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0551_T

Spillover II

Focus on Spillover II and explore the abstract.

Spillover is a public artwork by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa. It is installed in Atwater Park in Shorewood, Wisconsin, United States. It depicts an 8.5-foot (2.6 m) crouching man whose open form is made of steel letters. It is on a 2-foot (0.61 m) concrete base, and was publicly dedicated on September 21, 2010.

0551_NT

Spillover II

Focus on this artwork and explore the abstract.

Spillover is a public artwork by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa. It is installed in Atwater Park in Shorewood, Wisconsin, United States. It depicts an 8.5-foot (2.6 m) crouching man whose open form is made of steel letters. It is on a 2-foot (0.61 m) concrete base, and was publicly dedicated on September 21, 2010.

0552_T

Spillover II

Focus on Spillover II and explain the Description.

Spillover is composed of steel letters that are tack welded together. In Plensa's words, "The letters that form the open framework suggest that language is our primary tool for experiencing the world and each other, and that we are, essentially, both limited and empowered by this abstract means of translating our experiences." The work, on a concrete base at the intersection of Capitol Drive and Lake Drive, is situated with the figure looking out onto Lake Michigan. Illuminated from within, its nighttime glow acts like a beacon in Atwater Park.

0552_NT

Spillover II

Focus on this artwork and explain the Description.

Spillover is composed of steel letters that are tack welded together. In Plensa's words, "The letters that form the open framework suggest that language is our primary tool for experiencing the world and each other, and that we are, essentially, both limited and empowered by this abstract means of translating our experiences." The work, on a concrete base at the intersection of Capitol Drive and Lake Drive, is situated with the figure looking out onto Lake Michigan. Illuminated from within, its nighttime glow acts like a beacon in Atwater Park.

0553_T

Spillover II

Explore the History of this artwork, Spillover II.

Spillover is the first artwork acquired as part of the Village of Shorewood's public art initiative, begun in 2001 by the Shorewood Public Art Committee, a subcommittee of the Community Development Authority and Public Improvements Committee. Russell Bowman, former director of the Milwaukee Art Museum and current Chicago art consultant, assisted the committee in choosing Plensa's work. Plensa is best known in the American Midwest for his Crown Fountain in Chicago's Millennium Park. Spillover was chosen from nearly 100 other artists' works because it seemed the most appropriate for the location. Shorewood Village president Guy Johnson described it as a "wonderful gift (that) has given us an unprecedented and extraordinary opportunity to enhance the quality of life for the citizens of Shorewood".Jaume Plensa was present at the sculpture's dedication in September 2010. He thanked Shorewood for giving one of his "children" a beautiful home, and expressed satisfaction that his artwork was placed near Lake Michigan, where it could engage in a dialogue with its site. "One can see the influences of northern Spain of Plensa's aesthetic," wrote Debra Brehmer in the Wisconsin Gazette. "Like his fellow countrymen, Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso, Antoni Gaudi, and Joan Miró, there is a playful humanism and a commitment to biomorphic, inventive form infused with an unabashed romanticism."The work investigates the connection between art and nature while also referencing the letter as the original component of poetry. It has also been suggested that this paradoxical sculpture, which appears both transparent and solid, implies that "we are hollow men". Visitors to the park are often observed interacting with the sculpture, apparently feeling a connection to its human form, and enjoying how the form changes as one walks around it.

0553_NT

Spillover II

Explore the History of this artwork.

Spillover is the first artwork acquired as part of the Village of Shorewood's public art initiative, begun in 2001 by the Shorewood Public Art Committee, a subcommittee of the Community Development Authority and Public Improvements Committee. Russell Bowman, former director of the Milwaukee Art Museum and current Chicago art consultant, assisted the committee in choosing Plensa's work. Plensa is best known in the American Midwest for his Crown Fountain in Chicago's Millennium Park. Spillover was chosen from nearly 100 other artists' works because it seemed the most appropriate for the location. Shorewood Village president Guy Johnson described it as a "wonderful gift (that) has given us an unprecedented and extraordinary opportunity to enhance the quality of life for the citizens of Shorewood".Jaume Plensa was present at the sculpture's dedication in September 2010. He thanked Shorewood for giving one of his "children" a beautiful home, and expressed satisfaction that his artwork was placed near Lake Michigan, where it could engage in a dialogue with its site. "One can see the influences of northern Spain of Plensa's aesthetic," wrote Debra Brehmer in the Wisconsin Gazette. "Like his fellow countrymen, Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso, Antoni Gaudi, and Joan Miró, there is a playful humanism and a commitment to biomorphic, inventive form infused with an unabashed romanticism."The work investigates the connection between art and nature while also referencing the letter as the original component of poetry. It has also been suggested that this paradoxical sculpture, which appears both transparent and solid, implies that "we are hollow men". Visitors to the park are often observed interacting with the sculpture, apparently feeling a connection to its human form, and enjoying how the form changes as one walks around it.

0554_T

Spillover II

In the context of Spillover II, discuss the Acquisition of the History.

The acquisition of Spillover was primarily enabled by an anonymous $350,000 contribution. It was additionally supported by the Shorewood Foundation, Shorewood Men's Club, Village of Shorewood Marketing Program, and the Village of Shorewood.

0554_NT

Spillover II

In the context of this artwork, discuss the Acquisition of the History.

The acquisition of Spillover was primarily enabled by an anonymous $350,000 contribution. It was additionally supported by the Shorewood Foundation, Shorewood Men's Club, Village of Shorewood Marketing Program, and the Village of Shorewood.

0555_T

Spillover II

How does Spillover II elucidate its Allegations of anti-Semitic content?

On November 14, 2015, the statue was temporarily removed from Atwater Park after a New Jersey blogger alleged that it contained the phrases FRY BAD JEW, DEAD JEW and CHEAP JEW.Plensa informed the people of Shorewood that he preferred to adjust the letters to avoid any future misinterpretations of his work. The sculpture was voluntarily modified at the Richard Gray Art Gallery by Plensa's representatives, who replaced a letter "E" with the letter "B". The sculpture was then returned to Atwater Park on Saturday, January 16, 2016

0555_NT

Spillover II

How does this artwork elucidate its Allegations of anti-Semitic content?

