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...

  “The more materialistic science becomes, the more angels shall I paint: their wings are my protest in favour of the immortality of the soul.” – Sir Edward Burne-Jones   The jewel-hued angels of the Pre-Raphaelite artist Burne-Jones often grace Christmas cards and ornaments, but did you know that their regal appearance goes back to the way angels were depicted before the onset of Renaissance? Before angels turned into chubby children, like those at the foot of Raphael’s Sistine Madonna, they were portrayed as adults in shining robes, as described in the Bible.  Have you ever wondered why there are so many baby angels in old European art? If you’re confused by the number of tiny, winged infants in art history, this article will clarify some of the misperceptions about angels in paintings.   Brief History of Angels in Art Religious Baroque art abounds in angels, floating on clouds. Often, they look like small children with small and not very efficient-lookin...