Cultural Crossroads

[image] Technique: Jan Vermeer Art historian Carol Strickland notes that in "The Milkmaid," Vermeer defines forms with impasto and with dots of light -- 'a mosaic of paint daubs.' He added everyday details for interest and context, from the Delft tiles along the floor, the footwarmer,

[image] Sacred Geometry: A detailed 1850s plate of the Pisa Baptistery, Italy. This comprehensive study features an elevation, a cross-section, and a floor plan, revealing the complex transition from Romanesque to Gothic styles. The section clearly illustrates the building’s unique

[video] 🏺 A 2,400-YEAR-OLD MYSTERY ON GÖKÇEADA – ANCIENT IMBROS: WHO WAS BURIED IN THESE TWIN SARCOPHAGI? ⚰️⚰️ On Gökçeada, known in antiquity as Imbros, there is an extraordinary ancient tomb that has fascinated me… Around 2,400 years ago, two sarcophagus-shaped burial pits were

[image] It seems these days we’ve lost the ability to “take the long view.” Did you know? 👇 - J.R.R. Tolkien worked on The Lord of the Rings for 12 years. - Johannes Brahms tinkered with his Symphony No. 1 over a period of 21 years before letting it be performed -Nelson Mandela was

[image] This is when the Gothic meets the Baroque… In Notre-Dame Cathedral of Rouen, Normandy. — Stone arches reaching high from the Middle Ages. Then the altar explodes in gold and detail centuries later. Photo by 📸:Abs

[video] Here sits Victor Hugo, slumped in his chair, quill in hand, thinking of what he could possibly write to top Les Misérables. Sculpted by Gaetano Trentanove (c. 1890). Pitti Palace, Florence, Italy

[image] There’s something odd about Titian’s painting of St. Mark Enthroned: St. Mark's head is in the shadows. Titian did this intentionally. At the time he painted it, Venice was suffering under the shadow of the Plague. Mark is joined by saints who were protectors against the

[image] For all you dads on Father's Day weekend: 10 Poignant paintings showing fatherhood in its various forms: 1. "Rudolf von Arthaber and His Children," by Friedrich von Amerling, c. 1837

[image] What is it about an arcaded walkway that seems so civilized? This one is in Treviso, Italy. My 📸

[image] Designed to be a divine dwelling, showcasing Borromini’s genius and his unmatched talent for bending natural light to his will… — What an extraordinary beauty! (Basilica di Sant'Andrea della Valle, Rome. Photo by 📸:Abs)

[image] “The blood flow to the brain increases for a beautiful painting just as it increases when you look at somebody you love. It tells us art induces a feel good sensation direct to the brain." (Semir Zeki, Neurobiologist)

[image] Noticing details: This charming 17th-century dog has curled up for a nap with common household items, including a single slipper—perhaps a treasure he brought with him. Notice the meticulous details on the little dog—its half-closed eyes, soft fur, wet nose and the leathery pads

[image] "La Bella," by Titian, c. 1536-38. The question is -- Is she presented for us to admire her beauty, or her trappings of wealth? In the Renaissance, feminine beauty was prized because it was fleeting: With disfiguring diseases, dangerous medical practices, and few remedies

[image] If you ever visit Il Santo in Padua for St Anthony’s day, look for these 2 charming scenes of the saint’s life: (See next 2 images)👇

[image] Embrace the practice of noticing.

[image] In Pinturicchio’s sumptuous Annunciation (c. 1493), Mary lives in a luxurious Renaissance villa with a stunning view. In the Borgia Apartments at the Vatican.

[image] The face of innocence, looking out at us from the past. Girolamo della Robbia, c. 1510

[image] In 1862, while the USA was engaged in Civil War, Emilio Zocchi (right), was working on this sculpture of Young Michelangelo. King Victor Emmanuel II was so taken with it -- particularly the minute details of the clothing -- that he purchased it for his own private apartments.

[image] St. George and the Dragon, by Sodoma, c. 1518. Art historian Bernard Berenson (no big fan of Sodoma's) said this was one of his best works, with background details like Leonardo da Vinci and theatricality like Raphael. As for me, I like the horse's tiny ears, human eyes, and

[image] This day, July 18, 1610. Caravaggio, the brilliant and notoriously volatile Baroque painter, died at the age of 38.  Here is the account of  his desperate final days:  After killing a man in a brawl, Caravaggio had been on the run for a few years, and now he was traveling to

[image] La Torre de Belém (The Tower of Belém). Enrique Casanova, 1882 AD. Perhaps Lisbon's most important landmark. #fine #art #painting #Portugal

[image] Pietro Perugino in a nutshell: 1. He was Raphael’s mentor. 2. He was a master of beautiful faces and sumptuous colors and fabrics. 3. Michelangelo, who thought Perugino’s art was out-dated, famously called him an “art-clutz.”

[image] Leonardo da Vinci, La Scapigliata (the "Disheveled Woman"), c. 1508. By the way, when referring to the painter, never call him "da Vinci." Here's why: Back then, surnames were generally for upper class families. Lower and middle class people were often identified by this combo:

[video] A short run through of 5 of the best-known and brightest stars of the Florentine Renaissance, with 2-3 representative works for each.