On November 14, 2015, the statue was temporarily removed from Atwater Park after a New Jersey blogger alleged that it contained the phrases FRY BAD JEW, DEAD JEW and CHEAP JEW.Plensa informed the people of Shorewood that he preferred to adjust the letters to avoid any future misinterpretations of his work. The sculpture was voluntarily modified at the Richard Gray Art Gallery by Plensa's representatives, who replaced a letter "E" with the letter "B". The sculpture was then returned to Atwater Park on Saturday, January 16, 2016

0556_T

Equestrian Portrait of Philip III

Focus on Equestrian Portrait of Philip III and analyze the abstract.

The Equestrian Portrait of Philip III is a portrait of Philip III of Spain on horseback by Diego Velázquez. It was painted in 1634/35, more than a decade after the subject's death in 1621, as part of a series of paintings of the royal family. Intended to be displayed in the Hall of Realms, originally a wing of the Buen Retiro Palace in Madrid, it is now in the Prado Museum. The portrait was commissioned by Philip III's son Philip IV. It was painted for the decoration of the Hall of Realms of the Buen Retiro Palace, along with the equestrian portraits of Phillip III's wife, Queen Margaret, Philip IV, Isabella of France, and Prince Baltasar Carlos. The studio of the artist is believed to have made a significant contribution to the painting.

0556_NT

Equestrian Portrait of Philip III

Focus on this artwork and analyze the abstract.

The Equestrian Portrait of Philip III is a portrait of Philip III of Spain on horseback by Diego Velázquez. It was painted in 1634/35, more than a decade after the subject's death in 1621, as part of a series of paintings of the royal family. Intended to be displayed in the Hall of Realms, originally a wing of the Buen Retiro Palace in Madrid, it is now in the Prado Museum. The portrait was commissioned by Philip III's son Philip IV. It was painted for the decoration of the Hall of Realms of the Buen Retiro Palace, along with the equestrian portraits of Phillip III's wife, Queen Margaret, Philip IV, Isabella of France, and Prince Baltasar Carlos. The studio of the artist is believed to have made a significant contribution to the painting.

0557_T

Statue of Francis Preston Blair Jr.

In Statue of Francis Preston Blair Jr., how is the abstract discussed?

Francis Preston Blair Jr. is a marble sculpture depicting the American jurist, politician, and soldier of the same name by Alexander Doyle, installed in the United States Capitol's Hall of Columns, in Washington, D.C., as part of the National Statuary Hall Collection. The statue was gifted by the U.S. state of Missouri in 1899.

0557_NT

Statue of Francis Preston Blair Jr.

In this artwork, how is the abstract discussed?

Francis Preston Blair Jr. is a marble sculpture depicting the American jurist, politician, and soldier of the same name by Alexander Doyle, installed in the United States Capitol's Hall of Columns, in Washington, D.C., as part of the National Statuary Hall Collection. The statue was gifted by the U.S. state of Missouri in 1899.

0558_T

The Swing (Fragonard)

Focus on The Swing (Fragonard) and explore the abstract.

The Swing (French: L'Escarpolette), also known as The Happy Accidents of the Swing (French: Les Hasards heureux de l'escarpolette, the original title), is an 18th-century oil painting by Jean-Honoré Fragonard in the Wallace Collection in London. It is considered to be one of the masterpieces of the Rococo era, and is Fragonard's best-known work.

0558_NT

The Swing (Fragonard)

Focus on this artwork and explore the abstract.

The Swing (French: L'Escarpolette), also known as The Happy Accidents of the Swing (French: Les Hasards heureux de l'escarpolette, the original title), is an 18th-century oil painting by Jean-Honoré Fragonard in the Wallace Collection in London. It is considered to be one of the masterpieces of the Rococo era, and is Fragonard's best-known work.

0559_T

The Swing (Fragonard)

Focus on The Swing (Fragonard) and explain the Provenance.

The original ownership is uncertain. A firm provenance begins only with the tax farmer Marie-François Ménage de Pressigny, who was guillotined in 1794, after which it was seized by the revolutionary government. It was possibly later owned by the marquis des Razins de Saint-Marc, and certainly by the duc de Morny. After his death in 1865, it was bought at auction in Paris by Lord Hertford, the main founder of the Wallace Collection.

0559_NT

The Swing (Fragonard)

Focus on this artwork and explain the Provenance.

The original ownership is uncertain. A firm provenance begins only with the tax farmer Marie-François Ménage de Pressigny, who was guillotined in 1794, after which it was seized by the revolutionary government. It was possibly later owned by the marquis des Razins de Saint-Marc, and certainly by the duc de Morny. After his death in 1865, it was bought at auction in Paris by Lord Hertford, the main founder of the Wallace Collection.

0560_T

The Swing (Fragonard)

Explore the Conservation of this artwork, The Swing (Fragonard).

Between August and November 2021, The Swing underwent sensitive conservation at the Wallace Collection in an effort to reverse the natural aging process, which had diminished the painting’s appearance. Because of its importance, the painting is rarely off public display, and it had not been cleaned for over 100 years. As a result, the paint surface had become obscured by severely yellowed varnish, while old retouching had become visible.

0560_NT

The Swing (Fragonard)

Explore the Conservation of this artwork.

Between August and November 2021, The Swing underwent sensitive conservation at the Wallace Collection in an effort to reverse the natural aging process, which had diminished the painting’s appearance. Because of its importance, the painting is rarely off public display, and it had not been cleaned for over 100 years. As a result, the paint surface had become obscured by severely yellowed varnish, while old retouching had become visible.

0561_T

The Swing (Fragonard)

Focus on The Swing (Fragonard) and discuss the Notable copies.

There are two notable copies, neither by Fragonard.One copy, once owned by Edmond James de Rothschild, portrays the woman in a blue dress. The other is a smaller version (56 × 46 cm), owned by Duke Jules de Polignac. This painting became the property of the Grimaldi family in 1930 when Pierre de Polignac (1895-1964) married Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois (1898-1977). In 1966, the Grimaldi & Labeyrie Collection gave it to the city of Versailles, where it is currently exhibited at the Musée Lambinet, attributed to Fragonard's workshop.

