saint luke drawing the virgin

Rogier van der Weyden,
St. Luke Drawing the Virgin,
oil & tempera on oak panel, ca. 1435

Called "among the most important northern European paintings in the United States" by the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the influence of van Eyck's Rolin Madonna is crystal-clear in van der Weyden's St. Luke Drawing the Virgin. Though the two paintings were made around the same time, it is generally accepted that van Eyck's was finished first and that van der Weyden (who had studied under Campin) used it as a model. Several similarities are apparent, most notably the three-paneled opening in the background with a distant landscape, the religious iconography, and the fact that a mortal figure occupies the same space as the Madonna and Child. However, there are some key differences, namely van der Weyden's new "warmer" approach as compared to van Eyck's more pious earlier work.

Instead of making a work for a donor, van der Weyden most likely made this painting for the Guild of Saint Luke, a painter's guild in Brussels. It is also believed that van der Weyden painted himself as Saint Luke, allowing himself to identify with the patron saint of artists. Van der Weyden, therefore, emphasized the profession of Artist by having St. Luke draw the Virgin in silverpoint. This painting is one of the first examples of this idea in Renaissance art. It shows an extraordinarily personal connection between the artist and the painting. This connection is reflected in the moment St. Luke is sharing with the Virgin and Child, and unlike the two figures with their backs turned, we, the viewer, are privy to it as well. The Virgin is not portrayed with a halo or crown; instead she sits on a stool: a Madonna of humility, giving van der Weyden's painting a "new sense of naturalism."

Many copies of this painting are in existence, and no one is sure which is the original. However, this also shows the widespread influence of the painting. If it had been hung in a Guild's chapel, it could have been used as a teaching tool for young artists to view and imitate.