On this day in 1593, Artemisia Gentileschi, one of the best Italian Baroque painters, was born. At a time when women had limited access to artistic education or professional opportunities, Gentileschi broke barriers as the first woman admitted to the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno in Florence, and she attracted an international clientele.
Many of her paintings depict women drawn from mythology, allegory, and the Bibleâportraying them as victims, warriors, and figures of resilience and tragedy. One such painting we present today!The subject of today's work is drawn from the Book of Judges in the Bible.
It illustrates the dramatic moment when Jael, a Kenite woman, prepares to kill Sisera, a Canaanite general whom the Israelites have defeated. After his loss, Sisera escapes to a nearby encampment, where Jael offers him shelter, promising to provide food and concealment.
Once he falls asleep, she drives a tent peg through his templeâan act celebrated in the text for its boldness and decisive courage.Throughout the Middle Ages, Jaelâs story was often linked to that of Judith, the personification of the virtue of Humility, and the Virgin Mary, among other figures. Gentileschi loved the subjects of strong female figures from literature and scripture.
Her personal history adds a layer of resonance to these themes: her mentor Agostino Tassi was later convicted of raping her. Interestingly, Sisera bears a visual resemblance to Tassi, drawing further psychological depth to the portrayal.
As summer is in full swing, we hope you spend your time properly ... in cold, air-conditioned museums, appreciating art!Like the characters presented in today's painting.
Modern Rome is a masterpiece of some serious function. Commissioned by the French comte de Stainvilleâlater the duc de Choiseulâwho served as ambassador to Rome from 1753 to 1757 the artwork is a fantasy (the depicted place never existed), a visual art guidebook to Rome.
The comte is shown seated in an armchair surrounded by famous artworks, including Michelangeloâs Moses and sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
Such paintings were capturing some of the city's most iconic monuments, and like lavish postcards, they offered a condensed visual tour of must-see landmarks.
Do you recognize any of the famous artworks and monuments from Rome?
today's extremely tasty painting, which was painted by John F. Francis, a largely self-taught American artist best known for his detailed and painterly still lifes.
With his depictions of luncheon or dessert subjects, Francis brought a radiant, colorful freshness to the genreâmoving away from the somber, restrained style promoted by the influential Peale family of Philadelphia.Francisâs paintings are characterized by a high degree of realism, often approaching the level of trompe lâoeil.
His compositions typically present life-size objects arranged on a flat plane, projecting into the viewerâs space with a vivid immediacy. There is often a subtle sense of disorder, as if someone has just left the table, which lends his works a quiet narrative quality.
He often produced multiple versions of the same composition, and his style remained relatively unchanged throughout his career. Unfortunately, most of Francisâs works are unsigned and undated, making them difficult to catalog.
Nice
A prominent member of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, founded in England in 1848, Sir Edward Burne-Jones in the 1860s became a leading figure in the rise of Aestheticismâa movement that celebrated beauty and art for artâs sake.
This composition exemplifies that ethos, presenting an exaltation of idealized beauty and aligning its atmosphere with the sensibilities of late Victorian art.Burne-Jones minimizes narrative content, instead arranging poetic, dreamlike figures in a linear procession reminiscent of a Greek frieze.
Clad in pseudoclassical garments, the figures we see evoke a timeless, mythic world. Rather than imitating the formal style of the Renaissance, Burne-Jones aims to capture its spirit.
The influence of the Quattrocento's art, particularly Sandro Botticelli's masterpieces, is evident in the emphasis on decorative harmony and the wistful evocation of a bygone era.
This work was originally conceived as an illustration for The Hill of Venus, a section of William Morrisâs epic poem The Earthly Paradise, which was inspired by the medieval legend of Tannhäuser, a knight and poet who found the Venusberg, the subterranean home of Venus, and spent a year there worshiping the goddess.
The centaur mosaic was unearthed in the 18th century at the site of Emperor Hadrianâs grand villa complex near Tivoliâa sprawling estate known for its luxury and artistic richness.
