216:, Christus’ addition of a second, opposing lighting source behind the monk marks this portrait as distinctive. The light on the left seems to be a reflection from within the room, yet the light bathing the monk seems to be coming from an external source, perhaps an unseen window. The result is that light comes from both in and outside the pictorial space, with the monk (particularly along the hood of his cloak) being the meeting point of the two. The monk is therefore framed by a two-source lighting structure, allowing Christus to employ a much fuller and richer spectrum of colors and shading than a single-source lighting structure would. This complex lighting scheme is the reason
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320:, the authenticity of the halo was publicly examined by a panel of Early Netherlandish specialists and determined to be an addition. The team generally agreed that halo was probably added in Spain in the 17th century—imitating an Italian trend—where it became part of the collection of Don Ramon de Oms, viceroy of
256:
flies to works of art is believed to have begun in the 15th century, right as
Christus became active. Art Historians are generally split between two different interpretations of their use. Many art historians believe the fly to hold religious symbolism, functions as connotations of sin, corruption,
195:
balances this out by shifting the axis of the monk's face to the right, placing him just off center. By further modeling the monk's right shoulder more than his left shoulder, Christus draws one side of the body closer to the viewer, adding more depth to the work. The proportions of the monk's face
331:
in 1911. The team recommended that the halo be removed to make the painting more aesthetically authentic. Christus was one of the first
Netherlandish painters to really play with the illusion of space and light. The addition of the halo, though, forced the viewer to look at the foreground and
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flies as a professional calling card, with art historian Felix Thülemann describing it as “a selfconscious representation of superior painterly prowess. It is believed that this is why the fly generally appears next to the artist’s signature (the fly’s position right next to ‘Petrus
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monk captured in mid-turn, gazing directly at the viewer. Because the monk's body is turned to his left, he must look over his right shoulder to gaze at the viewer, creating a somewhat cumbersome diagonal pose.
212:
is also noteworthy. The Monk is bathed in intense light, setting his figure dramatically against the space that he occupies. While this strong, raking light is typical of contemporaries like
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have also been exaggerated; the nose and eyes having been purposefully elongated. The overall effect is something of an exaggerated silhouette, a compositional technique not often found in
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therefore framed the space in a way
Christus never intended. Since the removal of the halo, the Met has gone on to delete other dubious halos from Christus works, most notably in
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477:"Intentional Alterations of Early Netherlandish Painting – Essay – Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History – The Metropolitan Museum of Art"
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had long been an object of speculation. Finally in 1994, in preparation for the Met's exhibition
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269:—the Lord of the Flies. More recently, art historians are beginning to view the inclusion of
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Me Fecit’ hinting that the fly might be the referent of ‘me’ rather than the painting.)
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354:"This 15th century Carthusian monk looks exactly like a dude from Northeast Philly"
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Petrus
Christus in Renaissance Bruges: An Interdisciplinary Approach
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458:"Deception and Illusion: Five Centuries of Trompe L'Oeil Painting"
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towards the bottom of the painting, a prominent, early example of
588:"Review: Petrus Christus. New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art".
417:"Review: Petrus Christus. New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art".
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Petrus
Christus: His Place in Fifteenth-Century Flemish Painting
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Petrus
Christus: His Place in Fifteenth-Century Flemish Painting
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460:(Press release). National Gallery of Art. 2002. Archived from
564:. University Park: The Pennsylvania State University Press.
391:. University Park: The Pennsylvania State University Press.
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Portrait of a Male Donor and
Portrait of a Female Donor
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Intentional
Alterations of Early Netherlandish Painting
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510:Smarthistory – Christus's Portrait of a Carthusian
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304:above the monk's head when it was acquired by the
649:(Virgin and Child with Saint Barbara and Jan Vos)
712:Madonna Enthroned with Saints jerome and Francis
531:. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1995.
308:in 1944. However, halos are extremely rare in
720:St. Elizabeth Presenting Isabella of Portugal
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539:Petrus Christus: Renaissance master of Bruges
318:Petrus Christus: Renaissance Master of Bruges
8:
543:. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
896:Paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art
481:The Met’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
220:appears fully 3-dimensional and realistic.