[image] Just a suggestion: When you make your Last Will and Testament, include a bit of decoration, like Alfonso I d’Este did in 1534. 😉

[image] (Hmm.) St. Mary Magdalene, by Carlo Crivelli, c. 1493. First of all, yes -- Crivelli had an unique style. In this work, he seems to emphasize the saint's unsavory past with details like her side-eye look, her unconventionally exposed feet, and the crumbling masonry of the

[image] Sommer im Fjord (Summer in Fjord). Adelsteen Normann, circa 1918 AD. Hands down, the best day trip from Oslo. #fine #art #painting #norway

[image] What do you think of this unconventional painting of Calvary by Jan Brueghel the Elder, c. 1604? The composition is divided into in 3 strata: the brightly colored foreground with scenes of the mistreatment and humiliation of Christ and other activities. The crucifixion takes

[image] Interpreting (not pigeon-holing) great art: Bartolomeo Vivarini - Madonna of Humility, 1465. 1/2: Bartolomeo was one of the in-betweens, painters in the transition from Gothic to Renaissance style. He updated the old style, without abandoning it. These in-between artists

[image] A Madonna della Misericordia (“of mercy”) from the late Middle Ages: These depict Mary as protector. The "little people" under her cloak are small because of artistic hierarchy, not age. The origin: In medieval law (such as Italian legal customs), placing a vulnerable person

[video] Depictions of Noah’s Ark in art of the past: It often served as a visual metaphor for the Church — where people could come to be saved.

[image] On this day, August 28, 430 A.D., Bishop Augustine of Hippo died. He didn't want to be a bishop. But after he was (rather forcefully) 'appointed', he took the responsibility seriously. It was important to him that the people under his pastoral care both knew and lived out the

[video] The sumptuous Adoration of the Magi, by Domenico Ghirlandaio (c. 1488). It is very unusual in that it includes blood-spattered toddlers — representing children killed by Herod’s decree in the Massacre of the Innocents after the birth of Jesus. They are presented here as martyrs.

[image] Innenansicht des Petersdoms in Rom während der Quarant'Ore (Interior of St Peter's, Rome, during the Quarant'Ore). Rudolf von Alt, 1836 AD. If you're been there and it makes you happy, clap your hands. #fine #art #painting #Italy

[image] IDENTIFYING SAINTS IN ART: Today, September 26, is the Feast Day of Saints Cosmas and Damian. They were twins, so that is one way to identify them. And they were doctors, so sometimes they hold medical implements. The two Arab physicians treated people without asking for

[image] Rouen Cathedral | David Roberts, 1831 AD. Just a 495 feet tall, 996 years old colossus built on Gothic and Romanesque architecture. #fine #art #painting #France

[image] Artists can be weird. Take Piero di Cosimo (1462-1522), for instance: Giorgio Vasari wrote that Piero hated the sounds of church bells, rain, coughing men, and crying children, and that he would boil up to 50 eggs at a time in the cauldron of glue/varnish he used for his

[image] Santiago de Compostela's Cathedral in Spain. William Wiehe Collins, circa 1892 AD. Europe's most famous pilgrimage site, perhaps? #fine #art #faith #painting

[image] In this statue by the great but underrated sculptor Gian Maria Morlaiter, we are given every clue we need to recognize this as Moses: 1. Horns on his head (from the Vulgate in which the Hebrew word for ‘rays of light’ was mistranslated as horns); 2. The staff in his hand with

[image] Florenz, Porcellino-Brunnen (Porcellino Fountain in Florence). Max Albert Hauschild, circa 1895 AD. They say putting a coin in its mouth guarantees you'll return to the city... I’m going to put in about ten, just for good measure. #fine #art #painting #Italy

[image] Simple practices. Meaningful results: Do you want to write and express yourself better? Read great literature . . . Do you want a better understanding of the past and a more discerning eye for aesthetics and details? Ponder great art . . . Do you want clearer, more expansive

[video] I am making folding card-engineered versions of well known castles & cathedrals. Which ones you would like to see in physical 3D?

[image] Die Karlskirche im Winter (St. Charles's Church in Winter). Anonymous Painter, 1912 AD. Not good enough to impress the folks at Vienna's Academy of Fine Arts. #fine #art #painting #Austria

[image] Rom, Blick auf das Pantheon (Rome, view of the Pantheon). Veronica Maria Herwegen-Manini, circa 1933 AD. There's nothing I can say that will do justice to this landmark. For real, I'm not even trying. #fine #art #painting #Italy

[image] Titian, "Entombment of Christ," c. 1520-1525. The Louvre. Some art scholars believe that the man in green was Titian's self-portrait; if so, we can have a sense of what he looked like in his 30's.

[video] Gogov gogov patsiya hoi nanaida Jilvelo nanaida Tetri kaba gatsvia hoi nanaida Jilvelo nanaida.. Nani nani nanaida hoi nanaida Jilvelo nanaida✨💃🏻🇬🇪

[video] Did you guess it was St Albans Cathedral? You can now see the distinctive red brick tower made from re-used Roman brick from when St Albans was called 'Verulamium'