Discovered in situ, the mosaic was found alongside several smaller ones depicting landscapes, animals, and theatrical masks. This relatively modest central panel, or emblema, once formed part of the elaborate floor decoration in the villaâs main dining room (known as the triclinium).
The mosaic presents a vivid and dramatic scene: a violent clash between mythological centaursâcreatures with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a horseâand ferocious wild cats. Set atop a rugged outcrop that juts over a yawning chasm running along the bottom of the image, a male and female centaur are under attack.
The male, rearing up on his hind legs, raises a stone above his head in defense as he charges to aid his fallen companion. The female centaur lies on the ground, pinned by a tiger clawing at her side. Despite the maleâs effortsâand the body of a slain lion nearby, bloodied and limp with claws withdrawnâthe fight is far from over.
In the distance, the rocky landscape recedes with masterful depth, created through layered rock formations and subtle color gradations, and a new threat looms: a leopard poised to leap.In earlier Greek art, centaurs were often portrayed as wild and beastlike.
Over time, however, depictions began to emphasize their human qualities. The 2nd-century writer Lucian, for example, describes the famed painter Zeuxis (active around 400 BCE) as having gained renown for his portrayal of a centaur family in a serene pastoral setting. Similarly, the Roman poet Ovid wrote poignantly of a centaur coupleâs tragic fate, casting them in a more sympathetic light.
Jan Havickszoon Steenâs The Merry Family bursts with energy and noise as father, mother, grandmother, and children all join in a joyful ruckus.
With singing, laughter, and even puffing on long pipes, this lively scene captures a moment of festive chaos in a Dutch household. Beneath the merriment, however, lies a subtle moral message.
The note on the mantelpiece reads, âAs the old sing, so shall the young twitterâ, warning viewers about the impact of parental behavior on children.
If adults set a rowdy or reckless example, the children are likely to follow suit. Steenâs painting serves as both a vivid snapshot of everyday life and a gentle reminder of social responsibility and upbringing during the Dutch 17th century.Jan Steen was known for his humor, warmth, and sharp social commentary.
Often called the âDutch master of everyday life,â his paintings reveal both the joys and follies of human nature.
He skillfully combined chaotic, lively scenes with underlying moral lessons, making his work both entertaining and thought-provoking. His unique approach gives us a timeless look into family life and societal norms of his era.
@moonlightmuse that painting is bad@ss pardon my French. I would have that on my wall.
This is my friend Ben Cowan he is out of NYC and does a lot of work out there. This is recent. He will likely be having a show out that way soon... I just follow him online now. I knew him back when he was beginning art school. I have an early painting in my room. He's got amazing work. Look him up.
There is some really amazing art work around the world and in our own states also. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to travel in 5 countries in Europe on a motorcycle trip. I have been in 35 of our states transporting boats in my transport business.
Robert Delaunay, despite having little formal art training beyond an apprenticeship with a stage-set designer, developed a sophisticated and influential style by studying color theory, particularly the work of French chemist Michel Eugène Chevreul and its application by the Neo-Impressionists.
His wife, Sonia Delaunayâan accomplished painter and textile designerâwas crucial in shaping his early exploration of collage and abstraction.
The painting we present today draws from a sensational newspaper illustration of a political assassination: Henriette Caillaux, wife of French Finance Minister Joseph Caillaux, shot and killed Gaston Calmette, editor of the newspaper Le Figaro, in 1914.
The cover image of the illustrated supplement to the newspaper Le Petit Journal shows the dramatic aftermath of the attackâMme Caillaux stepping forward, Calmette collapsing, and a blazing central flash. Delaunay abstracted the scene but preserved key visual cues.
He used collage elements to emphasize the figures and explosion, arranging them along a vertical and horizontal axis that captures their fatal confrontation.
Concentric circlesârecalling targets or the sight of a weaponâconvey the paintingâs tension, while swirling background patterns suggest motion, even dance, perhaps inspired by his visits with Sonia to the Bal Bullier dance hall between 1912 and 1914.Delaunay's use of concentric colored forms anticipated the visual strategies of later American artists such as Jasper Johns, Kenneth Noland, and Frank Stella.
