Jan Van Eyck
...ath," devastated one half of the population of Europe. The plague, which was almost always fatal, spread most rapidly in cities, where people were in close contact with each other. The only way to avoid the disease was to leave the city for the country. This solution was, unfortunately, available only to those wealthy enough to make the trip. The population decrease caused by the plague led to an economic depression. Merchants and trades people had fewer people to whom they could sell their wares. Products therefore accumulated, and the merchants and traders suffered a loss in income. Economic hardship spread throughout the 1. Johnson, Paul, The Renaissance: A Short History ( United Kingdom: Weidenfeld & Nicolson , 2000). community as those who dealt with the merchants--bankers, suppliers, and shippers--also lost revenue.2 As incidence of the plague decreased in the late fifteenth century, populations swelled, creating a new demand for goods and services. A new middle class began to emerge as bankers, merchants, and trades people once again had a market for their goods and services. To focus on a specific point art was a huge part of the Renaissance. The Renaissance or rebirth was a time spanning from 1400- 1600 A.D. It took place mainly in Europe, but began in Italy. It was a time filled with discoveries and great growth in knowledge about many things. One of which was art. Artists began to be a very important part of society. They became more creative in painting, architecture, sculpture, and crafts. Many people such as the church, royalty, wealthy merchants, and bankers began hiring the artists and collecting their works. New ways of creating more complex forms of architecture and sculptures were discovered. One trademark of Renaissance art is that it depicts detail and physical features of the topic being portrayed. Another marking of the Renaissance was the use of allegories, or “the blending of Christian ideas with classical myths.” 3 Artists during this time began to travel to other places to create and study artwork. Some even became internationally known one of which is Jan van Eyck Jan van Eyck was born in Belgium, though the exact date of his birth is unknown. Some sources say 1370, others say 1390. He was supposedly the brother of fellow painter Hubert van Eyck, though very little is known about this man. Only nine of Jan van Eyck's paintings are signed, and only 10 are dated, including Madonna of Autun and The Arnolfini Marriage. In 1422, he serve...