AP Art History

Alana DeLucia

04/24/20

Cultural Attitudes about Marriage and Relationships

Different cultures throughout history have different ways of defining, portraying, and

presenting relationships. Considering location, cultural values, and societal standards for these

cultures can drastically change they way they are represented in art. Two works that display

marriage and relationships from deviating cultures are The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan Van Eyck

and Spaniard and Indian Produce a Mestizo by Juan Rodriguez.

The Arnolfini Portrait was created by Jan Van Eyck in 1434, he used tempera and oil on

wood. The lack of interest in human anatomy, attention to detail, irrational use of space all leads

us to the Northern Renaissance style of art. There have been disagreements on what this portrait

represents, historians have argued the fact that it is not a wedding portrait, rather, a couple that is

already married. Nonetheless, the dog in the portrait represents loyalty or fidelity, so these two

are definitely in some type of relationship. No matter what the relationship is, though, Van Eyck

does an impressive job on representing them as a couple and what they believe in and how they

live. The male appears to be a wealthy Italian merchant, his distinguished face and features along

with his formal dress allude to his status. The female is also dressed impeccably, her rich colored

dress and crisp lace on her veil represent this upper-class status as well. The furnishings, carpet,

and presence of fruit also highlight the couple’s wealth. Seeing that their shoes are off, Van Eyck

lets the viewer believe a sacred event may be taking place, the single candle in the chandelier and

the scenes of the Passions of Christ on the rim of the mirror allude to this as well. The mirror is
an intriguing part of this work, at close glance, one can see the reflection of the mirror showing

what appear to be guests arriving at the door, being greeted by the man’s raised hand. The guests

are unknown, but given all the evidence in the work, it can be deducted that they are visiting

friends or partaking in a form of ceremony or legal deal. The couple is dressed in their best

winter gear, despite the presence of fruit on the tree which would be apparent of warm weather,

again representing wealth and status (as fruit was often expensive). The way the woman holds

her dress gives the illusion that she may be pregnant, in fact she is not, this was a representation

of the style at this time. But the potential idea of a pregnancy further emphasizes the relationship

of the two people in this portrait.

Spaniard and Indian Produce a Mestizo by Juan Rodriguez was created in 1715 using oil

on canvas. This type of painting seeks to document the ethnic mixing among Europeans and

indigenous peoples; these are formally known as Caste Paintings. Most often Caste paintings

displayed a mother, father, and a child or two—possibly modeled after the Holy Family, Virgin

Mary, Joseph, and Christ as a child. The painting depicts a Spanish father and an Indigenous

mother with two children, one of which is servant carrying the couple’s baby. The indigenous

mother is dressed in a traditional huipil with lace sleeves and luxurious jewelry, her gaze is

towards her husband. The male wears French style clothing with a powdered wig, his arm resting

on the wife’s back as he gazes down towards the children. This family appears calm and

peaceful, even loving; this is not always the case with ethnically mixed families though. Some

Caste paintings will depict the children with darker skin the more they become mixed, these

families can be displayed as torn or tattered, with unglamorous surroundings; living conditions

seemed to dwindle as couples became more racially mixed. Casts painting were thought to have
been commissioned, they represented the increasing anxieties felt by citizens about inter-ethnic

relations and what it meant for the future of their societies.

These two works are dramatically different in their portrayal of relationships. The

Arnolfini Portrait depicts an unknown coupling, however their lifestyle and wealth is very

apparent, there are many symbols hidden in the work, almost as if Van Eyck wanted the viewer

to drawn their own conclusions about the nature of the couple’s relationship. The Spaniard and

Indian Produce a Mestizo now, is very apparent in the couple’s relationship being married, the

way they look at each other and the familial feeling evoked from the work leaves no question as

to their coupling. The two works both flow very nicely and evoke a peaceful tone, despite the

relations of the couple--married or not they both have a harmony that shows the viewer they are

content and well. Jan Van Eyck did a wonderful job in displaying the status of the couple in his

work as did Rodriguez, the clothing and surround objects play important roles in creating this

feeling.