While those painters largely removed political meaning from their work, however, Political Drama shows a complex dialogue between abstraction and narrative.
Early photographs of the piece show the title inscribed at the top and Delaunayâs name at the bottomâdetails later cropped, possibly in an effort to shift the work more fully into the realm of pure abstraction.
Let's move to the Mughal Empire, specifically to 17th-century South Asia.Today, we present an illustration from the Dara Shikoh Album, which is among the most renowned and significant Mughal artifacts.
Dara Shikoh (1615â1658), the eldest and favorite son of Emperor Shah Jahan (who ruled from 1627 to 1658), married his cousin Nadira Banu Begum in 1633.
He presented her with this album in 1641. Dara Shikoh likely began assembling the album, however, between 1631 and 1633 (before his marriage), rather than during the years between his wedding and the eventual gift, as has long been assumed.
The albumâs only signed and dated painting is the one you see, made by the otherwise obscure artist Muhammad Khan, who may have come from the Deccan and been commissioned by Dara Shikoh during the imperial courtâs stay in Burhanpur from 1630 to 1632.
Look at a vase depicted in his painting, filled with an abundant bouquet of various flowers, which stands apart from other contemporary Mughal representations of floral arrangements in its distinctive style.
The album is generally celebrated for its exquisite studies of flowers. The scholars see in it the European source of inspiration, especially for the prints that shaped the floral imagery found both in individual works and in the decorative borders of imperial albums from the reigns of Jahangir (who ruled from 1605 to 1627) and Shah Jahan.
Takeuchi SeihĹ (real name, Tsunekichi), was born in in Kyoto in 1864. He studied at the ShijĹ school under Tsuchida Eirin and KĹno Bairei. He focused his painting by actively incorporating the expression of Western painting into witty and refined animal paintings and landscapes, which were unique to him.
In addition to training many painters, SeihĹ also led the Kyoto Circle of Painters in and after 1887.In Golden Lion, we see a mighty lion emerging from the shadow of a rock, ready to spring upon its prey with a mighty roar.
SeihĹ captured the powerful King of Beasts by painting sharp claws extended on the right paw and muscles bulging on the left leg.
Traditionally, Japanese artists had painted lions in a style inherited from China, depicting them as karajishi (pairs of stylized gate guardians). After returning from Europe, however, SeihĹ caused a sensation in the art world in 1901 by portraying a lion realistically.
Between 1887 and 1890, Monet devoted himself to portraying a canoe on the Epte River, which flowed through his property in Giverny.
For this series of paintings, the sitters were sisters Suzanne and Blanche HoschedĂŠ. Their father, the banker Ernest HoschedĂŠâwho had passed away by thenâhad been Monetâs patron and collector, and their mother, Alice, would later become Monetâs second wife. The Canoe on the Epte demonstrates Monet's interest in the effects of light on the waterâs surface.
The thick application of paint consists of pure colors that visually blend from a distance. The proximity of the river current, occupying the entire lower portion of the painting, suggests Monet was exploring both the reflections of plants and the depth of the river.
The blurred depiction of the figures and the cropped framing of the canoeâcut off at the edge of the canvasâecho the visual language of photography, which was a decisive influence on the artist.
The sceneâs framing also evokes Japanese prints, which were circulating widely in France at the time.
Valdemar Schønheyder Møller was a Danish painter best known for his luminous depictions of sunlight.He began his artistic education in 1884 at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts but soon transferred to the Kunstnernes Frie Studieskoler, where he studied under the prominent painter P.S. Krøyer.
During this period, he formed a close friendship with Vilhelm Hammershøi (1864â1916) and took a number of photographs that would later serve as the basis for some of Hammershøiâs early works. Møller was among the first Danish painters to experiment with photography as a creative tool.In 1891, he moved to Skagen and became associated with the Skagen Painters, remaining there until 1893.
In this vibrant artist community, he began his in-depth exploration of light and its visual effects.In 1894, Møller relocated to Paris to join his brother Tyge, an art collector, and then settled in Fontainebleau in 1896. There, he continued his intense study of sunlight, creating a series of over 30 works centered on the direct radiance of the sunâoften depicting it rising or filtering through trees.
