Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Uccello—
Battle of San Romano
(c. 1438-1440)
This colorful battle scene shows the victory of Florence over Siena in 1432—and the battle
for literal realism on the canvas. It's an early Renaissance attempt at a realistic, nonreli-
gious, three-dimensional scene.
Uccello challenges his ability by posing the horses and soldiers at every conceivable
angle. The background of farmyards, receding hedges, and tiny soldiers creates an illusion
of distance. The artist actually constructs a grid of fallen lances in the foreground,
then places the horses and warriors within it. Still, Uccello hasn't quite worked out the
bugs—the figures in the distance are far too big, and the fallen soldier on the left isn't
much larger than the fallen shield on the right.
• In Room 56, you'll find...
Van Eyck—
The Arnolini Portrait
(1434)
Called by some “The Shotgun Wedding,” this painting was once thought to depict a wed-
ding ceremony forced by the lady's swelling belly. Today it's understood as a portrait of a
solemn, well-dressed, well-heeled couple, the Arnolfinis of Bruges, Belgium. It is a mas-
terpiece of down-to-earth details.