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65:29.2 cm × 21.6 cm (
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849:"Christus's Portrait of a Carthusian"
728:Virgin and Child Enthroned on a Porch
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162:after the subject was compared to a
664:St. John the Baptist in a Landscape
144:It is regarded as a masterpiece of
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579:Connor, Steven (April 15, 2009).
158:. In 2020, the painting became a
133:in 1446. The work is part of the
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324:, who sold the work to American
235:Detail with inscriptions and fly
208:The lighting scheme employed by
851:. Smarthistory at Khan Academy
704:Virgin and Child in an Archway
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535:Ainsworth, Maryan W. (1994).
252:lower frame. The addition of
122:is a painting in oils on oak
891:Paintings by Petrus Christus
803:Portrait of a Kneeling Canon
310:Early Netherlandish painting
198:Early Netherlandish painting
146:Early Netherlandish painting
527:Ainsworth, Maryan W., ed.
518:Ainsworth, Maryan W., ed.
128:Early Netherlandish painter
16:Painting by Petrus Christus
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306:Metropolitan Museum of Art
293:before removal of the halo
139:Metropolitan Museum of Art
102:Metropolitan Museum of Art
814:(triptych wings, c. 1455)
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282:Halo and 1994 restoration
248:fly on the center of its
137:Collection housed at the
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827:Portrait of a Young Girl
778:Portrait of a Carthusian
314:Portrait of a Carthusian
298:Portrait of a Carthusian
291:Portrait of a Carthusian
240:Portrait of a Carthusian
218:Portrait of a Carthusian
180:Portrait of a Carthusian
119:Portrait of a Carthusian
22:Portrait of a Carthusian
795:A Goldsmith in His Shop
743:Madonna of the Dry Tree
590:The Burlington Magazine
419:The Burlington Magazine
334:Portrait of a Goldsmith
906:Trompe-l'œil paintings
881:15th-century portraits
639:Single religious works
596:(1098): 639–641. 1994.
464:on September 28, 2004.
425:(1098): 639–641. 1994.
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184:three-quarter portrait
164:Northeast Philadelphia
691:(attributed, c. 1450)
667:(attributed, c. 1445)
475:Ainsworth, Maryan W.
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558:Upton, Joel (1990).
444:www.stevenconnor.com
385:Upton, Joel (1990).
148:and, because of the
79: in ×
759:Death of the Virgin
656:Lamentation (Pietà)
360:. 29 December 2020
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204:Space and lighting
141:in New York City.
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819:Portrait of a Man
550:978-0-87099-694-8
524:. April 20, 2009.
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855:December 21,
853:. Retrieved
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830:(c. 1465–70)
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785:Portrait of
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762:(c. 1460–65)
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271:trompe-l'œil
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254:trompe-l'œil
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245:trompe-l'œil
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226:trompe-l'œil
225:
224:The fly and
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214:Jan van Eyck
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155:trompe-l'œil
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736:Crucifixion
329:Jules Bache
300:featured a
265:’s moniker
150:fly painted
135:Jules Bache
57:oil on wood
870:Categories
581:"Flysight"
364:2022-04-13
358:Billy Penn
340:References
188:Carthusian
182:depicts a
62:Dimensions
822:(c. 1465)
806:(c. 1455)
770:Portraits
754:(c. 1465)
746:(c. 1465)
699:(c. 1450)
683:(c. 1450)
675:(c. 1445)
672:Ecce Homo
659:(c. 1444)
651:(c. 1444)
267:Beelzebub
259:mortality
242:sports a
108:Accession
93: in)
790:, (1446)
751:Nativity
175:The monk
170:Overview
98:Location
322:Majorca
166:local.
126:by the
111:49.7.19
88:⁄
74:⁄
798:(1449)
781:(1446)
715:(1457)
568:
547:
395:
36:Artist
263:Satan
124:panel
857:2012
566:ISBN
545:ISBN
393:ISBN
302:halo
160:meme
54:Type
49:1446
46:Year
594:136
423:136
276:ΧΡΙ
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