The capital city of Belgium is home to a mountain of art. Well, not literally, but the location where you can find the most famous museums is known as the “Mont des Arts” or “Kunstberg.” This translates from French and Dutch respectively (Brussels is bi-lingual) to “Art Mountain” and it can be described as one …
Art has the ability to transcend the cultural landscape into a visual representation, and that’s one of the reasons why I find paintings so fascinating. American artists have produced artworks for centuries that embody this definition, so I have compiled a list of some of the most famous American paintings in history. Remarkably, not every …
Few paintings capture the essence of American culture like Grant Wood’s “American Gothic.” The iconic portrait, depicting a stern-faced farmer and his spinster daughter standing in front of their Iowa farmhouse, has become an enduring symbol of the American heartland. Despite its fame, however, few people know the fascinating story behind the painting’s creation and …
This Early Netherlandish Painter was born in the Dutch city of Haarlem but spent most of his career in Leuven in modern-day Belgium. Dieric Bouts (1415-1475) became the leading artist in this city just east of Brussels and earned some prestigious commissions. Most of his works are either small devotional paintings, portraits, or large religious …
A new artistic period known as Early Netherlandish painting emerged in the early 15th century in multiple cities in modern-day Belgium. Several painters, known today as the Flemish Primitives, worked in cities such as Bruges, Ghent, Mechelen, Leuven, Tournai, and Brussels, and radically changed the course of art history. What’s remarkable is that several painters …
The Renaissance marked a revived interest in classical antiquity all across Europe and along came the influence of mythology on art. Ancient Greek and Roman tales that explain certain events were visualized by the greatest artists in history as they were commissioned by wealthy patrons. Today, you can find these mythological paintings in the most …
When this Early Netherelandisch artist moved from his native Haarlem to Leuven, he earned a very prestigious commission from a local confraternity. Dieric Bouts (1415-1475) produced one of the most influential works of art shortly after, and this altarpiece is special for a number of reasons. Even though it’s a triptych, it depicts five different …
One of the 2 royal palaces in Naples known as the Palazzo di Capodimonte was constructed in the 18th century in the northern part of the city. It served as the Summer residence of the Bourbon rulers and was initially intended to be nothing more than a hunting lodge. When the instigator, King Charles VII …
The turn of the 20th century marked an important period in the history of art, and this as especially the case in Germany. A group of German Expressionist artists emerged in Dresden in 1905 and radically changed the course of modern art in the following years. Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880-1938) was one of the founders …
The first daughter of a renowned Mannerist artist from Rome noticed the talent of his little girl and he trained her to become a famous artist herself. Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1656) was the daughter of Orazio Gentileschi and the prime example of a child prodigy. She was painting professional artworks for patrons at the age of …