0561_NT

The Swing (Fragonard)

Focus on this artwork and discuss the Notable copies.

There are two notable copies, neither by Fragonard.One copy, once owned by Edmond James de Rothschild, portrays the woman in a blue dress. The other is a smaller version (56 × 46 cm), owned by Duke Jules de Polignac. This painting became the property of the Grimaldi family in 1930 when Pierre de Polignac (1895-1964) married Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois (1898-1977). In 1966, the Grimaldi & Labeyrie Collection gave it to the city of Versailles, where it is currently exhibited at the Musée Lambinet, attributed to Fragonard's workshop.

0562_T

The Swing (Fragonard)

How does The Swing (Fragonard) elucidate its Notable derived works?

1782: Les Hazards Heureux de l'Escarpolettes, etching and engraving by fr:Nicolas de Launay (1739–1792), 62.3 × 45.5 cm (24 ⅝ × 17 ⅞ in). Contrary to the original painting, the lady is facing right and has plumes on her hat (among other dissimilarities) because it was drawn after the replica owned by Edmond de Rothschild. 1920: The poem "Portrait of a Lady" by William Carlos Williams is believed to reference Fragonard's work and this painting in particular. 1972: The Little Feat album Sailin' Shoes features front cover artwork by Neon Park that alludes to Fragonard's work. 1999: The first act of the ballet Contact: The Musical by Susan Stroman and John Weidman is described as a "contact improvisation" on the painting. 2001: The Swing (after Fragonard) is a headless lifesize recreation of Fragonard's model clothed in African fabric, by Yinka Shonibare 2013: The animated Disney film Frozen displays a version of The Swing in a scene when lead character Anna dances through an art gallery singing "For the First Time in Forever." 2022: The promotional poster for season three of the HBO Max show Harley Quinn uses a version of The Swing with Harley Quinn and Ivy on the swing while other characters from the show can be seen in the background.

0562_NT

The Swing (Fragonard)

How does this artwork elucidate its Notable derived works?

1782: Les Hazards Heureux de l'Escarpolettes, etching and engraving by fr:Nicolas de Launay (1739–1792), 62.3 × 45.5 cm (24 ⅝ × 17 ⅞ in). Contrary to the original painting, the lady is facing right and has plumes on her hat (among other dissimilarities) because it was drawn after the replica owned by Edmond de Rothschild. 1920: The poem "Portrait of a Lady" by William Carlos Williams is believed to reference Fragonard's work and this painting in particular. 1972: The Little Feat album Sailin' Shoes features front cover artwork by Neon Park that alludes to Fragonard's work. 1999: The first act of the ballet Contact: The Musical by Susan Stroman and John Weidman is described as a "contact improvisation" on the painting. 2001: The Swing (after Fragonard) is a headless lifesize recreation of Fragonard's model clothed in African fabric, by Yinka Shonibare 2013: The animated Disney film Frozen displays a version of The Swing in a scene when lead character Anna dances through an art gallery singing "For the First Time in Forever." 2022: The promotional poster for season three of the HBO Max show Harley Quinn uses a version of The Swing with Harley Quinn and Ivy on the swing while other characters from the show can be seen in the background.

0563_T

The Birth of the Milky Way

Focus on The Birth of the Milky Way and analyze the abstract.

The Birth of the Milky Way, also sometimes known as The Origin of the Milky Way, is an oil-on-canvas painting by the Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens, produced between 1636 and 1638 and featuring the Greco-Roman myth of the origin of the Milky Way. The painting depicts Hera (Juno), spilling her breast milk, the infant Heracles (Hercules) and Zeus (Jupiter) in the background, identifiable by his eagle and lightning bolts. Hera's face is modelled on Rubens' wife, Hélène Fourment. The carriage is pulled by peacocks, a bird which the ancient Greeks and Romans considered sacred to both themselves and to Hera/Juno, as a result of their ability to signal changes in weather through cries and hence their perceived connection to the gods. Due to the dark background of the night sky the figures gain a greater sense of volume.With a width of 244 cm (96 in) and height of 181 cm (71 in), the image was a part of the commission from Philip IV of Spain to decorate Torre de la Parada. Rubens also painted other Greco-Roman mythological subjects, such as Hercules Fighting the Nemean Lion or Perseus Freeing Andromeda. It is now held at the Museo del Prado, in Madrid.

0563_NT

The Birth of the Milky Way

Focus on this artwork and analyze the abstract.

The Birth of the Milky Way, also sometimes known as The Origin of the Milky Way, is an oil-on-canvas painting by the Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens, produced between 1636 and 1638 and featuring the Greco-Roman myth of the origin of the Milky Way. The painting depicts Hera (Juno), spilling her breast milk, the infant Heracles (Hercules) and Zeus (Jupiter) in the background, identifiable by his eagle and lightning bolts. Hera's face is modelled on Rubens' wife, Hélène Fourment. The carriage is pulled by peacocks, a bird which the ancient Greeks and Romans considered sacred to both themselves and to Hera/Juno, as a result of their ability to signal changes in weather through cries and hence their perceived connection to the gods. Due to the dark background of the night sky the figures gain a greater sense of volume.With a width of 244 cm (96 in) and height of 181 cm (71 in), the image was a part of the commission from Philip IV of Spain to decorate Torre de la Parada. Rubens also painted other Greco-Roman mythological subjects, such as Hercules Fighting the Nemean Lion or Perseus Freeing Andromeda. It is now held at the Museo del Prado, in Madrid.

0564_T

Madonna of Peace (Pinturicchio)

In Madonna of Peace (Pinturicchio), how is the History discussed?

Liberato Bartelli gave this artwork to the Duomo in San Severino Marche. He was a native of the city and was then serving as protonotary apostolic and canon of Santa Maria in Trastevere in Rome. At the end of 1488, he was made prior of the church in his home town of San Severino Marche. He seems to have commissioned the work to commemorate this event. Pinturicchio was then among a new generation of artists working in Rome and probably delivered the work around 1490. Pinturicchio used the painting's figure of the Madonna as a model for later autograph works such as Madonna with the Christ Child Reading (North Carolina Museum of Art) and Madonna with the Christ Child Writing (Philadelphia Museum of Art), both datable to between 1494 and 1498. Other Madonnas derived from it (such as that in the Kress collection (now part of the National Gallery of Art in Washington) are studio works.

