Jean-Marc Nattier's "Thalia, Muse of Comedy" and "Terpsichore, Muse of Music and Dance"

Nationality: French
Born-Died: 1869-1895


Creation Date: 1739
Size: 53.5 x 49 in (135.9 x 124.5 cm)
Media: Oil on canvas 
Location: The California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, California, USA

John La Farge's "Roses on a Tray"

Nationality: All American
Born-Died: 1835 - 1910
Creation Date: 1861
Size: 20 × 12 inch (51 x  30 cm)
Media: Oil on panel
Location: The Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

St. Giles Cathedral, Day 2: Stained Glass Window

Nationality: Scottish
Media: Stained glass
Location: St. Giles Church, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Photo by me.

S. S. Rogatov's "Autumn" Decorative Box Cover

Nationality: Russian

Creation Date: 1988
Media: Painted lacquer box cover



Another beautiful painting from Lacquer Miniatures Fedoskino: Masterpieces of Russian Folk Art.

Bouguereau x 2 Week - "The Virgin With Angels" and "Little Esmeralda"

On this Day in the History of Art: Vilhelm Hammershøi born (1864), Emily Dickinson died (1886)

This week I'm going to post two images per day of Bouguereau’s work--one piece that I don't like and one that I do.

Nationality: French
Born-Died: 1825-1905



The Virgin With Angels
Creation Date: 1900
Media: Oil on canvas

This painting is an example of artistic second-handedness that would rival the likes of Peter Keating.

Seven Fayum Mummy Portraits

These portraits were made in the tradition of what are called the "Fayum mummy portraits" --panel paintings attached to the wrapped body of a deceased person. They were Egyptian in origin from the first through third centuries, but there is evidence to indicate that the subjects may have been Greek or other nationalities. Considering the age of these paintings, they have a surprising realism and painterliness in addition to their character.

Unusual Depictions of Jesus Week: Hans Holbein's "The Body of the Dead Christ in the Tomb"

Throughout history Christan mythology has been depicted with great variety. Because images of Jesus are so common in the history of art, I thought it would be interesting to explore some of the more unusual works.

This painting of Jesus as dead from AD 1521-1522 is extremely unusual. It is life-sized and the horizontal format is tight to the body like a casket. The flesh is beginning to darken and decompose and the eyes and mouth of the corpse have gone gracelessly slack. The body, however, is gaunt, stiff and emaciated--particularly the hands. Effort has been made to depict Jesus as thoroughly dead without a trace of divinity. While many (but not all) depictions of Jesus as deceased present him as a muscular, sleeping man with minor wounds, Holbein went to great lengths to present the opposite view. I suspect Holbein's intention was to concretize the idea that Jesus most certainly did die like any human being would.

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo Week: "An Allegory with Venus and Time"

All this week I'm going to be posting the shaped canvases of one of my favorite painters, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.



This is another canvas shape that seems simple at first but isn't. The composition here again is absolutely top-notch.

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo Week: "The Glorification of the Barbaro Family"

All this week I'm going to be posting the shaped canvases of one of my favorite painters, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.



The shape of this canvas seems simple at first glance but it has a great deal of subtlety to it's design. The composition of the painting is also extremely good. If you want to learn about good composition in visual art, study this painting for a very long time. It is an understatement to say that you can learn a great deal by doing sketches of it.

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo Week: "The Triumph of Virtue over Ignorance" (Another Version)

All this week I'm going to be posting the shaped canvases of one of my favorite painters, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.



Interestingly, this is a different version of the same subject as Dec. 2nd's post.

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo Week: "The Triumph of Virtue over Ignorance"

All this week I'm going to be posting the shaped canvases of one of my favorite painters, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.



This panel's shape isn't too wild, but it's interesting to note how the figure on the bottom-left fits nicely into the shape. The edges of this piece are not flat, but slightly bowed outward and the corners are slightly bowed inward. I think those are nice details.

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo Week: "The Triumph of Marius"

All this week I'm going to be posting the shaped canvases of one of my favorite painters, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.



Brilliantly composed as you'd expect. I think this shape is a little more unusual than the previous postings but Tiepolo always manages to pull it off. I find this very inspiring.

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo Week: "The Battle of Vercellae"

All this week I'm going to be posting the shaped canvases of one of my favorite painters, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.



Another great composition. The way the subjects are integrated into the design here is fantastic.

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo Week: "Eteocles and Polynices"

All this week I'm going to be posting the shaped canvases of one of my favorite painters, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.



One of Tiepolo's greatest attributes as an artist was in composition. By composition I mean the way the shapes, colors, values and lines all relate to one another and to the format.