Euthymides’ Three Revelers is one of the most important paintings in Greek art. It was painted around 470 BC, and is currently on display at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, Greece. The painting shows three men who are drunk and celebrating. They are standing next to a table with food and drink on it. … Read more
Dutch artist, Gerrit Dou, started painting “A Dentist by Candlelight” in 1660 and completed it in 1665. The medium of this art is oil on an oak panel. While the painting is small in size, the imagery is much larger. The painting itself measures just a little over fourteen inches by ten inches. The brush … Read more
Alfred Stieglitz was an iconic photographer and gallery owner, who creates abstract art or symbolism in high-quality fashion. He was born on January 1, 1864 at Hoboken, New Jersey in a German-Jewish family. He spent most of his life in New York City, molding his photographs and leading a group of artists, called the Photo-Secessionist … Read more
When it appeared in the eighth (and final) Impressionist exhibit in May of 1886, Georges Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on the Grande Jatte—1884 (FIG. 1) left an indelible impression on the critics, artists, and public of the time. Here was a painting that was a collage of contradictions—impressionist paintings were all about modernity, plein air … Read more
Remember when you were a little kid sitting in arts and crafts flinging paint with a paint brush onto white paper or even using your hands to paint unknown designs? Well my friends that method can be also known as Abstract Expressionism and in the 1940’s and 50’s it took off like wild fire. Although … Read more
Vincent van Gogh painted over eight hundred paintings in less than ten years. He lived from 1853-1890 only spending the last ten years of his life painting. Gogh’s most frequently used style was impasto, thickly used oil paints on stretched canvases allowing the movement, and texture to be visually seen. Each one of his pieces … Read more
In Frank Romero’s mural, “Going to the Olympics 1984,” the artist captivates the audience’s attention by creating a mural at a freeway with powerful symbols such as cars, horses, two men wrestling, hearts, palm trees, post stamp, blimp and an iron. In addition his choice of colors wraps the image up making an inspiration and … Read more
Italian Renaissance painter Tiziano Vecellio, also known as Titian, created one of his most well-known paintings in the year 1538. This work, Venus of Urbino (Figure 1), is an oil painting that depicts a nude young woman reclining on a couch or bed in the luxurious surroundings of a Renaissance palace. Created for the Duke … Read more
“A Sunday on La Grande Jatte” had a style that, once I took a closer look, surprised me somewhat. The painting seems to be made with many dots. It’s very impressive that the artist took the time and had the talent to use dots in such a way. Of course, it may have been the … Read more
The image Keith by Chuck Close is a large and detailed painting with a plain background. The artist includes texture by drawing the pores and wrinkles that were on his friend’s face. In addition, there is a single strand for every hair on Keith’s head and eyebrows. Chuck Close even included black holes on the … Read more
The piece of Art, Smiling Girl, a Courtesan Holding an Obscene Image, painted by Gerrit van Honthorst in 1625 can be seen at the Saint Louis Art Museum. I was initially drawn to this image from across the gallery mostly due to the subject’s bright red dress with gold sleeves, it was one of the … Read more
I found the Giotta, Madonna Enthroned painting to be the most interesting because the power and love the painting displays. The personal values in this particular painting, such as the colors caught my eye because; the colors in this painting are almost bronzed. To me bronzed shows heroism. A very rich colored painting with the … Read more
The painting “Adoration of the Magi” by di Nardo portrays the three Magi approaching the baby Jesus and the Virgin Mary. However, there is much more to it than just this familiar scene from Judeo-Christian lore. When approaching this painting in order to analyze it iconographically, it is necessary to first look at all aspects … Read more
Terror and mockery come together in the portraits of Cindy Sherman on display at the Crocker Art Museum. Walking into the large, dimly lit ballroom, one may begin to feel a slight sense of trepidation as the viewer looks around to find nine sets of beady eyes watching one’s every move. Sherman produced her History … Read more
Before the twentieth century, art was recognized as an imitation of nature. Paintings and portraits were made to look as realistic and three-dimensional as possible, as if seen through a window. Artists were painting in the flamboyant fauvism style. French postimpressionist Paul Cezannes flattened still lives, and African sculptures gained in popularity in Western Europe … Read more
The portrait. A single person immortalized forever on canvas. At first glance, you only see the subject. With a more analytical eye, though, you not only see the image but you begin to hear the voice of the painter and of his time. This is what I hope to do, to feel and understand the … Read more
Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night is a marvelous painting in which Van Gogh paints a picture that is colorful and descriptive. This painting can be described as mysterious and intriguing. It can signify a variety of moods, objects, and atmosphere. Van Gogh portrays a small French town located in the countryside. This town is characterized … Read more
Vanitas, found in many recent pieces, is a style of painting begun in the 17th Century by Dutch artists. Artists involved in this movement include Pieter Claesz, Domenico Fetti and Bernardo Strozzi . Using still-life as their milieu, those artists and others like them provide the viewer with ideas regarding the brevity of life. The … Read more
A. Mau, a German scholar, established four distinct styles of Roman wall painting at the sites of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Boscoreal, and other smaller sites covered with ash from the volcanic eruption at Mount Vesuvius. The styles begin with one direction, shift completely, and end on a more combined technique. Style I, known as incrustation, began … Read more
Turner has out-prodiged almost all former prodigies. He has made a picture with real rain, behind which is real sunshine, and you expect a rainbow every minute. Meanwhile, there comes a train down upon you, really moving at the rate of fifty miles a hour, and which the reader had best make haste to see, … Read more