The Feast of the Gods by Bellini: a mythological and refined painting of the Venetian Renaissance

The Feast of the Gods is an oil painting on canvas by the Italian painter Giovanni Bellini, begun in 1514 and completed by Titian in 1529. It depicts the gods of Greco-Roman mythology gathered around a banquet in an idyllic landscape. It measures 170.2 x 188 cm and is housed in the National Gallery of […]

The Entry of the Crusaders into Constantinople by Delacroix: a historical and dramatic scene of Romanticism

The Entry of the Crusaders into Constantinople is an oil painting on canvas by the French painter Eugène Delacroix, created in 1840. It depicts an episode of the Fourth Crusade, when the Latin crusaders seized the Byzantine capital on April 12, 1204. It measures 498 x 410 cm and is housed in the Louvre Museum […]

The Garden of Earthly Delights by Bosch: an enigmatic and fascinating work of the Renaissance

The Garden of Earthly Delights is an oil painting on wood by the Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch, belonging to the period of the Flemish Primitives. The work is structured as a triptych, a format often used by painters from the early 15th century to the early 17th century in the northern part of Europe. The […]

The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus by Rubens: a mythological scene full of movement and sensuality.

The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus by Rubens is an oil painting on canvas created around 1618, during the Flemish Baroque period. It depicts a scene from Greek mythology, where the twins Castor and Pollux, sons of Jupiter and Leda, abduct Hilaire and Phoebe, the daughters of Leucippus, king of Argos. It is on […]

The primavera by Botticelli: a poetic and mysterious allegory of the Renaissance

The primavera by Botticelli is an allegorical painting made with tempera on wood panel between 1478 and 1482, period of the First Renaissance. It depicts a group of characters from classical mythology in a flower garden, but no story has been found to bring together this particular group. It is considered one of the most […]

The breath of God: the creation of Adam by Michelangelo 

The creation of Adam is one of the most famous frescoes in the history of art, painted by Michelangelo on the vault of the Sistine Chapel, in the Vatican. It depicts the moment when God gives life to Adam, the first man according to the Bible and the Quran. Historical context of the work The […]

La belle ferronnière by Da Vinci: the portrait of a mysterious woman

La belle ferronnière by Da Vinci is a fascinating portrait, which illustrates the artistic and scientific genius of Leonardo da Vinci. This painting, exhibited at the Louvre Museum in Paris, depicts a mysterious woman, whose identity and history have been the subject of many hypotheses. Historical context of the work La belle ferronnière is a […]

The Death of Socrates by David: an emblematic work of neoclassicism

The Death of Socrates is a painting by the French painter Jacques-Louis David, made in 1787. It depicts the death of the Greek philosopher Socrates, condemned by the Athenians to drink hemlock for having corrupted the youth. The painting had been commissioned to David by Charles-Michel Trudaine de la Sablière, a friend and patron of […]

The Desperate Man by Courbet: a disturbing and audacious self-portrait 

The Desperate Man is a painting by the French painter Gustave Courbet, made between 1843 and 1845. It is a self-portrait of the artist, who depicts himself in close-up, with a striking expression close to madness. It is kept in a private collection, but was exhibited at the Orsay Museum in 2007. This work is […]

Velazquez’s meninas: an enigmatic and innovative work 

The meninas (in Spanish: Las Meninas) is a painting by the Spanish painter Diego Velazquez, made between 1656 and 1657. It depicts a scene from the court of King Philip IV, in which several characters appear, including the infanta Margarita-Theresa, surrounded by her ladies-in-waiting, a dwarf, a dog and the painter himself. It is kept […]

The Fighting Temeraire: a melancholic and modern work

The Fighting Temeraire is an oil painting on canvas by William Turner, made in 1838. It depicts a large English warship, the HMS Temeraire, towed by a steam tugboat to its place of demolition. It is exhibited at the National Gallery in London. This work is considered a masterpiece of romanticism and an evocation of […]

The kiss of Hayez: a romantic and patriotic work

The kiss of Hayez is a painting by the Italian painter Francesco Hayez made in 1859. It depicts a couple exchanging a passionate kiss, in a composition in chiaroscuro and in the troubadour style. It is kept at the Pinacoteca di Brera, in Milan. This painting is considered as a symbol of Italian romanticism and […]

The Rape of the Sabine Women: dive into the myth with Poussin!

The rape of the Sabine women is the subject of two paintings by the French painter Nicolas Poussin, made between 1634 and 1638. They depict a mythological scene taken from the work of Plutarch and Livy, which tells how the Romans seized the Sabine women to take them as wives. These works are considered as […]

The Raft of the Medusa: dive into the drama with Géricault! 

The Raft of the Medusa is a famous painting by the French artist Théodore Géricault, made between 1818 and 1819. It depicts a tragic scene from the shipwreck of the frigate La Méduse, which occurred in 1816 off the coast of present-day Mauritania. This work is considered a masterpiece of Romanticism, for its expressive force […]

The ball of the Moulin de la Galette: the history and secrets of an emblematic painting by Renoir

The ball of the Moulin de la Galette is a famous painting by the French artist Auguste Renoir, made in 1876. It depicts a scene of popular festivity in a guinguette in Montmartre, Paris. This work is considered a masterpiece of impressionism, by its innovative technique and its subject anchored in modern life. Context of […]

Girl with a Pearl Earring: history and analysis of a masterpiece by Vermeer

Girl with a Pearl Earring is a famous painting by the Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer, made around 1665. It depicts the portrait of a young woman with an intense gaze, wearing a blue turban and adorned with a pearl earring. This work is considered one of the most beautiful tronies of Flemish baroque painting, a […]

The School of Athens: a fresco that celebrates the philosophy and humanism of the Renaissance

The School of Athens is a fresco painted by Raphael between 1508 and 1512. It is located in the Room of the Signature, one of the four rooms decorated by the painter in the apartments of Pope Julius II at the Vatican. It depicts the main philosophers and scholars of Greco-Roman antiquity, gathered in a […]

The birth of Venus: a masterpiece of the Renaissance inspired by ancient mythology

The birth of Venus is a painting by Sandro Botticelli around 1485. It represents the goddess Venus emerging from the waters on a shell, accompanied by personifications of the wind and spring. This painting is kept in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. It is considered one of the masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance and one […]

Giotto’s Ascension of Christ: a fresco inspired by faith and Byzantine art 

The Ascension of Christ is a fresco painted by the Italian painter Giotto di Bondone around 1291-1295. It is part of the cycle of frescoes in the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, which illustrate the life of the saint and that of Christ. This work depicts the moment when Jesus ascends to heaven after […]

The Wanderer above the Sea of Fog: an emblematic work of Romanticism

The Wanderer above the Sea of Fog is a painting by Caspar David Friedrich in 1818. It depicts a man standing on a rock, his back turned to the viewer, who observes a misty and mountainous landscape. This painting is considered one of the most famous works of the painter and of German Romanticism, an […]
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