Posts

Turner's The Pifferari: A Masterpiece of Color and Romantic Vision

-
Image
Unbelievable colors. That’s the first thing I noticed about this painting in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow. The second thing was the total lack of a distinguishable theme. It is a landscape, but it does not have a well-defined foreground, middle, and background. Instead, this landscape shows you all of them at once, as it were, swirling with the soft yellows, browns, and greens, which, in turn, are eclipsed by the dazzling blue of the sky and its reflection in the lake. The staggering azure of the sky is heightened by wispy white clouds.   Modern Italy: The Pifferari . (1838). Joseph Mallord William Turner Only after experiencing the shocking richness of the colors do you notice the people on the left and right side of the painting. I didn’t read the museum label, and my first impression was that the figures on the left represented the Holy Family; the woman in white and blue resembles the classical portrayal of the Virgin Mary, with the dark-robed figur...
Post a Comment
Read more

10 Famous Paintings of Love and Romance

-
Image
"Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction." –Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds, or bends with the remover to remove. O no! It is an ever fixed mark that looks on tempests and is never shaken.” Sonnet 116, William Shakespeare 'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. – Alfred, Lord Tennyson, In Memoriam A.H.H. Art is often said to mirror life, and it would be a poor mirror if it didn’t reflect one of life’s greatest mysteries that is love. Throughout the ages painters have been trying to capture its spirit in their artworks. Here's a selection of love-themed paintings from both famous and more obscure artists: When Love is Happy “A Couple in the Garden”. 1885. Pierre-Auguste Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir, along with other Impressionists, is one of the most recognizable painters of the 19 th century. His painting “A Couple in the Gard...
Post a Comment
Read more

Exploring the Hidden Meaning Behind a Polish Masterpiece: Nec Mergitur by Ferdynand Ruszczyc

-
Image
If you’ve seen this painting of a sailing ship, scattering water drops like diamonds in its wake, you may have wondered, as I did, about its story. The swirling stars and shimmering waves in jewel-like colors lend this marine painting a magical quality that is hard to forget. Adding to its mystery is the fact that it has an intriguing message of hope and struggle for liberty at its core.   Nec mergitur. 1904-1905. Ferdynand Ruszczyc Ferdynand Ruszczyc (1870–1936) was a Polish painter known for his atmospheric and stirring landscapes. He depicted the snowy forests and plowed fields of his home, imbuing his images with a legendary and epic depth and gravity. One of his most impressive paintings is Ziemia (Land), painted in 1898. Ziemia. 1898. Ferdynand Ruszczyc The painting currently known as Nec Mergitur was painted in 1904-1905. The title is part of the Latin phrase fluctuat nec mergitur “(she) is tossed by the waves but doesn’t sink.” This phrase has been the motto of...
Post a Comment
Read more

Uncovering the Story of Danger and Survival Behind Titian’s Portrait of Ambassador

-
Image
Looking at Renaissance portraits can be fun even if you don’t know the sitter’s name or story. Even more so, if you manage to find out who’s depicted and why the artist included all the fascinating details that make pre-19 th century portraits so enigmatic . Portrait of the Ambassador Gabriel de Luetz d'Aramon. 1541-42. Titian Titian’s portrait of the ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Gabriel de Luetz d'Aramon (or d’Aramont), is a perfect example of the masterly portraiture technique that earned Titian commissions from Europe’s nobility and kings. The date of the portrait is unclear – some scholars favor an early date of 1541-1542, while others (including me) believe it was painted in 1546, after he’d been appointed ambassador to the Turkish sultan. So, what’s the story of this nobleman who had his portrait painted by "the king of painters and the painter of kings", as Titian was dubbed during his lifetime? A Dangerous Assignment In this remarkable portrai...
Post a Comment
Read more