Man in a House beneath a Cliff by Shitao.
I love how abstract this is yet, the scene is perfectly straightforward when you stop and look at it.
Can This Marriage Be Saved?
William Hogarth, The Marriage Contract, from the Marriage a la Mode series,1745, Tate Gallery, London.
Hogarth is known for his satire and was one of the most innovative artists of the 18th century. His art was made for the common man, largely to teach moral lessons.
More Monsters
Matthias Grunewald, The Isenheim Alterpiece (detail), c. 1510-15, Musee d'Unterlinden, Colmar, France.
A shrine with two moveable wings, the Isenheim Altarpiece contains some of the most fascinating creatures ever portrayed.
Natural Light
Interior with a Girl at the Clavier by Wilhelm Hammershoi.
Hammershoi's use of crisp clean interiors with natural light recalls the 17th century work of fellow Dutch artist, Johannes Vermeer. Hammershoi's model is his wife Ida whom he painted many times either from the back or in profile.
Salvaged
Section of a Stencil from the face of the Main Ceiling Trusses of the Trading Room of the Chicago Stock Exchange Building 1893/94 designed by Adler and Sullivan and executed by Healy and Miller, The Art Institute of Chicago.
The trading room from the Chicago Stock Exchange was dismantled when the building was torn down and reconstructed at The Art Institute of Chicago. The building was torn down in 1972. It was designed by the famous Chicago architecture firm of Adler and Sullivan.
Sunshine Table
Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh, National Gallery, London.
This painting was done near the end of van Gogh's life. It is full of vibrancy and heavy brush strokes in his dynamic style. There is a museum in Amsterdam devoted only to him as he has become the most famous of the second generation of Impressionist artists.
Rowing Skill
The Great Wave at Kanagawa (from the series Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji), c.1830-32 by Katsushika Hokusai, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
One of the most famous members of the Ukiyo-e group of printmakers from the Edo period in Japanese Art. Hokusai's work is popular in his native country and was also popular among the 19th century French Impressionists. It continues to be popular throughout the world today and a museum dedicated to his art is in Obuse, Japan.
Not Only a Girl's Best Friend
The Cheat with the Ace of Diamonds, c.1647 by Georges de la Tour.
It does not look like anyone at this table is playing by the rules especially the fellow with the extra cards behind his back. The background is totally dark but the clothing stands out and looks more rich because of it. de la Tour lit most of his paintings with candlelight.
The Beauty of Winter
A wonderful serene snow-covered landscape, named for the magpie perched on the fence gate.
Enjoying the Country
Luncheon at the Boating Party, 1880-1881 by Pierre Auguste Renoir.
The young woman holding the dog would eventually become Mme. Renoir and is frequently used by him as a model. Renoir was a very social person and painted scenes of the pastimes he participated in.
Stalling
The Return of Odysseus (Homage to Pinturicchio and Benin), 1977 by Romare Bearden.
Bearden has re-cast the Greek hero if Homer's epic The Odyssey as an African family as they might have been portrayed in art from the African Kingdom of Benin. He also references frescos by the Italian artist Pinturicchio in the composition (and the title).
WWGD?
George Washington (Lansdowne portrait), 1796 by Gilbert Stuart, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian.
This portrait of Washington was on loan to the Smithsonian for many years until the owner decided to sell it. It was offered to the NPG for $20 million. A gift was given that allowed for its purchase and to renovate the gallery where it hangs.
I Heart U
Meadow Heart #1, 1971 by Jim Dine.
Dine creates "multiples" of everyday objects. He also takes advantage of every medium available.
Queen for a Day
The Peasant Wedding by Pieter Bruegel The Elder, 1567.
In this 16th century wedding celebration we see the bride sitting in front of a cloth and very proudly surveying the festivities on "her day." The lore is that Bruegel would dress up as a peasant and did his research first hand. Notice the Bride sitting in front of the green cloth with a crown above her head.
Detail, The Peasant Wedding, Pieter Bruegel the Elder.
Hippocampus
Seahorse Brooch, 1902 - 1905 by René Lalique.
Another example of Lalique's amazing art nouveau jewelry designs. Nature and natural objects were favorite subjects of art nouveau artists.
Snowy Night
The Midnight Mass, 1911 by Edward Timothy Hurley, Cincinnati Art Museum.
A beautiful night time snow scene showing the rooftops and the majority of the light coming from the church as the faithful have left their homes to attend.
More Amazing Fabric
Madame Jacques-Louis LeBlanc (Francoise Poncelle), 1823 by Jean-August-Dominique Ingres.
Ingres did over two dozen preliminary drawings in preparation for this painting. His work is clear and sharp and seems more like a photograph than a painting. Portraits are an artist's bread and butter.
Closer to God
The Builders, 1920 by Fernand Leger.
A follower of the Cubist movement, elements of it can be seen in this work of workers on a high rise. He was trained in an architect's office where he could study construction firsthand. Starting in the late 1920's through the 1950's America experienced an unprecedented growth in skyscrapers as the architects and moguls competed to make taller and taller structures.
Shaping Nature with Color
Le Talisman, 1888 by Paul Serusier
Serusier was strongly influenced by Post Impressionist Paul Gauguin's bright and bold works and this painting represents nature broken into blocks of color. What makes the Nabis artists different from the Abstract Expressionists who saw their work as a revolution, is that the Nabis saw theirs as a bold new interpretation of their world, rather than a revolution against tradition.
Earliest Influences
Woman, Bird by Moonlight by Joan Miro.
Miro was one of the most prominent members of the Surrealist movement. His artwork is filled with fantasy and color and he brings the viewer inside his fantasy world. Miro's work is said to resemble pre-historic cave paintings.