Most visitors to the Louvre Museum in Paris are going there to admire the amazing collection of paintings. The collection of paintings consists of over 7,500 works by over 1,400 artists who were born before 1900. This means it’s only a fraction of the museum’s collection of well over 600,000 items of which over 35,000 …
Sculptures
The late 1630s and early 1640s was a rough period for Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680), an artist considered to be one of the greatest Baroque artists in history. Something didn’t go quite as planned while he was leading a project. This was a period in which he was already considered to be the leading artist …
When Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) was in his early twenties, he earned a commission from a French Cardinal. The sculpture is now simply referred to as the Pietà (1498-1499) and became one of the greatest artworks in history. It’s still on display at St. Peter’s Basilica today and turned the Renaissance master into one of the …
One of the greatest Baroque artists in history spent nearly his entire life in Rome. Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680) was a child prodigy who dreamed of creating monumental works of art for the most famous church in the city. That’s exactly what he did, and one of these works was a marvelous decoration for a …
Easter Island is one of the most peculiar and mysterious islands in the world. Why? Mainly because of the existence of nearly 1,000 statues of large heads, monuments referred to by the native people of Easter Island as “Moai.” The island is located in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, and in fact at the southeasternmost point …
We can only imagine the shockwaves that went through the city of Florence when renowned Renaissance artist Donatello (1386-1466) unveiled a sculpture of Mary Magdalene. She didn’t look exactly as she had been depicted since then, that’s the least we can say. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most interesting facts about …
Many things can be said about Benevenuto Cellini (1500-1571), an Italian artist who lived in the 16th century. According to his autobiography, he was involved in multiple violent events that forced him to flee multiple times. When he managed to escape prison in Rome he was hired by King Francis I of France. The Mannerist …
Some artists become masters while they are in their teenage years or even early twenties, some are simply born with the amazing gift of being able to create wonderful works of art. Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680), the leading Baroque artist of the 17th century, definitely falls into the latter category. He left his permanent mark …
A young sculptor from Florence named Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi (1386-1466) visited Rome in the early 15th century to study classical sculpture. The things he learned would revolutionize the world of art in his home city which he decorated with multiple remarkable sculptures in the following decades. In this article, we’ll take a …
The life of Benvenuto Cellini (1500-1571) was one of multiple ups and downs, mainly because of his short temper and often violent behavior. This makes it no surprise that he started writing his autobiography at the age of 58 as he had quite a several interesting stories to tell. He was also one of the …