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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Filipino Painter Juan Luna - The Battle of Lepanto (Painting)

The Battle of Lepanto
(Spanish: La Batalla de Lepanto)
A famous Filipino painting by Filipino master painter Juan Luna. Luna is one of the first Filipinos to excel and earn recognition in the international field of arts and culture.
Filipino Painter Juan Luna - The Battle of Lepanto (Painting)

Painted by Luna in 1887, the masterpiece is about the Battle of Lepanto of October 7, 1571.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Jacob Wrestling with the Angel - Painting by Rembrandt Van Ryn

Jacob Wrestling with the Angel - Painting by Rembrandt Van Ryn

JACOB WRESTLING WITH THE ANGEL
 Painting by Rembrandt Van Ryn
Berlin Gallery
The picture represents Jacob wrestling with his mysterious adversary. We have seen from his history how determined he was to have his own way, and how he wrested worldly prosperity even from misfortunes. Now he is equally determined in this higher and more spiritual conflict. It is a very real struggle, and Jacob has prevailed only by putting forth his utmost energy. It is the moment when the grand angel, pressing one knee into the[6] hollow of Jacob's left thigh and laying his hand on his right side, looks into his face and grants the blessing demanded as a condition for release. Strong and tender is his gaze, and the gift he bestows is a new name, in token of the new character of brotherly love of which this victory is the beginning.

The story of St. Michael and the Dragon, which Raphael has painted, stands for the everlasting conflict between good and evil in the world. There is a like meaning in the story of Jacob's wrestling with the angel. The struggle is in the human heart between selfish impulses and higher ideals. The day when one can hold on to the good angel long enough to win a blessing, is the day which begins a new chapter in a man's life.

Rembrandt Van Ryn - Portrait Painting by Himself

Rembrandt Van Ryn - Portrait Painting by Himself

Portrait of REMBRANDT VAN RYN
(Painted by himself)
National Gallery, London

Madonna, Infant Christ and St Anne - Leonardo Da Vinci's Painting

Madonna, Infant Christ and St Anne-Leonardo Da Vinci's Painting

MADONNA, INFANT CHRIST, AND ST. ANNE
by Leonardo Da Vinci
In the Louvre. No. 1508. 5 ft. 7 in. h. by 4 ft. 3 in. w. (1.70 x 1.29)
Painted between 1509 and 1516 with the help of assistants.

Portrait of Lucrezia Crivelli - Painting of Leonardo Da Vinci

Portrait of Lucrezia Crivelli - Painting of Leonardo Da Vinci

PORTRAIT (PRESUMED) OF LUCREZIA CRIVELLI
In the Louvre. No. 1600 [483]. 2 ft by I ft 5 ins. (0.62 x 0.44)
This picture, although officially attributed to Leonardo, is probably not by him, and almost certainly does not represent Lucrezia Crivelli. It was once known as a "Portrait of a Lady" and is still occasionally miscalled "La Belle Féronnière."

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

The Head of Christ - Painting of Leonardo Da Vinci

The Head of Christ - Painting of Leonardo da Vinci
THE HEAD OF CHRIST
by Leonardo Da Vinci
In the Brera Gallery, Milan. No. 280. 1 ft. 0-1/2 ins. by 1 ft. 4 ins. (0.32 x 0.40)

Monday, January 16, 2012

The Last Supper - Painting by Leonardo da Vinci

The Last Supper Painting by Leonardo da Vinci

Between 1496 and 1498 Leonardo painted his _chef d'oeuvre_, the "Last Supper," for the end wall of the Refectory of the Dominican Convent of S. Maria delle Grazie at Milan. It was originally executed in tempera on a badly prepared stucco ground and began to deteriorate a very few years after its completion. As early as 1556 it was half ruined. In 1652 the monks cut away a part of the fresco including the feet of the Christ to make a doorway. In 1726 one Michelangelo Belotti, an obscure Milanese painter, received £300 for the worthless labour he bestowed on restoring it. He seems to have employed some astringent restorative which revived the colours temporarily, and then left them in deeper eclipse than before. In 1770 the fresco was again restored by Mazza. In 1796 Napoleon's cavalry, contrary to his express orders, turned the refectory into a stable, and pelted the heads of the figures with dirt. Subsequently the refectory was used to store hay, and at one time or another it has been flooded. In 1820 the fresco was again restored, and in 1854 this restoration was effaced. In October 1908 Professor Cavenaghi completed the delicate task of again restoring it, and has, in the opinion of experts, now preserved it from further injury. In addition, the devices of Ludovico and his Duchess and a considerable amount of floral decoration by Leonardo himself have been brought to light.

