Portinari Altarpiece: Hugo Van Der Goes

Portinari Altarpiece Hugo van der Goes is credited with uniting the scholarly dexterity of Jan van Eyck and the sensitive feelings of Rogier van der Weyden, creating his own style of art. In Ghent, Hugo was the dean of the painters’ guild. An artisan guild was organized by occupation and exerted quality control of its members and administered education with an apprenticeship system. It was a master-apprentice system, where apprentices commonly finished the smaller details on a piece of work letting the master complete the more important figures. His major work was an unusually large altarpiece of the Nativity, authorized by Tommaso Portinari. In 1483, it was installed in the Portinari family chapel in Florence, where it had an impression on Florentine painters. Adoration of the Shepherds is the center painting in the Portinari altarpiece. The piece exposes the work of many artists because of the different lines, forms, and colors present. …show more content…
The two kneeling in the lower left corner have similar features as those to their right. They have large foreheads and long, oval faces. This set of angel’s artist used thick, wavy lines for their hair while the artist of the two kneeling angels in the center back used thin curved lines making their hair appear curly and fuller. This set of angels has heart shaped faces, but both groups show no detailed facial features or lines of wrinkles. The group of three men in the painting have fine lines around their eyes and mouths that give them the appearance of aging. Their foreheads have thin wrinkle lines along with their hands. All sets of angels have smooth, unlined hands; there is not near as much detail put into them as there is in the men’s. It is apparent that more than one artist worked on these figures based on the types of lines used in their