St. Luke Paints the Madonna: The Question of Artistic Identity in Early Low Countries Painting
Published 31-12-2023 — Updated on 11-06-2024
Copyright (c) 2023 Szenes Anna
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Abstract
In Rogier van der Weyden's St. Luke Painting the Madonna, many people believe that Luke is Weyden's actual or implied self-portrait. The figure of the painter-saint offered an opportunity for self-determination on the part of the believer-painter, and this inspired countless artists to create their own Luke. Initially portrayed with his painting in his hand, by the 15th century he was seen as a humble craftsman proud of his profession. Finally, from the beginning of the 16th century, he is no longer seen as a humble saint or a skilled craftsman, but as an artist of divine approval.
In order to better understand how St Luke became the alter ego of the artists of the German Low Countries, we must first examine how he went from being a simple evangelist to a saintly painter, starting from a study by Anna Eörsi (2003). Accordingly, I would like to examine the role of the figure of Luke in profane and, in sacred iconography as well. I would then study Rogier van der Weyden's Boston prototype. Finally, I would present the northern images of Luke associated with the Saint Luke tradition, more than one of which was based on Weyden's composition.
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