Northern Europe Artworks

Northern Europe Artworks
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[date] Lights and Shadows
In this essay, let us discuss the use of light and shadow in four European paintings. The discussion will reveal the intention of the artists in their strategy of using lights and shadows.
The Nativity at Night by Geertgen tot Sint Jans (1490) uses light and shadow to draw attention to the artwork's main protagonist. The artwork is a very familiar scene to almost everyone as it depicts the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. The painting has baby Jesus, Mary, and the angels. The baby Jesus seems to be bearing the source of light, casting them on those around. Mary and the angels receive the light from baby Jesus. The use of light in this artwork focuses on the nativity, Mary giving birth to baby Jesus, with the blessing of the angels. The shadow emphasizes the narrative of the nativity and, at the same time, subtly includes other characters. In a closer look, the outside of Bethlehem, where the three Kings will come from, is in view. Also, behind Mary, there is a man who we can assume as Joseph or one of the kings. Through the dark shadow, we can also see an animal. The narrative still includes the characters but making them a supporting background through shadows.
Gerard David's Polittico della Cervara (1506) depicts his crucifixion with Mary and Joseph beside him. This artwork mainly uses light to give a clear presentation of the crucifixion. Because there are no other characters to emphasize, but those at the center, shadowing is unnecessary. The light points and equally spread at the center, to the protagonists of the painting. The use of light displays the narrative of crucified Jesus with only his parents by his side. Instead of shadows, the artwork contains small details to add to the story of the painting. At the bottom part, there are human bones that suggest death through the crucifixion of other criminals. This detail is also the subtle foreshadowing of Jesus' death after the crucifixion.
Hans Holbein The Younger's, The Artist's Family (1528) shows a family consisting of the mother and her two children. In this portrait, light emphasizes the family's look, while the slight use of shadow gives depth to the painting. The angle of the light seems to be coming from the lower right of the family. Their backs, the mother's hands, and the face of the brother all cast shadows. There is an assumption that the artist has drawn a portrait of his family in connection with the title. However, because painting takes a long time, smiles and postures were hard to maintain. Thus, it resulted in facial expressions and awkward body postures and positions.
The use of light in Joachim Patinir's Landscape with Charon's Boat (1520) is a landscape style. Because it covers a larger scale of space, the use of light is spread across the painting. It is because the light is coming from a natural source. We can assume that the weather is good enough for a boat to travel because of light use. However, the other side of the painting depicts some kind of disruption in a village. The painting's right side displays a town under fire, with the dark areas and shadows covering the landscape painting's right side.
Based on these paintings, we can see that ...