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Portrait of a Carthusian

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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 506: 287: 29: 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,
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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
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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.
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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
895: 232: 622: 457: 905: 890: 810: 548: 826: 711: 477:"Intentional Alterations of Early Netherlandish Painting – Essay – Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History – The Metropolitan Museum of Art" 569: 396: 353: 719: 880: 536: 758: 727: 615: 663: 309: 301: 197: 145: 127: 703: 786: 305: 138: 101: 818: 802: 900: 885: 679: 608: 687: 875: 794: 742: 735: 671: 655: 183: 163: 848: 695: 509: 461: 750: 316:
had long been an object of speculation. Finally in 1994, in preparation for the Met's exhibition
244: 154: 231: 565: 544: 392: 269:—the Lord of the Flies. More recently, art historians are beginning to view the inclusion of 631: 261:, etc. Art historians believe that a fly was used to evoke such images in connection with 209: 192: 130: 39: 278:
Me Fecit’ hinting that the fly might be the referent of ‘me’ rather than the painting.)
646: 559: 386: 123: 869: 325: 149: 520: 476: 354:"This 15th century Carthusian monk looks exactly like a dude from Northeast Philly" 286: 213: 28: 328: 134: 187: 580: 266: 439: 321: 275: 529:
Petrus Christus in Renaissance Bruges: An Interdisciplinary Approach
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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". 561:
Petrus Christus: His Place in Fifteenth-Century Flemish Painting
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Petrus Christus: His Place in Fifteenth-Century Flemish Painting
159: 604: 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. 412: 410: 408: 811:
Portrait of a Male Donor and Portrait of a Female Donor
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Intentional Alterations of Early Netherlandish Painting
769: 638: 498: 107: 97: 61: 53: 45: 35: 21: 510:Smarthistory – Christus's Portrait of a Carthusian 434: 432: 380: 378: 376: 374: 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 616: 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. 623: 609: 601: 65:29.2 cm × 21.6 cm ( 27: 18: 285: 230: 840: 345: 495: 849:"Christus's Portrait of a Carthusian" 728:Virgin and Child Enthroned on a Porch 7: 162:after the subject was compared to a 664:St. John the Baptist in a Landscape 144:It is regarded as a masterpiece of 14: 579:Connor, Steven (April 15, 2009). 158:. In 2020, the painting became a 133:in 1446. The work is part of the 504: 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 1: 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 922: 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) 503: 282:Halo and 1994 restoration 248:fly on the center of its 137:Collection housed at the 26: 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. 294: 236: 184:three-quarter portrait 164:Northeast Philadelphia 691:(attributed, c. 1450) 667:(attributed, c. 1445) 475:Ainsworth, Maryan W. 289: 234: 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 295: 237: 204:Space and lighting 141:in New York City. 837: 836: 819:Portrait of a Man 550:978-0-87099-694-8 524:. 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Index


Petrus Christus
Metropolitan Museum of Art
panel
Early Netherlandish painter
Petrus Christus
Jules Bache
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Early Netherlandish painting
fly painted
trompe-l'œil
meme
Northeast Philadelphia
three-quarter portrait
Carthusian
Petrus Christus
Early Netherlandish painting
Petrus Christus
Jan van Eyck

trompe-l'œil
mortality
Satan
Beelzebub
ΧΡΙ

halo
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Early Netherlandish painting
Majorca

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