0564_NT

Madonna of Peace (Pinturicchio)

In this artwork, how is the History discussed?

Liberato Bartelli gave this artwork to the Duomo in San Severino Marche. He was a native of the city and was then serving as protonotary apostolic and canon of Santa Maria in Trastevere in Rome. At the end of 1488, he was made prior of the church in his home town of San Severino Marche. He seems to have commissioned the work to commemorate this event. Pinturicchio was then among a new generation of artists working in Rome and probably delivered the work around 1490. Pinturicchio used the painting's figure of the Madonna as a model for later autograph works such as Madonna with the Christ Child Reading (North Carolina Museum of Art) and Madonna with the Christ Child Writing (Philadelphia Museum of Art), both datable to between 1494 and 1498. Other Madonnas derived from it (such as that in the Kress collection (now part of the National Gallery of Art in Washington) are studio works.

0565_T

Pygmalion and the Image series

Focus on Pygmalion and the Image series and explore the abstract.

Pygmalion and the Image is the second series of four oil paintings in the Pygmalion and Galatea series by the Pre-Raphaelite artist Edward Burne-Jones which was completed between 1875 and 1878. The two collections may be seen below, in the Gallery, the first being now owned by Lord Lloyd Webber, and the second housed at the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery. This article deals with an appraisal of the second series.

0565_NT

Pygmalion and the Image series

Focus on this artwork and explore the abstract.

Pygmalion and the Image is the second series of four oil paintings in the Pygmalion and Galatea series by the Pre-Raphaelite artist Edward Burne-Jones which was completed between 1875 and 1878. The two collections may be seen below, in the Gallery, the first being now owned by Lord Lloyd Webber, and the second housed at the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery. This article deals with an appraisal of the second series.

0566_T

Pygmalion and the Image series

Explore the Pygmalion and Galatea I: The Heart Desires about the The second series of this artwork, Pygmalion and the Image series.

As seen above right (1st image), this is the first of four paintings in the artist's second Pygmalion and Galatea series. This first series, which dates back to 1867–1870, used harsher tones, darker colours and less fluid lines – as may be seen in the Gallery below. This second version, despite being painted in oils, has the sheen and soft tones of chalk. The story tells of Pygmalion, a sculptor of Cyprus, the birthplace of Aphrodite. It was first related in Ovid's Metamorphoses, although by the time of this series, William Morris had written his own version of the story.Pygmalion is seen here in his studio, pondering his lonely life, having chosen to remain celibate in disgust at what he saw as the debauched lifestyles of the local women. The statues behind him (in emulation of the Three Graces) echo the curious women peering in through his doorway. All five seem fluid, languorous and unself-conscious. Pygmalion, looking above the proliferation of ankles, thighs and buttocks reflected on the floor and pedestal in front of him, is pondering his next creation. His gaze ignores the women around him as he sees in his mind a statue of the perfect female.

0566_NT

Pygmalion and the Image series

Explore the Pygmalion and Galatea I: The Heart Desires about the The second series of this artwork.

As seen above right (1st image), this is the first of four paintings in the artist's second Pygmalion and Galatea series. This first series, which dates back to 1867–1870, used harsher tones, darker colours and less fluid lines – as may be seen in the Gallery below. This second version, despite being painted in oils, has the sheen and soft tones of chalk. The story tells of Pygmalion, a sculptor of Cyprus, the birthplace of Aphrodite. It was first related in Ovid's Metamorphoses, although by the time of this series, William Morris had written his own version of the story.Pygmalion is seen here in his studio, pondering his lonely life, having chosen to remain celibate in disgust at what he saw as the debauched lifestyles of the local women. The statues behind him (in emulation of the Three Graces) echo the curious women peering in through his doorway. All five seem fluid, languorous and unself-conscious. Pygmalion, looking above the proliferation of ankles, thighs and buttocks reflected on the floor and pedestal in front of him, is pondering his next creation. His gaze ignores the women around him as he sees in his mind a statue of the perfect female.

0567_T

Pygmalion and the Image series

In the context of Pygmalion and the Image series, discuss the Pygmalion and Galatea II: The Hand Refrains of the The second series.

In this second picture, Pygmalion's perfect woman is revealed. Playing God, he has created woman and now stands back to admire her, holding the cold chisel against his face as though scared to touch his creation again. The sculptor's expression is softer than The Heart Desires – a look which betrays that he has fallen in love with a woman made of marble.In spite of his scorning of Aphrodite, Pygmalion has created Galatea in a classical Venusian stance. However, unlike the three statues and two living women in the first picture above, Galatea appears embarrassedly conscious of her nudity – in the act of attempting to cover herself. Pygmalion, despite his contempt for the local women, deliberately created her nude and now takes on the role of voyeur. Although Pygmalion is seen looking, rather than touching, the various tools around the base of the statue show how much work he has done to bring the statue to this finished state. In creating Galatea, he has used a hard mallet, chisel and file as well as an almost transparent, soft-bristled brush.

0567_NT

Pygmalion and the Image series

In the context of this artwork, discuss the Pygmalion and Galatea II: The Hand Refrains of the The second series.

In this second picture, Pygmalion's perfect woman is revealed. Playing God, he has created woman and now stands back to admire her, holding the cold chisel against his face as though scared to touch his creation again. The sculptor's expression is softer than The Heart Desires – a look which betrays that he has fallen in love with a woman made of marble.In spite of his scorning of Aphrodite, Pygmalion has created Galatea in a classical Venusian stance. However, unlike the three statues and two living women in the first picture above, Galatea appears embarrassedly conscious of her nudity – in the act of attempting to cover herself. Pygmalion, despite his contempt for the local women, deliberately created her nude and now takes on the role of voyeur. Although Pygmalion is seen looking, rather than touching, the various tools around the base of the statue show how much work he has done to bring the statue to this finished state. In creating Galatea, he has used a hard mallet, chisel and file as well as an almost transparent, soft-bristled brush.

