Dirk Bouts Influence

Dirk Bouts was a Northern Renaissance and Early Netherlandish painter. He was greatly influenced by Jan van Eyck and Rogier van der Weyden. He was known for his devotional panels and portraits and most of his paintings had to do with Biblical concepts. He lived during a time in history when the middle ages ended and the renaissance began. His painting, Moses before the burning bush, with Moses removing his shoes, is a beautiful rendering of the scene when Moses first beholds the presence of God, through the burning bush. In this scene, Moses can be observed twice. In the far right and background of the painting he is removing his shoes because has just stumbled upon the presence of God while shepherding his flock. In Exodus 3:5, God states to Moses, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then Moses is seen again, this time in the foreground. Instead of being seated he has assumed a humble position with his knee bent and eyes turned up towards the sky as well as his hands up as if he is receiving God’s commands. Perhaps the artist chooses to include Moses taking off his shoes in the background in order that the viewer will understand the actions that preceded …show more content…
This helped with the perspective of the painting and the easiness on the eye of the observer. The perspective he uses in the painting allows humble Moses to take the viewers primary attention, while still allowing other pieces of the story to come through, but not be as emphasized as the most important part of this story. Dirk Bouts expertly created a masterpiece painting of Moses before the burning bush. He managed to include many pieces of the Exodus passage in the Bible, the theological aspect of essence and existence, God’s infinite power, Moses’s life before he rescued the Israelites, and his attitude toward God, all in one painting. Maybe a picture truly is worth 1,000