The Last Supper

Some works of art are so ingrained in western culture and legend, that they are almost considered as given, rather than actually painted. Among these we find The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci, completed in 1498.

The oil painting depicts the last supper of Jesus, in which he declares to his disciples that before the day is out, one of them will betray him. As was common in such depictions, all participants in the supper are seated on the same side of the table, facing the artist. This allows for a much more details description of the individual reactions to the announcement by Jesus.

However, while the more conventional ways of singling out Judas was to have him sit on the other side of the table, or to give all disciples except him haloes, Da Vinci used a more dramatic and effective ploy. He has Judas lean back in the shadow. This single ploy works extremely well in setting him apart in a dramatic way without making it completely obvious.

A true icon of Christian culture, The Last Supper can today be found at the wall of the dining hall at Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy, covering the entire back wall.

Girl With Pearl Earring

Dutch master Johannes Vermeer is generally considered among the greatest painters of the Dutch golden age. Paintings like his “View of Delft” and “The Astronomer” are indeed masterful executions of the genre paintings in which Vermeer specialized. However, there was of course one painting by Vermeer that stands above all others as his most famous work – “The Girl with a Pearl Earring”. This work was painted by Vermeer around 1665 and depicts the face and upper body of a young woman as she turns to look at the artist. She is wearing a large pearl earring in her right ear. The painting has on several occasions been referred to as the “Mona Lisa of the North” and that alone should give an indication of the respect and admiration accorded to it.

Such is the influence of “The Girl with a Pearl Earring” that it has inspired novels, movies and operas, and with its slightly unusual yet captivating depiction it continues to inspire today. The angle of the portrait is certainly not the most commonly used for any such depiction, and the slightly ambiguous expression on the face of the girl only serves to heighten the confusion. The original “Girl with a Pearl Earring” can today be found at the Mauritshuis at The Hague in Holland.

Claude Monet Reading by Renoir

Claude Monet was not as prolific painter of self-portraits as some painters like e.g. Vincent Van Gogh, Frida Kahlo and Rembrandt. However, luckily other painters stepped in to contribute to the immortalization of Monet’s likeness. Among these, we find Renoir’s “Claude Monet Reading”.

Painted by Renoir in 1872, it shows Monet reading the newspaper while smoking his pipe. Monet is well dressed in dark jacket and a hat, with a white shirt visible under his jacket. The year of the painting, 1872, is the same year that Monet painted Impression Sunrise but before it was exhibited and before the impressionist movement had really taken shape. The painting was thus made before the true artistic breakthrough of Monet himself, while he was staying in Argenteuil on the outskirts of Paris. Some of Monet’s memorable early works like Argenteuil and Woman with a Parasol was also painted while he stayed there.

The depiction is an uncanny Renoir with all the characteristics of Impressionist painting. We see the fine but visible brush strokes, the focus on color over line, the depiction of light and the strait forward motive.

The excellent depiction in Claude Monet Reading offers a glimpse of Monet the Man in the days before his career really took off. The painting can today be found at the Musee Marmotten in Paris, France.

Cubism Today

When considering the notable artists of French impressionism, one name always comes up firs: Claude Monet. That is of course not completely surprising as it was a work by Monet, Impression Sunrise, which led to the naming of this artistic movement in the first place. As such, he can be said to have earned his stripes. However, following closely behind him we find Peirre-Auguste Renoir, who in fact had 6 paintings included in the exhibition that included Impression Sunrise in Paris in 1874.  read the full article of Cubism Today

Mary Cassatt and The Boating Party

A lot has been written about the mastery and master pieces of such household names as Renoir, Monet and Pissarro. Their impressionistic art stand as a light of accomplishment and define the period of the late 1800s for many an art lover. The female impressionists and their contribution to both the movement and later developments have been less covered.

Among these we find Mary Cassatt paintings. The second female artist to join the impressionist movement, she exhibited with the group for the first time in 1877 and continued to be associated with them until she declared her independence from any specific artistic style in 1886. Even then, she was still in contact with friends like Renoir, Monet and Pissarro. While notable as an impressionist, it was actually after she set herself completely free that her most prolific period as an artist came about. Thus, in the 1890s, Cassatt produced many of her most well known paintings including The Boating Party. This iconic painting shows a woman holding her child while on a trip onto a lake in a rowing boat. Her husband is meanwhile rowing the boat. What is clear in the painting is that the main subject of Cassatt is the woman and her child. They are clearly facing us while we see only the back of the man. This focus was typical of most of the later works of Cassatt, where especially the relationship between mother and child was her topic.

The Boating Party is probably the most famous of Cassatt’s works. It was reproduced as a stamp by the US Postal Service in 1966, thus underlining the status of the work. The original painting can today be seen at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. Meanwhile, Cassatt paintings have sold for upwards of USD 3 million. While that puts her below e.g. Monet in terms of price, it nevertheless puts her in the heavy weight class of painters, an important artist whose works and life still inspires. 

 

The Mona Lisa

The Mona Lisa has fascinated man since Leonardo Da Vinci painted it in the days of the renaissance. Famous for her smile, or lack of the same, its timeless qualities has made a favorite of the ages. As it has also, especially through the novels of Dan Brown, regained temporary appeal, it is set for yet another century at the center of the world art heritage. read the full article of The Mona Lisa.

Woman with a Hat

Among the best known and most loved paintings of Henri Matisse, we find Women with a Hat. Painted in 1905 by the artist, it was first exhibited at the Salon d’Automne in Paris, in a room that contained a number of similar paintings as well as a classic statue. Critic Loius Vauxcelles subsequently described this as “Donatello among the Wild beasts” (wild beast being fauvres in French). The Fauvism artistic movement was thus named.

Woman with a Hat is painted in this style that became known as Fauvism. Colors are applied liberally and in saturated form, independent of the true colors of the subject. This led to critique like the paintings looking like a pot of paint has been flung at the canvas. The painting also features a rather heavy brush work which was also typical for this school. The independent use of color to express certain feelings to the viewing audience has also led to the perception of paintings like Woman in a Hat being part of expressionism.

Among the influences for Fauvism are artists like Cezanne and Gauguin, especially the Tahitian works of the later. Gauguin is also quoted as telling artist Paul Serusier:

“How do you see these trees? They are yellow. So, put in yellow; this shadow, rather blue, paint it with pure ultramarine; these red leaves? Put in vermilion”

This is a clear movement towards what would become Fauvism.

Woman with a Hat was first bought by Sarah Stein, sister-in-law to Gertrude Stein, at the Salon d’Automne in 1905. She later sold the painting to her friend Elise Haas who in turn donated in to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Arts where it can be found today.