Art's Last Bow

"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...

When they hear ‘Biblical Easter art’ many people imagine yawn-worthy saccharine angels or moralizing pictures out of a children’s Bible. If that’s how you imagine Easter art, think again. Throughout many hundreds of years, the Easter story, as told in the New Testament, has been an inspiration and an artistic challenge for numerous painters. In fact, most of the great painters from the Renaissance up to the Post-Impressionists have painted at least one version of the Crucifixion during their careers. If one Biblical painting looks much like any other in your eyes, here’s a selection of Easter paintings that are different. Together with the stories that inspired them, these paintings focus on the human elements in the Biblical account of Christ’s death and resurrection. Not on chubby little angels playing lutes. Baroque Graveyard Scene by Rembrandt's Friend Why did the Jewish religious leaders resent Jesus so much that they had him arrested for blasphemy and crucified? Accor...

How many pre-1940s famous female artists could you name? Although women painters are getting more recognition and serious study than ever before, many people are still surprised that there’s been so many women working in the predominantly male artistic sphere during the past centuries. Let’s take a look at some great women painters to remember.    Renaissance Portraitist The late Renaissance artist Sofonisba Anguissola (c. 1532 –1625) was one of the first female artists who enjoyed an established international reputation during her lifetime. The daughter of a nobleman, she had seven siblings, whom she often portrayed in her paintings. She was said to have been encouraged in her art by Michelangelo, who approved of her painting when shown it. She became a portrait painter at the court of Phillip II of Spain, painting for his daughter, Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia, and third wife, Elisabeth of Valois.    Family portrait, Minerva, Amilcare and Asdrubale Anguissola...