It takes a lot of willpower to break with established traditions, and this was something that Gustave Courbet (1819-1877) was up for. He rejected the academic standards and the ideals of the Romantic artists who came before him. He became the leading Realism artist of the 19th century because he only painted what he could …
Artworks
The most famous Baroque artists in history developed a style that is defined by exaggerated drama and the bold use of colors, shadows, and brushstrokes. They took the ideals of the Mannerist artists, also referred to as the “Late Renaissance,” a step further. Just like how Renaissance paintings can be compared to Renaissance buildings designed …
The life of famous Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) was very troubled. His love for painting was what kept him going during the final decade of his life, but it wasn’t enough to keep him from going mad and taking his own life. Many of his most famous paintings somehow reflect his state of …
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) wasn’t the most prolific painter in the world, but once he managed to complete one, they became some of the most influential Renaissance paintings ever produced. We all know the Mona Lisa Painting, arguably the most famous painting ever produced. Just before he started working on this masterpiece in the early …
Theatrical and flamboyant, often hidden behind a veil of subtle eroticism. This is how we could briefly describe the famous Rococo paintings produced by Rococo artists during the final decades of the Ancien Régime in France. The pleasure-loving court of Louis XV adored this style and one of his most famous mistresses, Madame de Pompadour, …
The High Renaissance was a period that extreme talent converged in various cities in Italy, including Florence and Rome. Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (1483-1520) was one of these talented Renaissance artists who became a superstar of his time. He produced multiple Madonna paintings during the first decade of the 16th century and one of the …
The versatility of Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) knew no boundaries, something emphasized by the fact that he was one of the greatest sculptors, painters, and architects of the Renaissance. He was, however, predominantly a sculptor, which makes it even more remarkable that many of this Renaissance genius’s most famous works include paintings. In this article, you’ll …
One of the greatest English artists and most renowned artists of the Romantic era was also extremely prolific. J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851) became a member of the Royal Academy at the age of 14 and was personally accepted by Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) a year later. Turner is best known for his magnificent landscapes and often …
Every famous artist had a breakthrough at some point in his or her career. In the case of Romantic artist Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851), better known as J.M.W. Turner of William Turner, this happened when he was in his early twenties. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most interesting facts about …
The Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna is one of those museums that you could visit even if there wasn’t a world-class collection of fine art housed inside of it. The building in which this so-called “Museum of Fine Arts” is housed was one of the multiple immense projects built in the 19th century along the newly …