Free Essays on Jan Van Eyck

Jan van Eyck was one of the greatest and most influential Flemish painters of altarpieces and portraits of the 1400's. No one knows where he was born, but historians believe van Eyck came from the village of Maaseyck in Limbourg. No record of his birthdate survives, but it is believed to have been about 1390; his career, however, is well documented. He was employed (1422-24) at the court of John of Bavaria, count of Holland, at The Hague, and in 1425 he was made court painter and valet de chambre to Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy. Van Eyck has been credited traditionally with the invention of painting in oils, and, although this is incorrect, there is no doubt that he perfected the technique. He used the oil medium to represent a variety of subjects with striking realism in microscopic detail; for example, he infused painted jewels and precious metals with a glowing inner light by means of subtle glazes over the highlights. Van Eyck received his recognition through his great works with indepth symbolism and uniqueness. Van Eyck's paintings often include objects with hidden symbolic meaning. There are several different interpretations of the symbolic meaning concerning his portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and his second bride often referred to as â€Å"The Arnolfini Marriage†. Marriage is a sacred union between man and woman. A wedding is one of the most important events in a woman’s life. Often a wedding occurs in the present of the wedding party, family members and friends. During the 1400’s a wedding ceremony was performed in the privacy of the home. Van Eyck was hired to paint a portrait of this marriage union. Some art historians, like Panofsky, claim that van Eyck was a witness to the Arnolfini wedding and the painting serves as documentation of their vows. Jeanne de Chenany looks pregnant in her green wedding dress, this wedding was kept private because it was a secret or maybe this type of dress was very stylish ... Free Essays on Jan Van Eyck Free Essays on Jan Van Eyck Jan van Eyck was one of the greatest and most influential Flemish painters of altarpieces and portraits of the 1400's. No one knows where he was born, but historians believe van Eyck came from the village of Maaseyck in Limbourg. No record of his birthdate survives, but it is believed to have been about 1390; his career, however, is well documented. He was employed (1422-24) at the court of John of Bavaria, count of Holland, at The Hague, and in 1425 he was made court painter and valet de chambre to Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy. Van Eyck has been credited traditionally with the invention of painting in oils, and, although this is incorrect, there is no doubt that he perfected the technique. He used the oil medium to represent a variety of subjects with striking realism in microscopic detail; for example, he infused painted jewels and precious metals with a glowing inner light by means of subtle glazes over the highlights. Van Eyck received his recognition through his great works with indepth symbolism and uniqueness. Van Eyck's paintings often include objects with hidden symbolic meaning. There are several different interpretations of the symbolic meaning concerning his portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and his second bride often referred to as â€Å"The Arnolfini Marriage†. Marriage is a sacred union between man and woman. A wedding is one of the most important events in a woman’s life. Often a wedding occurs in the present of the wedding party, family members and friends. During the 1400’s a wedding ceremony was performed in the privacy of the home. Van Eyck was hired to paint a portrait of this marriage union. Some art historians, like Panofsky, claim that van Eyck was a witness to the Arnolfini wedding and the painting serves as documentation of their vows. Jeanne de Chenany looks pregnant in her green wedding dress, this wedding was kept private because it was a secret or maybe this type of dress was very stylish ...

