“Our mad Russophobia has reached new heights,” protests a publication posted last Saturday on Facebook. According to the Internet user, the London National Gallery should withdraw a painting by Van Eyck from 1434 because the male character “looks like Putin”. “If we want to have the cultural maturity of Daesh, why not go all the way and burn it,” continues the Internet user.
If indeed, we cannot deny the strange resemblance of the character with the Russian president, the painting is far from representing him and should not be removed from the collection of the London museum anytime soon. 20 Minutes make the point.
FAKE OFF
The painting in question named “The Arnolfini couple” was painted in 1434 by the Flemish painter Jan Van Eyck. We see two characters, a man with a dark outfit and a cold face holding the hand of a woman, visibly pregnant. First exhibited at the British institution in 1841, then at the British National Gallery in 1843, the painting has sparked many mysteries. What was really the relationship between the two characters in the painting? Was the woman in the green dress really pregnant? Was it her husband with the top hat and cape?
Over time, research by historians eventually concluded that the man depicted was a wealthy Tuscan merchant named Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini, accompanied by his wife. A hypothesis that still divides today. Other researchers estimate that Jan Van Eyck would have liked to represent himself, with his wife. Indeed, beyond the resemblances with Vladimir Putin imagined today, the man with the hat would also have the same features as the self-portraits of the Flemish painter.
Mysteries still in London
But this painting also became famous for its ingenuity. In the background, for example, on the wall behind the spouses, a mirror reflects another scene and presents new hidden characters, one in red and the other in blue. Who are they ? Churchmen? Jan Van Eyck himself? Other details are also representative of the genius of the artist. Above the mirror, an inscription is left on the wall. “Jan Van Eyck was here, 1434”, it is marked. A novelty for the time, when artists usually did not leave a signature.
We cannot therefore deny the importance of this painting through the centuries for the mysteries and the technicality left by the Flemish painter. What’s more, the painting has clearly been taken up in pop culture, for example in the credits of the famous series Desperate Housewives. All the more reason to think that the British National Gallery would have no desire to withdraw this painting.
Contacted by 20 Minutes, the London museum confirms that the painting is still on display in the British National Gallery, in room 28 to be exact. “There are no plans to remove this painting from the exhibition,” concludes the museum’s management.