0568_T

Pygmalion and the Image series

In Pygmalion and the Image series, how is the Pygmalion and Galatea III: The Godhead Fires of the The second series elucidated?

In Ovid's version of the story, the scene is set while Pygmalion is at the temple of Aphrodite, praying for forgiveness for the years he has shunned her and begging for a wife as perfect as his marble woman. In his absence, Aphrodite appears in the studio to impart life to Galatea. In physical terms, the painting shows little difference between the two women: the same, unattainable facial expression; the marble colouring; the Amazonian stature. Ironically, their interlaced arms and Aphrodite's penetrating gaze emulate the intertwined women, so despised by Pygmalion, in The Heart Desires. Aphrodite is identified by the presence of doves and roses – symbols commonly linked with the goddess – and the water at her feet, reminiscent of her birth, fully formed, from the sea. This also represents Galatea's birth, fully formed, as a woman. In a scene that is strongly evocative of Michelangelo's Creation painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, the goddess adds colour and sensuality to Pygmalion's austere studio and Galatea's soft flesh. The rich-colour drapery, wrapped suggestively around an intricately carved pole at left, is noticeably absent from the other images in the series.

0568_NT

Pygmalion and the Image series

In this artwork, how is the Pygmalion and Galatea III: The Godhead Fires of the The second series elucidated?

In Ovid's version of the story, the scene is set while Pygmalion is at the temple of Aphrodite, praying for forgiveness for the years he has shunned her and begging for a wife as perfect as his marble woman. In his absence, Aphrodite appears in the studio to impart life to Galatea. In physical terms, the painting shows little difference between the two women: the same, unattainable facial expression; the marble colouring; the Amazonian stature. Ironically, their interlaced arms and Aphrodite's penetrating gaze emulate the intertwined women, so despised by Pygmalion, in The Heart Desires. Aphrodite is identified by the presence of doves and roses – symbols commonly linked with the goddess – and the water at her feet, reminiscent of her birth, fully formed, from the sea. This also represents Galatea's birth, fully formed, as a woman. In a scene that is strongly evocative of Michelangelo's Creation painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, the goddess adds colour and sensuality to Pygmalion's austere studio and Galatea's soft flesh. The rich-colour drapery, wrapped suggestively around an intricately carved pole at left, is noticeably absent from the other images in the series.

0569_T

Pygmalion and the Image series

In the context of Pygmalion and the Image series, analyze the Pygmalion and Galatea IV: The Soul Attains of the The second series.

When Pygmalion returns home, he finds that his statue has come to life and humbles himself at her feet.This was not Burne-Jones' only series of pictures: others include The Briar Rose series (1885–1890), which was based on Charles Perrault's fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty (as retold by the Brothers Grimm), and Burne-Jones' spectacular Cupid and Psyche frieze. Although not imbued with the depth and texture of The Merciful Knight (1863), this second attempt at portraying the tale of Pygmalion and Galatea has become regarded as one of the artist's most important works. It was exhibited at Sir Coutt Lindsay's new Grosvenor Gallery in 1879, thereby establishing Burne-Jones as one of the leading artists in the burgeoning Aesthetic Movement.A c. 1870 pencil on paper study for the work is in The New Art Gallery Walsall.

0569_NT

Pygmalion and the Image series

In the context of this artwork, analyze the Pygmalion and Galatea IV: The Soul Attains of the The second series.

When Pygmalion returns home, he finds that his statue has come to life and humbles himself at her feet.This was not Burne-Jones' only series of pictures: others include The Briar Rose series (1885–1890), which was based on Charles Perrault's fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty (as retold by the Brothers Grimm), and Burne-Jones' spectacular Cupid and Psyche frieze. Although not imbued with the depth and texture of The Merciful Knight (1863), this second attempt at portraying the tale of Pygmalion and Galatea has become regarded as one of the artist's most important works. It was exhibited at Sir Coutt Lindsay's new Grosvenor Gallery in 1879, thereby establishing Burne-Jones as one of the leading artists in the burgeoning Aesthetic Movement.A c. 1870 pencil on paper study for the work is in The New Art Gallery Walsall.

0570_T

The Money Changer and His Wife

In The Money Changer and His Wife, how is the abstract discussed?

The Money Changer and His Wife is a 1514 oil-on-panel painting by the Flemish Renaissance artist Quentin Matsys, currently in the Louvre Abu Dhabi.

0570_NT

The Money Changer and His Wife

In this artwork, how is the abstract discussed?

The Money Changer and His Wife is a 1514 oil-on-panel painting by the Flemish Renaissance artist Quentin Matsys, currently in the Louvre Abu Dhabi.

0571_T

The Money Changer and His Wife

Focus on The Money Changer and His Wife and explore the Painting.

A man, who is weighing the jewels and pieces of gold on the table in front of him sits next to his wife who is reading a book of devotion with an illustration of the Virgin and Child. The couple is not dressed as members of nobility, but rather as well-to-do burghers of Antwerp, where the painting was made. At the time, Antwerp had grown with the influx of many southern immigrants fleeing the Spanish Inquisition. Among this international community there was a demand for money-changers and money-lenders, as international commerce was increasing in the port city. The same motif was used 25 years later by Matsys' follower, the painter Marinus van Reymerswaele. This painting was copied in a painting of the gallery of Cornelis van der Geest by Willem van Haecht a century later in the 1620s. Van der Geest was an admirer of Matsys' work and owned several of his paintings, including The Moneylender and His Wife. He also commemorated Matsys' hundredth death anniversary with a new plaque in the Antwerp Cathedral.

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The Money Changer and His Wife

Focus on this artwork and explore the Painting.

A man, who is weighing the jewels and pieces of gold on the table in front of him sits next to his wife who is reading a book of devotion with an illustration of the Virgin and Child. The couple is not dressed as members of nobility, but rather as well-to-do burghers of Antwerp, where the painting was made. At the time, Antwerp had grown with the influx of many southern immigrants fleeing the Spanish Inquisition. Among this international community there was a demand for money-changers and money-lenders, as international commerce was increasing in the port city. The same motif was used 25 years later by Matsys' follower, the painter Marinus van Reymerswaele. This painting was copied in a painting of the gallery of Cornelis van der Geest by Willem van Haecht a century later in the 1620s. Van der Geest was an admirer of Matsys' work and owned several of his paintings, including The Moneylender and His Wife. He also commemorated Matsys' hundredth death anniversary with a new plaque in the Antwerp Cathedral.