To capture the experience of light more authentically, he would sometimes stare briefly at the sun to reproduce the afterimages and color effects it left on his retina. His singular focus on light earned him the nickname âthe painter of the sun.â
His paintings were innovative and made a significant contribution to Symbolism in the late 19th century, a movement in which the external world reflected inner states of mind. This was a natural focus for an artist who struggled with mental illness.
Hapsburg Court artist Jan Thomas van Ieperen, (1617-1673) is the person who did this pair of full length portraits in 1667. These are Holy Roman Emperor and Empress, Leopold I and Margarita Teresa of Spain. They are dressed in costume for the play âLa Galateaâ, where Leopold assayed the role of Acis. We can assume that Margarita played Galatea, of course.
Their costumes are so lavish and heavily decorated that any classical references, though ipresent are subordinated to the extreme luxury on display. Silk brocades and satins, yards and yards of gold lace, ermine in abundance, as well as ostrich and egret plumes, and ribbons galore create these costumes. Margaritaâs bodice is entirely coated with jewels.
As a side note this couple is a prime example of the level of inbreeding common among the Hapsburgs. Leopold was Margaritaâs paternal cousin and maternal uncle.
Collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
đđŠ "Feine Leute" / "Fine People" đđ Heinz Geilfus (â 25. November 1890 in GieĂen; â 25. January 1956 in Bad Nauheim) was a German graphic artist, illustrator,and cartoonist. He also painted hunting scenes, frequently featuring anthropomorphic hunting dogs.
I visited the Caspar David Friedrich exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in April. Heâs one of my favorite painters. This one is Two Men Contemplating the Moon, ca. 1825-30
Description totally plagiarized from the placard: A man rests his arm on his companion's shoulder while the pair gaze toward the moon and, at right, the evening star. For the Romantics, the two celestial bodies held mystical allure as emblems of mortality and renewal. One of the men is Friedrich's pupil August Heinrich, and the other is either Friedrich or one of his artist brothers-in-law. The figure on the right wears a medieval-style cloak and beret, an outfit banned in 1819 because it was worn by politically liberal student groups.
This is a great thread! Cuddling is perfectly balanced with art and music for supporting a strong sense of self.
This oneâs from the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford. I got a kick out of this one.
From the placard: William Merritt Chase American, 1849-1916 Boy Smoking (The Apprentice), 1875 Oil on canvas
Chase epitomized the cosmopolitan American artists whose styles were formed by instruction at European schools during the late nineteenth century. He traveled to Munich to train with a group of artists whose style of realism emphasized loose, bold brushwork. This portrait of a working-class youth was part of a series depicting boys adapting the postures they associated with manhood. Here Chase captured the rebellious nature of adolescence. Upon his return to New York City, Chase established himself as one of leading teachers of his day. He taught at the recently founded Art Students League where among his pupils was Frederic Remington.
The Met Cloisters museum at the northwest tip of Manhattan features art, artifacts, and architectural features from medieval churches throughout Europe, all integrated into the Cloisters architecture. Itâs a breathtaking collection and well worth the trip.
Seen here is a fresco of a lion that was originally painted ca. 1200 in a Spanish monastery. It was later transferred to canvas and now hangs at the Met Cloisters.
South African artist Gerart, aka Gerhard Snyman. Oil on canvas, 1 meter by 1 meter.
"The Witch's Cat." An illustration. 1950s.
Hilda Boswell (British, 1903-1976)
Let's move to beautiful Vienna of the last year of the 19th century.
Olga Wisinger-Florian is regarded as one of the most important representatives of Stimmungimpressionismus,
also called Viennese Stimmungsimpressionism or Austrian Stimmungsimpressionism
(a term that refers to Austrian plein-air painting between 1870 and 1900, which distinguished itself from the heroic landscape depictions of Historicism)
and as one of the leading landscape and flower painters of the Fin de Siècle.
After a career as a concert pianist, she turned to painting and, from 1881 onward, regularly exhibited at the annual shows of the KĂźnstlerhaus.
