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ean. 200 ayes 2382 9-asro-. Not one person in a thousand suspects the real meaning of this famous double portrait by Jan van Eyck. Actually, it portrays a wedding, and all the fascinating de- tails are symbolic references to the sacrament of marriage. As John Canaday points out in the first portfolio of the Metropolitan Museum Seminars in Art, the little dog symbolizes faithfulness; the discarded sandals, humility; and the single candle, the presence of God. Above the mirror, which signifies purity, are’the words, “Jan van Eyck ‘was here, 1434,” in script proper, to a document. For the painting really isa document: a painted marriage certificate! If you had come across this painting in a museum, would you have understood what the artist was trying to tell you? Or would you have missed the hidden meanings that make his work so valued and respected? . A surprising number’ of otherwise cultivated persons have a blind spot so far as painting is concerned. Visiting a museum, they stand before a respected work of art and see nothing but its surface aspects. 1t was to help such persons that New York's Metropolitan Museum and John Canaday, art critic of The New York Tires, created the Seminars in Art, a unique program of assisted self- edvtation in art appreciation. Page 24 : The painting that made a marriage legal og Each seminar comes in the torm of a handsome portfolio, the core of which is a lecture devoted to one aspect of painting. Each is illustrated with many black-and- white pictures and contains twelve large separate full- color reproductions of notable paintings. As you compare these masterpieces side by side, Mr. Canaday’s lectures clarify their basic differences and similarities, and so re- veal what to look for in any painting you may see. Soon paintings will be more than just “good” or “bad” to you. You'll be able to talk knowledgeably and form your own educated opinion when you visit 2 gallery or museum. And parents will find themseives sharing their understanding with their children, thereby providing a foundation for a lifelong interest in art. Examine the first pordiolio without d You can study the first seminar by mailing the coupon on this page to the Book-of-the-Month Club, which admin- isters the program for the Museum. You will receive the a?, for a 2’, for a frst of the twelve portfolios, two-week trial examination. Subsequent portfolios, sent at the rate of one a month, are devoted to realism, expres- sionism, abstraction, composition, painting techniques, and the role of the artist as social critic and visionary. os, What Is a Pais ee ‘eden ’ If you choose not to continue, simply returr portfolio and your subscription will be canceled. The no further obligation. But if you are convinced of the gram’s worth, you pay only $3.75, plus a small char; cover mailing and handling expense, for this and for ea the ining portfolios you accept. ‘S237 Metropolitan Museum of{rt Seminars in the Home c/o Book-of-the-Month Club, Inc. 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York roorg Please enroll me as a subscriber and send one Portfol: What Is « Painsing? If after two weeks I decide not to contiat may retum it, canceling my subscription. If I retain it, bill me $ plus a small mailing charge, for it and for each of the remai portfolios as they are received. I may cancel this subscriptic: any time. PRINT NAME. ADOREN BOOK WORLD Ney ! ae |