Reference:

LEONARDO DA VINCI

By MAURICE W. BROCKWELL

The Virgin of the Rocks - Painting by Ambrogio da Predis with Leonardo da Vinci

The Virgin of the Rocks - Painting by Leonardo da Vinci

THE VIRGIN OF THE ROCKS
In the National Gallery. No. 1093. 6 ft. ½ in. h. by 3 ft 9 ½ in. w. (1.83 x 1.15)
This picture was painted in Milan about 1495 by Ambrogio da Predis under the supervision and guidance of Leonardo da Vinci, the essential features of the composition being borrowed from the earlier "Vierge aux Rochers," now in the Louvre.

The "Virgin of the Rocks", now in the National Gallery, corresponds exactly with a painting by Leonardo which was described by Lomazzo about 1584 as being in the Chapel of the Conception in the Church of St. Francesco at Milan. This picture, the only _oeuvre_ in this gallery with which Leonardo's name can be connected, was brought to England in 1777 by Gavin Hamilton, and sold by him to the Marquess of Lansdowne, who subsequently exchanged it for another picture in the Collection of the Earl of Suffolk at Charlton Park, Wiltshire, from whom it was eventually purchased by the National Gallery for £9000. Signor Emilio Motta, some fifteen years ago, unearthed in the State Archives of Milan a letter or memorial from Giovanni Ambrogio da Predis and Leonardo da Vinci to the Duke of Milan, praying him to intervene in a dispute, which had arisen between the petitioners and the Brotherhood of the Conception, with regard to the valuation of certain works of art furnished for the chapel of the Brotherhood in the church of St. Francesco. The only logical deduction which can be drawn from documentary evidence is that the "Vierge aux Rochers" in the Louvre is the picture, painted about 1482, which between 1491 and 1494 gave rise to the dispute, and that, when it was ultimately sold by the artists for the full price asked to some unknown buyer, the National Gallery version was executed for a smaller price mainly by Ambrogio da Predisunder the supervision, and with the help, of Leonardo to be placed in the Chapel of the Conception.

Reference:

LEONARDO DA VINCI

By MAURICE W. BROCKWELL

Portrait of Mona Lisa - Painting by Leonardo da Vinci

Portrait of Mona Lisa - Painting by Leonardo da Vinci
MONA LISA. In the Louvre. No. 1601. 2 ft 6 ½ ins. By 1 ft. 9 ins.(0.77 x 0.53)


Early in 1503 Leonardo da Vinci was back again in Florence, and set to work in earnest on the "Portrait of Mona Lisa", now in the Louvre (No. 1601). Lisa di Anton Maria di Noldo Gherardini was the daughter of Antonio Gherardini. In 1495 she married Francesco di Bartolommeo de Zenobi del Giocondo. It is from the surname of her husband that she derives the name of "La Joconde," by which her portrait is officially known in the Louvre. Vasari is probably inaccurate in saying that Leonardo "loitered over it for four years, and finally left it unfinished." He may have begun it in the spring of 1501 and, probably owing to having taken service under Cesare Borgia in the following year, put it on one side, ultimately completing it after working on the "Battle of Anghiari" in 1504. Vasari's eulogy of this portrait may with advantage be quoted: "Whoever shall desire to see how far art can imitate nature may do so to perfection in this head, wherein every peculiarity that could be depicted by the utmost subtlety of the pencil has been faithfully reproduced. The eyes have the lustrous brightness and moisture which is seen in life, and around them are those pale, red, and slightly livid circles, also proper to nature. The nose, with its beautiful and delicately roseate nostrils, might be easily believed to be alive; the mouth, admirable in its outline, has the lips uniting the rose-tints of their colour with those of the face, in the utmost perfection, and the carnation of the cheek does not appear to be painted, but truly flesh and blood. He who looks earnestly at the pit of the throat cannot but believe that he sees the beating of the pulses. Mona Lisa was exceedingly beautiful, and while Leonardo was painting her portrait, he took the precaution of keeping some one constantly near her to sing or play on instruments, or to jest and otherwise amuse her."