Falling Leaves depicts a scene from the Vienna Woods, already a popular excursion destination in the late 19th century. Dense autumn-colored foliage surrounds the solitary walker on nearly all sides.
When the painting was first shown at the Pisko Art Salon in Vienna, it made such an impression that it was immediately acquired for the Imperial Picture Gallery.
P.S. Olga Wisinger-Florian became one of the biggest players in the market for flower painting in Viennaâs Golden Age.
saw this in Ethiopia last year in a hotel stairway
Source unknown
amazing portrait of Berthe Morisot painted by Ădouard Manet.
Manet was a leader in the development of a new pictorial language, and Repose demonstrates elements of his radical style, including dominant contrasts of light and dark tones; broad, tactile paint-handling; and a sense of shallow, compressed space.
This representation of another famous artist, Berthe Morisot, shocked some viewers, who criticized her casual pose, her informal dress, and her availability as a model.
Her gaze suggests reverie, in contract to the raucous depiction of a pearl diver pursued by a dragon in the Japanese woodblock print above her head. Manet described his painting as a study in physical and psychological reposeâânot at all in the character of a portrait.â
Today is Black Cat Day. Do you believe they bring luck or rather misfortune?
In his response to Edgar Allan Poeâs short story, The Black Cat, the English illustrator and author Aubrey Beardsley depicted the menacing, one-eyed feline that the narrator inadvertently entombs with the corpse of his wife.
When the wall is broken open, the enraged creature appears perched upon the womanâs upright headâa grisly scene the artist renders with striking economy, using spare black lines against a stark white ground.
By contrast, the wall and cat are rendered in near-solid black, relieved only by a white patch of fur on the animalâs chest.This drawing is one of four that Beardsley produced to illustrate a new American edition of Poeâs Tales of Mystery and the Imagination.
Commissioned by the Chicago publishers Stone and Kimball in December 1893, Beardsley remarked that the material offered âan admirable chance of picture making.â
Beginning work in February 1894, he completed four of the eight requested designs.
Starry nights weren't depicted only by Vincent van Gogh.
Today, we present the one painted by Wenzel Hablik, a painter, graphic artist, architect, designer, and craftsman, associated with German Expressionism.
At the beginning of the 20th century, science and spiritualism converged in efforts to grasp the mysteries of the universe, producing yet another form of mystical landscape.
Painters drew inspiration from scientific popularizers in Europeâamong them the astronomer and writer Camille Flammarionâand began to envision outer space as a realm for the universal imagination.
In the United States, Arthur Dove and Georgia OâKeeffe carried their spiritual and stylistic experiments further, rendering clouds almost to the point of abstraction in colors suggestive of interstellar space.
Edvard Munch imagined an exploding sun as the final star to cast its light upon the earth before dissolving into the cosmos.
Taking a more rational approach, Hablik shows the cosmos as an ordered, architecturally structured but dazzling world.
In September 1907, the Swedish artist and the pioneer of abstract art, Hilma af Klint, recorded a vision announcing that âten paradisaically beautiful paintingsâ would be created to offer the world a glimpse of lifeâs stages.
The following month, she began work on The Ten Largest.
Largely abstract in character, these monumental canvases chart four phases of human existenceâchildhood, youth, adulthood, and old age.
Botanical motifs underscore af Klintâs belief in humanityâs bond with nature, while invented words, some said to be received from spirits, unfurl across the surfaces in exuberant, looping script.
Each composition was completed in just four days. At the direction of her spirit guides, af Klint invited fellow artist Cornelia Cederberg, a member of her spiritualist circle De Fem (The Five), to assistâthough always under af Klintâs command.Given their sheer scale, the works were likely executed on the studio floor, a radical departure from the conventions of easel painting.
Af Klint envisioned them installed together within a spiral temple, forming what she called a âbeautiful wall covering
.âThis work is the final canvas in the Adulthood section. While it still brims with the swirling letters, symbols, and geometric motifs that define her abstract vocabulary, it conveys a calmer, more measured energy than the preceding three compositions.