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Dog Bowl

Focus on Dog Bowl and explain the abstract.

Dog Bowl is a 2002 outdoor sculpture by dog photographer William Wegman, located in the North Park Blocks in Portland, Oregon, United States.

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Dog Bowl

Focus on this artwork and explain the abstract.

Dog Bowl is a 2002 outdoor sculpture by dog photographer William Wegman, located in the North Park Blocks in Portland, Oregon, United States.

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Dog Bowl

Explore the Description and history of this artwork, Dog Bowl.

Dog Bowl was designed by dog photographer William Wegman in 2001 and installed in the North Park Blocks between Davis and Everett streets in 2002. Wegman had been "cultivated" and privately funded by the Pearl Arts Foundation to create a work for Portland. The installation features a cast-bronze dog bowl set on an 8-foot (2.4 m) x 10-foot (3.0 m) checkerboard that is reminiscent of a linoleum kitchen floor. Most of the squares are black and white granite tiles, but four are artificial turf. The bowl was designed to be reminiscent of the Benson Bubbler drinking fountains installed throughout the city and is supplied by an underground water source. According to the Regional Arts & Culture Council, which administers the sculpture, Wegman said he created the sculpture "for dogs, not people", and prefers not to think of the bowl as public art. Wegman donated some of his earnings from the installation to the Oregon Humane Society, Foster Pets and the Delta Society.

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Dog Bowl

Explore the Description and history of this artwork.

Dog Bowl was designed by dog photographer William Wegman in 2001 and installed in the North Park Blocks between Davis and Everett streets in 2002. Wegman had been "cultivated" and privately funded by the Pearl Arts Foundation to create a work for Portland. The installation features a cast-bronze dog bowl set on an 8-foot (2.4 m) x 10-foot (3.0 m) checkerboard that is reminiscent of a linoleum kitchen floor. Most of the squares are black and white granite tiles, but four are artificial turf. The bowl was designed to be reminiscent of the Benson Bubbler drinking fountains installed throughout the city and is supplied by an underground water source. According to the Regional Arts & Culture Council, which administers the sculpture, Wegman said he created the sculpture "for dogs, not people", and prefers not to think of the bowl as public art. Wegman donated some of his earnings from the installation to the Oregon Humane Society, Foster Pets and the Delta Society.

0574_T

Sailboats and Estuary

Focus on Sailboats and Estuary and discuss the abstract.

Sailboats and Estuary (also The Entrance to the Port of Roscoff, French: L'entrée du port de Roscoff) is an oil-on-canvas painting by Belgian srtist Théo van Rysselberghe. Painted around 1887, it shows a coastal landscape elaborated in a Pointillist technique. Van Rysselberghe probably adopted the Pointillist manner after befriending Signac; however, the use of color in Sailboats and Esuary is nonetheless far more realistic than in paintings by Signac and other Neo-Impressionists, and reveals a tendency towards naturalism. The artwork has been in the collection of the Musée d'Orsay in Paris since 1982, on loan from the Louvre.

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Sailboats and Estuary

Focus on this artwork and discuss the abstract.

Sailboats and Estuary (also The Entrance to the Port of Roscoff, French: L'entrée du port de Roscoff) is an oil-on-canvas painting by Belgian srtist Théo van Rysselberghe. Painted around 1887, it shows a coastal landscape elaborated in a Pointillist technique. Van Rysselberghe probably adopted the Pointillist manner after befriending Signac; however, the use of color in Sailboats and Esuary is nonetheless far more realistic than in paintings by Signac and other Neo-Impressionists, and reveals a tendency towards naturalism. The artwork has been in the collection of the Musée d'Orsay in Paris since 1982, on loan from the Louvre.

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Sailboats and Estuary

How does Sailboats and Estuary elucidate its Context?

Van Rysselberghe was one of the founders of the Brussels progressive association Les XX, and played a leading role in the communication between Belgian and French artists. He regularly traveled to Paris to meet fellow painters and to visit exhibitions. When, in 1886, during the last major Impressionist exhibition Georges Seurat presented what would become the leading example of pointillist technique, namely A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, Van Rysselberghe initially voiced reservations about it in an exchange of letters with his friend Emile Verhaeren. In 1887, however, he was the one who arranged for the work to be shown in an exhibition of Les XX, along with six coastal landscapes that Seurat created in Grandcamp and Honfleur. One year later, Van Rysselberghe organized an exhibition in Brussels with Neo-Impressionist painters such as Paul Signac, Henri-Edmond Cross and Albert Dubois-Pillet. In the meantime he had also adopted the pointillist method himself, both in his portraits and landscapes. One of the earliest examples is the canvas he probably painted around 1887, or 1889, that is Sailboats and Estuary.

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Sailboats and Estuary

How does this artwork elucidate its Context?

Van Rysselberghe was one of the founders of the Brussels progressive association Les XX, and played a leading role in the communication between Belgian and French artists. He regularly traveled to Paris to meet fellow painters and to visit exhibitions. When, in 1886, during the last major Impressionist exhibition Georges Seurat presented what would become the leading example of pointillist technique, namely A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, Van Rysselberghe initially voiced reservations about it in an exchange of letters with his friend Emile Verhaeren. In 1887, however, he was the one who arranged for the work to be shown in an exhibition of Les XX, along with six coastal landscapes that Seurat created in Grandcamp and Honfleur. One year later, Van Rysselberghe organized an exhibition in Brussels with Neo-Impressionist painters such as Paul Signac, Henri-Edmond Cross and Albert Dubois-Pillet. In the meantime he had also adopted the pointillist method himself, both in his portraits and landscapes. One of the earliest examples is the canvas he probably painted around 1887, or 1889, that is Sailboats and Estuary.

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Sailboats and Estuary

Focus on Sailboats and Estuary and analyze the Painting.