Leonardo painted this picture in the full maturity of his talent, and, although it is now little more than a monochrome owing to the free and merciless restoration to which it has been at times subjected, it must have created a wonderful impression on those who saw it in the early years of the sixteenth century. It is difficult for the unpractised eye to-day to form any idea of its original beauty. Leonardo has here painted this worldly-minded woman—her portrait is much more famous than she herself ever was—with a marvellous charm and suavity, a finesse of expression never reached before and hardly ever equalled since. Contrast the head of the Christ at Milan, Leonardo's conception of divinity expressed in perfect humanity, with the subtle and sphinx-like smile of this languorous creature.

The landscape background, against which Mona Lisa is posed, recalls the severe, rather than exuberant, landscape and the dim vistas of mountain ranges seen in the neighbourhood of his own birthplace. The portrait was bought during the reign of Francis I. for a sum which is to-day equal to about £1800. Leonardo, by the way, does not seem to have been really affected by any individual affection for any woman, and, like Michelangelo and Raphael, never married.

In January 4, 1504, Leonardo was one of the members of the Committee of Artists summoned to advise the Signoria as to the most suitable site for the erection of Michelangelo's statue of "David," which had recently been completed.

Reference:

LEONARDO DA VINCI


By MAURICE W. BROCKWELL

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Leonardo da Vinci's Painting - Annunciation In the Uffizi Gallery

Leonardo da Vinci's Painting - Annunciation In the Uffizi Gallery

Annunciation In the Uffizi Gallery, Florence 
No. 1288. 3 ft 3 ins. By 6 ft 11 ins. (0.99 x 2.18)] Although this panel is included in the Uffizi Catalogue as being by Leonardo, it is in all probability by his master, Verrocchio.]

Water Color Painting - Near Jumieges

Water Color Painting - Near Jumieges

NEAR JUMIEGES
BY RICHARD PARKES BONINGTON
(Size, 8¾ × 12¼ IN.)
(In the possession of Messrs. Thos. Agnew & Sons)

Water Color Painting - View in Italy

Water Color Painting - View in Italy

VIEW IN ITALY
BY JAMES BAKER PYNE
(Size, 10¾ × 17 IN.)
(In the possession of R. W. Lloyd, Esq.)

Water Color Painting - A Shrine in Venice

Water Color Painting - A Shrine in Venice

A SHRINE IN VENICE
BY JAMES HOLLAND
(Size, 9¾ × 6½ IN.)
(In the possession of Victor Rienaecker, Esq.)

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Water Color Painting - Plucking the Fowl

Water Color Painting - Plucking the Fowl

PLUCKING THE FOWL
BY WILLIAM HENRY HUNT
(Size, 13¾ × 14½ IN.)
(In the possession of R. W. Lloyd, Esq.)

Water Color Painting - Vico, Bay of Naples

Water Color Painting - Vico, Bay of Naples

VICO, BAY OF NAPLES
BY JAMES DUFFIELD HARDING
(Size, 8½ × 11¾ IN.)
(In the possession of Victor Rienaecker, Esq.)

Water Color Painting - Palazzo Contarini Fasan

Water Color Painting - Palazzo Contarini Fasan

PALAZZO CONTARINI FASAN
ON THE GRAND CANAL, VENICE”
BY SAMUEL PROUT
(Size,
16? × 11½
IN.)
(In the Victoria and Albert Museum)

Friday, January 13, 2012

Water Color Painting - Boys Fishing

Water Color Painting - Boys Fishing

BOYS FISHING
BY DAVID COX
(Size, 10½ × 14½ IN.)
(In the possession of R. W. Lloyd, Esq.)

Water Color Painting - Lake Scene

Water Color Painting - Lake Scene

LAKE SCENE
BY A. V. COPLEY FIELDING
(Size, 12¼ × 16? IN.)
(In the Possession of Victor Rienaecker, Esq.)

Water Color Painting-St. Albans

Water Color Painting-St. Albans

“ST. ALBANS”
BY PETER DE WINT
(Size, 9¾ × 14½ IN.)
(In the possession of R. W. Lloyd, Esq.)

