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The 17th century was the most important period in Dutch history. That’s because the Dutch Republic was one of the most advanced nations on the planet at the time. Today, this period spanning approximately between 1588 and 1672 is known as the Dutch Golden Age. The painters who lived during this era are known as …

Read More about The Geographer by Johannes Vermeer – Top 8 Facts

When this French artist decided to take a completely new approach to paint, he revolutionized the world of art in the mid-19th century. Gustave Courbet (1819-1877) was a painter who depicted only what he could perceive. This was quite different from the paintings that were displayed at the Paris Salon at the time. It took …

Read More about After Dinner at Ornans by Gustave Courbet – Top 8 Facts

The period after World War I marked a significant shift in the history of art, and this German artist played a major role in two movements that emerged around this time. Max Ernst (1891-1976) was a pioneer of both the Dada and Surrealist art movements and invented several remarkable painting techniques. One of his most …

Read More about The Elephant Celebes by Max Ernst – Top 8 Facts

Even though the career of this French artist started in the final period of the Romantic era, he never really adopted the emotional style of his colleagues. Gustave Courbet (1819-1877) was a Realism artist whose main aim was to depict subject matter as accurately as possible. He wasn’t interested in painting historical subjects either, something …

Read More about La Rencontre by Gustave Courbet – Top 8 Facts

One of the greatest American artists of the 19th century was fascinated by Photography, a technology that was still in its infancy during his lifetime. Because of this, Thomas Eakins (1844-1916) incorporated an extreme sense of Realism in his works which makes them resemble actual photographs. This in combination with the fact that he was …

Read More about The Agnew Clinic by Thomas Eakins – Top 8 Facts

The Dutch Golden Age or “Gouden Eeuw” as it’s locally referred to was a period in history in which the Dutch Republic was the most advanced nation in Europe. The period is generally dated to between the establishment of the Dutch Republic in 1588 and the “Rampjaar” in 1672, which is almost a century. That …

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Nude paintings were produced in antiquity and revived during the Renaissance, but there was still something that caused this painting by Manet to be controversial. Édouard Manet (1832-1883) is often considered one of the 19th century’s most influential artists. Some art historians even refer to him as the “Father of Modernism.” The French painter was …

Read More about Olympia by Édouard Manet – Top 8 Facts

One of the most famous Belgian artists in history produced thought-provoking images that have become some of the best-recognized paintings in the world. René Magritte (1898-1967) was a Surrealist artist who often depicted common objects in such a way that his paintings didn’t make sense. Although he studied at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in …

Read More about Top 10 Famous René Magritte Paintings

The simplest of images became one of the most thought-provoking paintings of the 20th century, and the Belgian artist who painted it had some explaining to do. René Magritte (1898-1967) became one of the leading Surrealist artists in history because he managed to depict seemingly common objects in a such way that it scrambles our …

Read More about This Is Not a Pipe by René Magritte – Top 8 Facts