"The Virgin in a Church"

Discussions of Jan van Eyck's painting style invariably focus on the high degree of realism he achieved, heretofore unattained in the art of painting. However, soe critics say most of the church interiors depicted in his religious works are completely fictional.  Realistic objects are used as symbolism. The abundance of symbolic details in the architectural décor van Eyck invents, such as carved scenes of the life of the Virgin on the choir screen, the wooden statue of the Madonna and Child, and in a doorway to the viewer's right, two angels sing psalms from a hymn book. 

van Eyck's symbolism  becomes evident when one notices the unusual details of this painting. For example, the scale of the Virgin and Child is out of proportion to her surroundings, she stands taller than even the archways of the grand arcade. Less obvious are the spots of light, which, knowing that traditionally the churches would be oriented toward the east, yet the light source is shown streaming in from the North, a physical impossibility. The light, therefore, is not of the mundane world  symbolizes Mary as the source of a spiritual light. The exquisite hem of her attire is more than an indication of her status.  There is  symbolic meaning of the church interior.  van Eyck is literally portraying not the Madonna in a Church, but the Madonna as the Church.

Some scholars point to the Gothic style of the church interior or the exaggerated S-curve of the Madonna figure, to argue that van Eyck represents a pinnacle achievement but remains firmly within the Gothic tradition. However, others point to the artist's techniques of perspective and attention to realistic details, as a decided move beyond the religious art of the earlier medieval period. Van Eyck did not portray earthly reality. He was not interested in simply recording what he saw. Rather,  van Eyck's religious works illustrated not earthly existence but what he considered supernatural truth.