Hierarchy Archive
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This Ukiyo-e piece is the most famous Japanese painting in its type. It represents a monstrous wave ascending over the two Japanese Boats. In the background is visible the infamous Mount Fuji (known for being active volcano mountain) covered with ice. The Great Wave of Kanagawa Analysis Ukiyo-e paintings are always very minimalistic, few colored, flat and yet impressive with its distinctive style. All of those characteristics are available in this picture. Due to the cumbersome process of making a Ukiyo-e, artists try to make a simple and with low colored painting. Contrary to that notion, Great Wave is comparatively rich with details and colors. The two boats with full of fishermen are called Oshiokuri-Bune. They are the fast boats which transports the live fishes […]
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Beautiful, Boat, Boatman, Famous, Mount Fiji, Mount Fuji, Mountain, Sea, Storm, Thirty Six Views of Mount Fuji Series, ukiyo-e, Wave
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A well-known painting by the Dutch artist Jan van Eyck for the breath-taking depiction and also for the hidden “Easter egg.” The painting is of the Italian merchant Giovanni Arnolfini and his wife, also commissioned by him to portray his marriage. The genre or the painting has been called as Double portrait or sometimes as the primitive genre painting after renaissance as it depicted a marriage – a real life, “normal” incident. The room is presumed to be merchant’s own house in Bruges. The dog at their feet is the early breed of today’s Griffon Bruxellois. The Arnolfini Wedding Analysis Most historians take the double portrait as the wedding scene or the representation of their marriage. There are some alleged proofs to support this claim. […]
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Burning Candle, Convex Mirror, Couple, Dog, Double Portrait, Dutch, Easter Egg, Famous, Full Length Portrait, Marriage, Orange, Pentimento, Removed Shoes, Wedding
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The Assumption of the Virgin (or Assanta in Italian) by Titian is the considerably the best production of the holy instance of assumption by any artist. It is an altarpiece and hangs in the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari in Venice. It is one of the important churches in Venice and is solely dedicated to The Assumption. The church also holds possession on other big art pieces such as St. John the Baptist by Donatello and Pesaro Madonna by Titian. The Assumption was completed in 1518 after two years of work and ranks among Titian’s finest works. The Assumption of Mother Mary The Assumption is said to be the end of the Mother Mary’s earthly life. After that she was taken to the […]
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Altarpiece, Angel, Apostle, Assumption, Cherub, Clouds, Famous, God, Jesus Christ, Mother Mary, Renaissance, Virgin
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In the sea of Greek mythologies filled with many stories, myths and allegories, the story of Jupiter is always an interesting tale to know about. The present painting is a depiction of a moment from the same myth. Story of Jupiter and Io In the story of Jupiter and Io, Jupiter even after being a god, fell in the love of a mortal woman Io. She was the most beautiful lady in the world and everyone knew her, loved her. She lived in the town of Argos. Jupiter started to visit her and lived there for song long that her wife Juno got suspicious. When she found out about their affair she headed to Argos but found before she would reach Jupiter saw her coming. […]
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Argos, Couple, Cow, God, Goddess, Greek, Io, Italian, Juno, Jupiter, Love, Meadow, Nude Lady, Nude Man, Stream, Tree
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In some stories the most vital moments aren’t filled with armies battling or acquiring the throne. In the deep look, vital moments in such stories are those which bear the possibility of eliminating the subsequent havoc happened and after which is crossed, there is no turning back. Greek mythological story of Oedipus has many such moments in his life. The direst one is represented in the current painting by the French painter. Oedipus’ prophecy of killing his father and marrying his own mother Oedipus was the son of King Laius and Queen Jacasta of Thebes. On his birth the king knew about the prophecy which stated that Oedipus will kill his father and marry his own mother. To eliminate such horrible possibilities, the king left […]
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French, Greek, Greek Mythology, King, Neoclassical, Oedipus, Sphinx
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Completed in 1824, The Sea of Ice or sometimes referred as The Wreck of Hope is a piece by the German painter Casper David Friedrich. It represents the accident of a ship which is drowning under the ice while the broken ice sheet by the accident has arisen upwards significantly. The top and bottom of the painting also resembles the popular color use of blue vs. orange, abundantly apparent in modern day art, films, posters and paintings. Subject The subject isn’t a random depiction of ice and ship-accident. The painting was made during the period when the expeditions to the north and south poles were in talks. Though, the attempts to a successful expedition are much older than the 19th century. The original title for […]
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German, Ice, Romanticism, Ship, Shipwreck
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Indian artists aren’t as much known as the western artist. Though, if we think about India one name comes in our mind, Raja Ravi Varma. One of the few 19th century Indian painter who had the caliber to stand alongside the top level western artists. Here is presented one of the best art works by Raja Ravi Varma. He was known, mostly, for depicting the scenes from either Ramayana or Mahabharata, two grand Indian epic poems, which are often equaled with Iliad and Odyssey by Homer. But, in reality, such comparisons are baseless. Subject of the current painting is taken from the Indian epic poem Ramayana. Literal meaning of Jatayu Vadham from Sanskrit is the killing of Jatayu. Story of Jatayu Vadha (The Killing of […]
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Bird, Epic, Epic Poem, Jatayu, killing, Ravana, Sita
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Rhoda Yanow is a master with depiction of contemporary images. His works have left the mid-20th Century abstractness behind, and manage to stand out perhaps as the most real pictures of modern life. In the Unguarded Moment story, there are elements that evoke thoughts of humor, pontification and reality, all passing through your mind like movie trailers. However, this is a rich work, no matter how shabbily priced it might look from far. It has all the elements that tell you this is the work of a great artist when you stand facing it. When I saw this painting from a far end of the room, it never struck me as something out of the ordinary in a contemporary art gallery. However, I did notice the […]
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American, Old Man, Sleeping Man
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Alice Neel’s Roses is a rather morbid depiction of such an auspicious flower. Painted in 1983, the work carries a sense of dereliction in the subject. Although it can be categorized as a still life painting, it is contemporary work nevertheless. As a result, it has to carry something that is a definite part of modern psyche. If you noticed art through the post-Second World War period, there was a sense of renewal in the western world. Government expenditures went down, the economy revived in New York, and Alice Neel was rubbing shoulders with people who lived in avant-garde architecture while she was very young. While we can keep profiling a New York artist endlessly, it is also important to notice the rather overused trend […]
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American, Flower, Glass Vase, Red Rose, Rose, Table