In the late 1880s, Van Rysselberghe painted a number of pointillist works on the coasts of Normandy and Brittany, which seem to have been inspired by the coastal views of Grandcamp and Honfleur realized by Seurat, whose waterscapes often draw the viewer in with a close-up view of land or a pier at the side of the canvas, and then give way to an expanse of ocean and sky separated by a thin wedge of land. The work is unsigned and was in a private collection for a long time until 1982.Sailboats and Estuary is typical of both the theme and the neo-impressionist style that Van Rysselberghe had learned directly from the movement's leading artists: he started entirely from the theory of color as defined by Seurat, more specifically, his "doctrine of simultaneous contrasts", which he had studied extensively. He meticulously juxtaposes unmixed dark blue, crimson, yellow, green and white brushstrokes against each other in arithmetically determined proportions, as in a kind of mosaic. Ultimately this leads to an extremely balanced, tightly styled composition, with an almost classical rigor. In a synthetic way he allows the fragmented color keys to flow into a monochrome overall image, where the separate color keys blocks give an almost glittering effect. With this he achieves the maximum effect of the special light effect propagated by Seurat in his color theory, also referred to as luminism. A reviewer of the Parisian art magazine La Plume wrote of the painting on April 1, 1898, "it shows in all its facets the full luminous beauty that the new pointillist school can offer."

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Sailboats and Estuary

Focus on this artwork and analyze the Painting.

In the late 1880s, Van Rysselberghe painted a number of pointillist works on the coasts of Normandy and Brittany, which seem to have been inspired by the coastal views of Grandcamp and Honfleur realized by Seurat, whose waterscapes often draw the viewer in with a close-up view of land or a pier at the side of the canvas, and then give way to an expanse of ocean and sky separated by a thin wedge of land. The work is unsigned and was in a private collection for a long time until 1982.Sailboats and Estuary is typical of both the theme and the neo-impressionist style that Van Rysselberghe had learned directly from the movement's leading artists: he started entirely from the theory of color as defined by Seurat, more specifically, his "doctrine of simultaneous contrasts", which he had studied extensively. He meticulously juxtaposes unmixed dark blue, crimson, yellow, green and white brushstrokes against each other in arithmetically determined proportions, as in a kind of mosaic. Ultimately this leads to an extremely balanced, tightly styled composition, with an almost classical rigor. In a synthetic way he allows the fragmented color keys to flow into a monochrome overall image, where the separate color keys blocks give an almost glittering effect. With this he achieves the maximum effect of the special light effect propagated by Seurat in his color theory, also referred to as luminism. A reviewer of the Parisian art magazine La Plume wrote of the painting on April 1, 1898, "it shows in all its facets the full luminous beauty that the new pointillist school can offer."

0577_T

L'Homme au doigt

In L'Homme au doigt, how is the abstract discussed?

L'Homme au doigt ([lɔm o dwa], "The Man with the Finger"; also called Pointing Man or Man Pointing) is a 1947 bronze sculpture by Alberto Giacometti, that became the most expensive sculpture ever when it sold for US$141.3 million on May 11, 2015.Giacometti made six casts of the work plus one artist's proof. Pointing Man is in the collections of New York's Museum of Modern Art, London's Tate Gallery, and the Des Moines Art Center. One of the others is also in a museum, and the rest are in foundation collections or owned privately.L’homme au doigt sold for $126 million, or $141.3 million with fees, in Christie's 11 May 2015 Looking Forward to the Past sale in New York, a record for a sculpture at auction. The work had been in Sheldon Solow's private collection for 45 years. According to Giacometti, he created the sculpture in a time crunch for a show's deadline, describing it being made “in one night between midnight and nine the next morning”.Christie's called it a "rare masterpiece", and "Giacometti’s most iconic and evocative sculpture", and estimated that it would sell "in the region of $130 million". Christie's also noted that the cast in their auction is believed to be the only one that Giacometti "painted by hand in order to heighten its expressive impact".Another Giacometti work, L'Homme qui marche I, had also been the most expensive sculpture ever sold at auction, when it sold for £65 million (US$104.3 million) at Sotheby's, London on 3 February 2010.

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L'Homme au doigt

In this artwork, how is the abstract discussed?

L'Homme au doigt ([lɔm o dwa], "The Man with the Finger"; also called Pointing Man or Man Pointing) is a 1947 bronze sculpture by Alberto Giacometti, that became the most expensive sculpture ever when it sold for US$141.3 million on May 11, 2015.Giacometti made six casts of the work plus one artist's proof. Pointing Man is in the collections of New York's Museum of Modern Art, London's Tate Gallery, and the Des Moines Art Center. One of the others is also in a museum, and the rest are in foundation collections or owned privately.L’homme au doigt sold for $126 million, or $141.3 million with fees, in Christie's 11 May 2015 Looking Forward to the Past sale in New York, a record for a sculpture at auction. The work had been in Sheldon Solow's private collection for 45 years. According to Giacometti, he created the sculpture in a time crunch for a show's deadline, describing it being made “in one night between midnight and nine the next morning”.Christie's called it a "rare masterpiece", and "Giacometti’s most iconic and evocative sculpture", and estimated that it would sell "in the region of $130 million". Christie's also noted that the cast in their auction is believed to be the only one that Giacometti "painted by hand in order to heighten its expressive impact".Another Giacometti work, L'Homme qui marche I, had also been the most expensive sculpture ever sold at auction, when it sold for £65 million (US$104.3 million) at Sotheby's, London on 3 February 2010.

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L'Homme au doigt

Focus on L'Homme au doigt and explore the Description.

L'Homme au doigt is a bronze sculpture depicting a slender figure measuring nearly 6 feet (1.8 m) tall with its index finger extending.

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L'Homme au doigt

Focus on this artwork and explore the Description.

L'Homme au doigt is a bronze sculpture depicting a slender figure measuring nearly 6 feet (1.8 m) tall with its index finger extending.

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Self-Portrait (Giovanni Bellini)

Focus on Self-Portrait (Giovanni Bellini) and explain the abstract.

Self-Portrait is a self-portrait in oils by the Italian painter Giovanni Bellini, dating to c.1500 and now in the Galleria Capitolina of the Capitoline Museums in Rome.

