Jan van Eyck's "The Crucifixion and the Last Judgment" Comparison

The two paintings that are the subject of this comparison are Dutch master Jan van Eyck's "The Crucifixion and the Last Judgment" (See Illustration Two) and classical French painter Nicolas Poussin's "The Abduction of the Sabine Women" (See Illustration One). Van Eyck's "The Crucifixion" is two pictures juxtaposing Christ's sacrifice on the cross with the Last Judgment. Oil on canvas and transferred from wood, each picture is 22 � x 7 � in. and was painted circa 1430 (Van Eyck 1). Considered the "father of oil painting," van Eyck's pictures are characteristic of oil on wood painting in Europe during the fifteenth century (Jan 1). It is displayed with other religious and oil transferred from wood paintings, relating to them in subject matter, material, and technique.

Poussin's "The Abduction" is in the classical style and features a Roman army led by Romulus abducting the Sabine women they wish to take as wives. Measuring 60 7/8 x 82 5/8 in., the work is considerably larger than van Eyck's painting and is the original oil on canvas, not a transfer (Poussin 1). Poussin's work was in a room with other classical masters that displayed oil paintings of scenes and figures from classical Greece and Rome. This analysis will compared and contrast the two works visually but also for how their subject matter is characteristic of their respective styles. A conclusion will explain why these works were chosen and which artist I would commission to paint my family

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Category: Arts - J