Water Color Painting-View in North Wales

Water Color Painting-View in North Wales

VIEW IN NORTH WALES
BY JOHN GLOVER
(Size, 16? × 23 IN.)
(In the possession of Victor Rienaecker, Esq.)

Water Color Painting-Hackney Church

Water Color Painting-Hackney Church

HACKNEY CHURCH
BY JOHN VARLEY
(Size, 11 × 15 IN.)
(In the possession of R. W. Lloyd, Esq.)

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Lucerne: Moonlight - Water Color Painting

Lucerne: Moonlight - Water Color Painting

“LUCERNE: MOONLIGHT”
BY J. M. W. TURNER, R.A.
(Size,
11½ × 18¾
IN.)
(In the possession of R. W. Lloyd, Esq.)

Classical Scene - Water Color Painting

Classical Scene - Water Color Painting

CLASSICAL SCENE
BY JOHN SELL COTMAN
(Size, 11½ × 8¼ IN.)
(In the possession of G. Bellingham Smith, Esq.)

Landscape - Water Color Painting

Landscape - Water Color Painting

LANDSCAPE
BY THOMAS GIRTIN
(Size, 12¼ × 20½ IN)
(In the possession of R. W. Lloyd, Esq.)

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Lake Nemi - Water Color Painting

Lake Nemi - Water Color Painting

LAKE NEMI
BY JOHN ROBERT COZENS
(Size, 14½ × 21 IN.)
(In the possession of R. W. Lloyd, Esq.)

Entrance to Vauxhall Gardens - Water Color Painting

Entrance to Vauxhall Gardens - Water Color Painting

“ENTRANCE TO VAUXHALL GARDENS”
BY THOMAS ROWLANDSON
(Size, 9 × 12 IN.)
(In the possession of Victor Rienaecker, Esq.)

Monday, January 9, 2012

Preparing for Market - Water Color Painting

Preparing for Market - Water Color Painting

Preparing for Market
BY FRANCIS WHEATLEY, R.A.,
(Size, 14 × 10 IN.)
(In the possession of Messrs. Thos. Agnew & Sons)

Furness Abbey, Lancashire - Water Color Painting

Furness Abbey, Lancashire - Water Color Painting

Furness Abbey, Lancashire
BY EDWARD DAYES
(Size, 27½ × 20¾ IN.)
(In the possession of Victor Rienaecker, Esq.)

Old Palace Yard, Westminster - Water Color Painting

Old Palace Yard, Westminster - Water Color Painting

Old Palace Yard, Westminster
BY THOMAS MALTON, JUN.
(Size, 13 × 19 IN.)
(In the possession of R. W. Lloyd, Esq.)

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Scotch Landscape - Water Color Painting

Scotch Landscape - Water Color Painting BY JOSEPH FARINGTON

“SCOTCH LANDSCAPE”
BY JOSEPH FARINGTON, R.A.
(Size, 20¾ × 33¾ IN.)
(In the possession of Victor Rienaecker, Esq.)

View of Gloucester - Water Color Painting

View of Gloucester - Water Color Painting BY THOMAS HEARNE
VIEW OF GLOUCESTER
BY THOMAS HEARNE
(Size, 7½ × 10½ IN.)
(In the possession of Victor Rienaecker, Esq.)

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Village Scene - Water Color Painting

Village Scene - Water Color Painting

Village Scene - Water Color Painting
“VILLAGE SCENE”
BY MICHAEL (ANGELO) ROOKER, A.R.A.
(Size, 14½ × 18¼ IN.)
(In the possession of Victor Rienaecker, Esq.)

On the Dart - Water Color Painting

On the Dart - Water Color Painting
 
“ON THE DART”
BY FRANCIS TOWNE
(Size, 7 × 9¾ IN.)
(In the possession of A. E. Hutton, Esq.)

Windsor Castle - Water Color Painting

Windsor Castle - Water Color Painting
Windsor Castle - Water Color Painting
“WINDSOR CASTLE: VIEW OF THE ROUND AND DEVIL’S TOWERS FROM THE BLACK ROCK” BY PAUL SANDBY, R.A.
(Size, 11¾ ×17¼ IN.)
(Acquired by the National Art Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne)
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