Description
This film is a study of Jan van Eyck (1390-1441), the founder of Early Netherlandish Painting.
Beginning with an introduction to the painter himself, the film explores 15 of his paintings – otherwise only to be found scattered through the galleries of Europe: London, Ghent, Bruges, Antwerp, Paris, Berlin, Dresden, Frankfurt, Vienna and Madrid. ?Rumania? Viewing the paintings together allows a pattern of symbolism to emerge, typically revolving around what van Eyck, in the writing on the frames of his paintings, calls the ‘heavenly light of wisdom.’
The film is accompanied by the music of the time – mostly music by Gilles Binchois, Guillaume Dufay and Gregorian Chants – and hopes to reveal the meticulous detail through which this vision is rendered. In the Endscroll, the film draws attention to the subtle way in which Jan van Eyck focuses intensely on the state of mind of his characters – whether in formal portraits or in the figures of Saints, Angels and donors – bringing them into their own unique life, so that they can speak to us across the centuries.
The use of the unprecedented close-ups of modern technology aims to take the viewers into the experience of being present with the paintings, in many cases making it possible to see more precisely into the complexities of the images.
This film of 15 paintings takes 1 Hour and forty minutes.
The same film, with fewer paintings but with the same Introduction and Endscroll, takes just under 1 hour.
Please note:
A short ten minute film of The Mystic Lamb is included in The Mystery of Jan van Eyck film, but is only the briefest hint at his masterpiece. A one hour film devoted to The Mystic Lamb is also available now, and a I hour 15 minutes film of The Mystic Lamb will be available in a month.
The Mystery of Jan van Eyck (110 minutes Version) Contents:
Introduction:
Self- Portrait of Jan van Eyck The National Gallery, London
The Mystic Lamb St. Bavo Cathedral, Ghent
Timotheos The National Gallery, London
The Arnolfini Marriage The National Gallery, London
The Madonna Verpaele The Groeninge Museum, Bruges
The Lucca Madonna The Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Jan de Leeuw The Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
The Dresden Triptych The Gemäldegalerie, Alte Meister Dresden
The Rolin Madonna The Musée du Louvre, Paris
St. Barbara The Royal Museum of Fine Art, Antwerp
Niccolò Albergati The Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
Mary at the Fountain The Royal Museum of Fine Art, Antwerp
Baudwain de Lanooy The Gemäldegalerie, Berlin
The Thyssen Annunciation The Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid
Portrait of Margaret van Eyck The Groeninge Museum, Bruges
The Berlin Madonna The Gemäldegalerie, Berlin
Endscroll
Credits