been my student’s favorite and I encourage inquiring minds to look into: 

- Michelangelo’s “Last Judgement” from 1536-1541 (A self-portrait as a Saint’s flayed skin? A critic painted as a demon?)

- Van Gogh’s green and blue swirling, final self-portrait in 1889. Did you notice that he only presents himself from the right side? (He didn’t want to show what happened to his left ear! Why on earth would he do that? Look into it!)