Western Archive

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Among the many series of self-portraits, family members, peasants, still-life, cypresses and farmers there, he produced a series of sunflowers proclaiming: “You may know that the peony is Jeannin’s, the hollyhock belongs to Quost, but the sunflower is mine in a way.” The current still-life painting is from the same series being as the forth version of the sunflowers. He painted it while his stay in Arles in 1888 just two years before his death. His fascination towards sunflowers was due to his intention to decorate his house just before his beloved friend Paul Gauguin (the same friend with whom he had the infamous fight) intended to come at his house for some times. There is his signature visible on the left side of the […]

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Expensive, Famous, Flower, sunflowers, Vase, Yellow Flower

(5 votes, average: 3.20 out of 5)

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The Milkmaid ranks among Johannes Vermeer’s best known works. It is known for its ample depiction and also for multiple interpretations viewers and critics make, which ranges from pragmatic views to theoretical meanings. The painting origins from the 17th century of Dutch Golden Age. The Subject The subject of the painting is a Milkmaid pouring fresh milk in a bowl. Though, in the 17th century Dutch people didn’t have special Milkmaids. They were called “Kitchen maids” or ‘maid of all works’. Such maids were subject to do all types of works necessary in the kitchen or house. Also, such kitchen maids were also predisposed for love and sex. It wasn’t unapproved in society. The Milkmaid Analysis Vermeer has depicted the scene and the woman with […]

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Beautiful, Dutch, Dutch Golden Age, Famous, Milkmaid, Pentimento

(3 votes, average: 3.67 out of 5)

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Being in our post of Legend of Vincent van Gogh, the Dutch artist’s this priciest portrait with a huge price tag of $ 71.5 million around 15 years before in 1998 was the third costliest painting of all the time and fourth if we consider the price-inflation. And it is still an impressive rank for a portrait. Alongside with its enormous price-tag there are other facts which make this painting unique from the rest of the self-portraits by Vincent van Gogh which are totals more than 35. This self-portrait executed in 1889, was the last self-portrait by the artist. After that he majorly focused upon the cypresses and wheat fields. Moreover, this is the only painting depicting the artist without beard. As Van Gogh’s many […]

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Dutch, Expensive, Famous, French, Self Portrait, Three Quarter View Portrait, Vincent Van Gogh Self Portraits

(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Painting executed in the same city and in the same month, in which the Café Terrace at Night was produced, Starry Night over the Rhone captures a different view and different angle of the beautiful city cited in Paris. Rhone – that which rolls – is an important river running through Arles. Its importance and the beauty at night maybe allured the artist to illustrate it with oil on his canvas. Van Gogh has never tried to depict scene in their natural conditions. He always twisted the scenes and added imaginary colors and portions to the scene to get the exact impact he willed for. Adding artificial color to the image was a new idea in his time and Van Gogh used it very well […]

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Dutch, Famous, French, Night, rhone, River

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Belgian artist Cornelis van Leemputten is a good example of  self-taught artists. Though, he attended an art academy in his later years, after setting a good reputation as a painter, he mainly learned, produced and was known as an excellent self-taught artist. That shows his deep desire for the art. Artist’s main theme through-out his career was mainly focused on landscapes which included sheep and such shepherds. That’s a very rare and unique subject to select as the only main theme, but he mastered the theme and not to mention, that it is more difficult to portray an active sheep than a person who will sit as he is asked for. This painting shows a boy in blue shirt and a round hat posing with […]

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Boy, Dog, Hat, Meadow, Sheep, Shepherd

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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“Portrait of a Boy” carries the weight of character more than anything else. Besides, the choice of medium by Swynnerton is simply breathtaking. If I were to imagine someone painting a subject like this, watercolor, pastel and ink would be the safest guesses. However, Swynnerton’s subject is all about strength of character. She loved immortalizing young boys, for whom she might have been unable to recollect identities. It is clear that the little boy’s posture is impressive, and there is all the innocence in his good-natured face, which also carries an element of disciplining history. Swynnerton belonged in the times of conservative ideologies, conflicting with leftist ideals of feminism, socialism and equal pay for women. It was a noble thing to be on that side, […]

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Boy, British, English, Little Boy

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The sense of light can be a very special feeling, especially when you have remained indoors, or gained vision by some miracle after blindness. The presence of a miracle is quite obvious in Annie Swynnerton’s painting here in oil-on-canvas, deliberately portrayed through the wings of the angelic woman. However, this has more to do with the woman being an angelic being, rather than just anyone receiving a miraculous decree. The hopeful look into the sky is so unblemished, that she hopes it will culminate into complete euphoria pretty soon. Swynnerton is a woman of courage – something one can find in her paintings. Although she was a major contributor in feminism in the early 1900s, her admiration for miracles, characters, principled people, uniqueness and innocence […]

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Angel, Angelic, Lady with Wings, River, Wings, Woman

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One of the most important historical portraits of George Washington, Lansdowne portrait depicts the first president of America with a humble appearance. He is standing in a room with a dress sword in a hand while other hand raised in front. Behind him is a chair and on the right side is a table, carrying an ink-spot with books, rolled paper, table cloth and white quill. The full length portrait of the America’s is a valuable painting which has survived man bad days including the War of 1812. During the war, the British soldiers had conquered the white house in which the large portrait was hung. The soldiers ate and then infamously burned down the whole white house. Luckily enough, the portrait was saved by […]

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American President, Full Length Portrait, George Washington, Ink Pot, Sword

(3 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)

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This is an ambivalent painting of cubist artist Pablo Picasso by the surrealist master Salvador Dali produced in the year of 1947. Portrait of Picasso Analysis The surrealist portrait painting of Pablo Picasso by Salvador Dali is infused with symbolic messages and meanings as Dali’s most famous works are. Basically, instead of a direct face, it is a portrait of Picasso’s bust sculpture. The base of the bust is made out of the regular white stone out of which most bust-sculptures are made of. But, the upper part is covered with skin. There is a white flower in the distorted chest of the bust, while a red one, is laying at the feet of the bust. The head is much more distorted than the chest […]

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Bust Portrait, Famous, Head and Shoulders Portrait, Lute, Profile Portrait, Rock, Spoon, Surrealist

(1 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)

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Van Gogh’s one of the last paintings, Bedroom in Arles depicts his trapezoid shaped room of his Yellow House which he rented for some time during his stay in Arles. He sent his paintings to his brother Theo from time to time just for a general review about them. He made total of three version of the same painting. The first one was just a depiction of his room while the necessity of the second version aroused due to the damage by the flood of the Rhone. His brother suggested him to draw another version. Thus the second version emerged in September 1889. The last version simply called as The Bedroom was executed in smaller size than the original calling it the reduction. Three of […]

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Bed, Bedroom, Famous, Prime Version, Room, Series