Detail of the Virgin Mary
Beeld © Sint-Baafskathedraal Gent, www.lukasweb.be – Art in Flanders, foto Hugo Maertens en Dominique Provost
Mary’s deep-blue cloak almost comes to life: Van Eyck uses subtle colour differences to convince you that you are looking at fabric draped around a body. Designers such as Gizela Sabokova, Maarten De Ceulaer and Studio Minale-Maeda also make use of colour gradations and nuances. Just like Van Eyck, they create an ingenious play between light and shadow.
The dark surface of the blue is interrupted and accentuated by the multi-coloured, jewel-encrusted gold band. You can see the same principle in the work of atelier lachaert dhanis: bright colours on a dark background.
In Van Eyck’s time, ultramarine was one of the most important blue pigments. It was extracted from the rock lapis lazuli. DWA Design Studio used this gemstone in their Hacker Vase, made for Kleureyck. Painters used it in particular to depict the robes of Mary and Jesus – a reference to heaven. It was more expensive than gold and came all the way from Afghanistan. The name ultramarine literally means ‘from across the sea’.