20 Synonyms for Expert

20 Synonyms for Expert 20 Synonyms for â€Å"Expert† 20 Synonyms for â€Å"Expert† By Mark Nichol Just as the many synonyms for beginner should be picked over with care to capture the correct connotation, the numerous alternatives available for referring to an expert have sometimes unique or specific senses appropriate for some contexts and unsuitable for others. Here’s a usage guide to such words: 1. Ace (ultimately derived from the Latin word as, â€Å"one,† â€Å"unit†): Originally, a combat pilot with at least five (later, ten) confirmed kills, or enemy planes shot down, and by extension a highly skilled person. The slang designation stems from the most valuable card in a deck and far predates powered flight; it was used to denote excellence, and eventually â€Å"top of the deck† athletes were so designated. The term is still employed in sports, as in gaining a point on a serve in tennis or hitting a hole in one in golf, as well as in the scholastic sense of performing well in a course or on a test. 2. Adept (from the Latin word adeptus, â€Å"having reached, attained†): Usually has the connotation of a mystical or secret pursuit or body of knowledge; this sense stems from the use of the term in Middle English to refer to an alchemist, and the term is widely used in heroic-fantasy literature featuring wizards and sorcerers and in writing about mysticism, though it is appropriate for general usage. 3-4. Artist (ultimately from the Latin word ars): Originally referred solely to a practitioner of art, but now often applied to someone who demonstrates skill with an artistic flourish in any pursuit. The French form, artiste, is used only facetiously or by or in reference to the pretentious. 5. Authority (from the Latin word auctoritatem, â€Å"advice, opinion†): Connotes the go-to source for, well, authoritative information or advice, or the governing agency or institution for a body of knowledge. As you may have guessed, the Latin term from which this word derives is also the source of author. 6-7. Connoisseur (from the Latin word cognoscere, â€Å"to know†): Usually employed in gustatory or artistic contexts, identifying someone with a refined taste in wine, for example, or a specific school of painting. The term, which comes to English from French, has an Italian cognate, cognoscente, which, when borrowed into English, has the same sense or that of â€Å"one in the know.† (The plural is cognoscenti.) 8-9. Doyen (from the Middle French word meaning â€Å"leader of ten,† stemming from the Latin term decanus, and ultimately from the Greek term dekanos, both with the same meaning): Carries a connotation similar to that of connoisseur or maven, of a person with knowledge about or skill in a rarified topic or area. Dean, sometimes used to denote an expert in or master of a specific field as well as in its academic sense, derives from doyen. 10. Guru (from the Hindi word for â€Å"teacher† or â€Å"priest,† from the Sanskrit term guru-s): Originally denoted a spiritual mentor, but the meaning was later extended to a secular sense and then generally to an expert. 11. Hotshot: Originally referred to a headstrong person or a headlong object; it now is usually employed in the sarcastically derogatory sense of someone who considers themselves more knowledgeable or capable than they are. 12. Initiate (from the Latin word initium, â€Å"beginning†): Originally, this word identified one who had undergone or was about to undergo an initiation ceremony, but now it is also a designation for one privy to certain knowledge or skills. 13-14. Maestro (from the Italian word for â€Å"master,† ultimately from the Latin term magister): A term for a gifted composer, later extended to orchestra conductors and now sometimes used facetiously to refer to those with pretensions of genius. The English form master denotes both an academic leader (hence â€Å"master of arts† and so on) and one who is eminent in any given field of endeavor. 15. Maven (from the Yiddish word, meyvn, â€Å"one who understands,† ultimately from the Hebrew term mebhin): Generally used in the sense of someone with expertise in a sophisticated area of study or skill. 16. Pundit (from the Hindi payndita, â€Å"learned man,† ultimately from Sanskrit payndita-s): Usually employed to refer to commentators, analysts, or consultants, often with a negative sense because of the widespread realization that one can find â€Å"experts† who will support or attack any position one favors or opposes. 17. Scholar (from the Latin word schola, â€Å"school,† ultimately from the Greek term skhole): Originally, referred to a student, but now, except in formal or jocular contexts, denotes an academician. 18. Virtuoso (from the noun form of the Italian word meaning â€Å"skilled, learned,† from the Latin term virtuosus, â€Å"virtuous†): Originally applied to highly talented musicians, but now appropriated in many other contexts to refer to manual or mental dexterity. 19-20. Wizard (from Middle English wys, â€Å"wise,† and -ard, â€Å"one who [is]†): The supposedly traditional connotation, that of a person with magical powers, supplanted the original meaning of â€Å"wise man,† and the modern sense, outside of fantasy-literature and computer-gaming circles, is of someone astonishingly good at a certain endeavor. Whiz is either a short form of wizard or a variant of the onomatopoeic whizz, â€Å"humming, hissing sound or movement.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How Many Tenses in English?45 Synonyms for â€Å"Old† and â€Å"Old-Fashioned†How to Style Legislative Terms