Each student was given a piece of art from the Fine Arts Museum in Brussels to find, observe, and contemplate. My selection was “Virgin and Child with St. Anne and a Franciscan Donor” by Hugo van der Goes. I did not take a picture of the physical copy of the painting due to the strictness of some security guards in art museums. Even if they allow photos to be taken, like this museum did, I still tend to shy away from using a camera. A photo of the painting is inserted above in order to better connect to the painting via the internet.

It was not a hard painting to find, as it was one of the first to be viewed on the main floor of the museum. It was a lot smaller than I imagined it would be, and shared a wall with another work that had a similar style. However, the lack in size did not mean a lack in detail. The natural landscape of the background is very serene; the leaves are clearly marked, the cracks in the boulders are realistically shadowed, and even the mountains and their small presence in the very back are painted as if they were just as important as the natural viewpoints more towards the front. My personal favorite detail of the painting is the book on the left side with its pages blowing in the wind.

The people of the painting all look a little strange. Their postures are very stiff, and the baby is oddly proportioned. The portrayal of the baby vaguely reminds me of how baby Jesus was painted during the Byzantine Era as a rather small man than a soft newborn. Each person appears to be gazing peacefully in their own specific direction. The scene is very calming to look upon and was a lovely painting to reflect on how of the components work together to elicit this feeling.