Portait of a Man in Red Turban

In the National Gallery in London stands the work of art that helped form our modern day view of painting. Jan Van Eyck's Man in Red Turban drastically differed from the painting styles used before him. The Flemish artist, credited with the discovery of oil paints, reestablished the use of a direct portrait, having not been done for hundreds of years. Painted through the eyes of the man being depicted, Van Eyck creates the sensation that the man is merely looking into a mirror, with the painting as his reflection. This may be the first perfectly done direct portrait, where the eyes of the figure seems to follow one across a room. Through his use of oil paints, Van Eyck is able to capture an amount of detail never seen before. He portrays a naturalism far more realistic than any of his predecessors through the addition of the minutest details: individual capillaries in the man's bloodshot eyes, a relaxed and natural three-quarter head turn, a faint but noticeable shadow of stubble, wrinkles and bags underneath tired eyes. As seen in the magnificent folds in the Turban, the shadows under the folds in the man's aged skin, and the light reflecting off the man's right eye, the oils allow Ban Eyck to establish a better sense of three dimensions.
A controversy among critics has arisen around this particular work of Van Eyck: is this a self portrait? Still in it's original frame, one can read the inscription on the top central panel as it simply says in Greek "As I Can", then below on the central bottom panel in Latin, "Jan Van Eyck Made Me". Although this seems to be fairly solid evidence to the theory, it cannot be proved for sure. What this portrait does depict is the desire for secular artwork from the growing middle class of the time. In years before, painting and sculpture was dominated by the religious figures, disrupted only by the an occasion royal depiction.

Arnolfo Di Cambio's Florence Cathedral

During the 14th century, Florence played a dominant role in European politics, economics, and culture. As a result of their power, Florentines self pride was made evident through the construction of multiple landmark buildings. The Florence Cathedral, begun in 1296 by Arnolfo Di Cambio, is remarkable not only in size, but in it's architectural and decorative qualities as well.  Originally designed to hold the entire Florentine population, the basilican style church channels Early Christian tradition rather than follow it's Gothic contemporaries in France. In contrast to High Gothic style, the Florence Cathedral does not seem to be built to emphasize height, for all of the geometric shapes of the revetment create a strongly horizontal feel. The exterior walls are remarkably ornate with marble-encrusted geometric designs, exemplary of Tuscan Romaneque traditional architecture.

The Cathedral's campanille was designed much later, in 1334, by Giotto di Bondone. The capanille, standing apart from the main church, upholds the traditional Italian style of the main Cathedral. The interior of the Cathedral has a unique shape. The large dome seems to be the focal point, emphasized by the nave which seems to lead straight to it. A spaciousness felt not even in those lofty High Gothic Cathedral is evident in the Florence Cathedral, for the nave bays are much deeper. Continuing with the exterior, there is a strong emphasis on horizontal elements in the interior. The decoratively ornate capitals of the piers inhibit one's eyes from looking any further upwards, as well as elaborating on the piers structural importance. Unlike the Gothic style's need to dissolve any substantial mass or wall space through the use of light, this cathedral does not seem to care at all about melting away solid structures; there are few windows in comparison, and the structural piers dominate the interior floorspace.