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Self-Portrait (Giovanni Bellini)

Focus on this artwork and explain the abstract.

Self-Portrait is a self-portrait in oils by the Italian painter Giovanni Bellini, dating to c.1500 and now in the Galleria Capitolina of the Capitoline Museums in Rome.

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The Danish Constituent Assembly

Explore the abstract of this artwork, The Danish Constituent Assembly.

The Danish Constituent Assembly (Danish. Den Grundlovsgivende Rigsforsamling) is a monumental oil painting by Constantin Hansen depicting the Danish Constituent Assembly's first meeting on 23 October 1848 at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark. The painting was commissioned by merchant and National Liberal politician Afred Hage in 1860 and later donated by his widow to the Museum of National History at Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerød where it is now on display.

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The Danish Constituent Assembly

Explore the abstract of this artwork.

The Danish Constituent Assembly (Danish. Den Grundlovsgivende Rigsforsamling) is a monumental oil painting by Constantin Hansen depicting the Danish Constituent Assembly's first meeting on 23 October 1848 at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark. The painting was commissioned by merchant and National Liberal politician Afred Hage in 1860 and later donated by his widow to the Museum of National History at Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerød where it is now on display.

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The Danish Constituent Assembly

Focus on The Danish Constituent Assembly and discuss the History.

Alfred Hage's homes in Copenhagen and in Stokkerup on the Øresund coast were frequented by writers, artists, politicians and actors. Hage's brother, Hother Hage, himself a politician, introduced him to other National Liberal leaders. Hage made his homes available to political salons and hosted confidential meetings between leading politicians of the time. His niece, Annette Marie Bolette Puggaard, was from 1844 married to Orla Lehmann who was one of the principal writers of the constitution in 1848–49. It was Lehmann who first presented Hage with the idea of commissioning the painting of the founding fathers at Christiansborg Palace. Hage commissioned the painting from Constantin Hansen in 1860. Hansen had previously painted several portraits of Hage and his family.Painting an event that took place 12 years back, Hansen had to rely on old photographs, drawings and even busts in his work with painting the many portraits. The monumental painting was completed in late 1864 or early 1865. The painting was after its completion installed in Hage's home in the Harsdorff House on Kongens Nytorv. It was from 31 May to 14 June possible for the public to see the painting in his home on the payment of an entrance fee the revenues of which went to weterans of the Second Schleswig War. A total of 2,898 people visited the exhibition over the two week period.On 11 November 1865, The newspaper Fædrelandet brought an article written by Philip Weilbach about the painting. The painting hang in Hage's home until his widow donated it to the Danish state.

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The Danish Constituent Assembly

Focus on this artwork and discuss the History.

Alfred Hage's homes in Copenhagen and in Stokkerup on the Øresund coast were frequented by writers, artists, politicians and actors. Hage's brother, Hother Hage, himself a politician, introduced him to other National Liberal leaders. Hage made his homes available to political salons and hosted confidential meetings between leading politicians of the time. His niece, Annette Marie Bolette Puggaard, was from 1844 married to Orla Lehmann who was one of the principal writers of the constitution in 1848–49. It was Lehmann who first presented Hage with the idea of commissioning the painting of the founding fathers at Christiansborg Palace. Hage commissioned the painting from Constantin Hansen in 1860. Hansen had previously painted several portraits of Hage and his family.Painting an event that took place 12 years back, Hansen had to rely on old photographs, drawings and even busts in his work with painting the many portraits. The monumental painting was completed in late 1864 or early 1865. The painting was after its completion installed in Hage's home in the Harsdorff House on Kongens Nytorv. It was from 31 May to 14 June possible for the public to see the painting in his home on the payment of an entrance fee the revenues of which went to weterans of the Second Schleswig War. A total of 2,898 people visited the exhibition over the two week period.On 11 November 1865, The newspaper Fædrelandet brought an article written by Philip Weilbach about the painting. The painting hang in Hage's home until his widow donated it to the Danish state.

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The Danish Constituent Assembly

How does The Danish Constituent Assembly elucidate its Description?

The painting depicts the Danish Constituent Assembly during its first meeting on 23 October 1848 at the old Christiansborg Palace which was destroyed by fire in 1884. Around 100 of the 154 members of the assembly can be identified in the picture. Lehmann, who is seen in the bottom right corner, gesticulating with his right hand, was not a member of the Assembly. N. F. S. Grundtvig, who also features prominently in the composition, was not elected until a byelection in November and was thus also not present at the meeting. His head is placed in the vanishing point of the picture. Henrik Nicolai Clausen and Joakim Frederik Schouw can be seen in the bottom left corner of the painting. Prime minister Adam Wilhelm Moltke, representing the "old system# stands in the centre but a little further back. He is faced by Carl Christian Hall who rests his hands on the back of a chair.

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The Danish Constituent Assembly

How does this artwork elucidate its Description?

The painting depicts the Danish Constituent Assembly during its first meeting on 23 October 1848 at the old Christiansborg Palace which was destroyed by fire in 1884. Around 100 of the 154 members of the assembly can be identified in the picture. Lehmann, who is seen in the bottom right corner, gesticulating with his right hand, was not a member of the Assembly. N. F. S. Grundtvig, who also features prominently in the composition, was not elected until a byelection in November and was thus also not present at the meeting. His head is placed in the vanishing point of the picture. Henrik Nicolai Clausen and Joakim Frederik Schouw can be seen in the bottom left corner of the painting. Prime minister Adam Wilhelm Moltke, representing the "old system# stands in the centre but a little further back. He is faced by Carl Christian Hall who rests his hands on the back of a chair.

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The Danish Constituent Assembly

Focus on The Danish Constituent Assembly and analyze the Exhibition.

In 2018, Frederiksborg Museum arranged an exhibition about the painting. It lasted until 29 August.

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The Danish Constituent Assembly

Focus on this artwork and analyze the Exhibition.

In 2018, Frederiksborg Museum arranged an exhibition about the painting. It lasted until 29 August.

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The Danish Constituent Assembly

In The Danish Constituent Assembly, how is the Other versions discussed?

Constantin Hansen painted a number of sketches and portrait studies before embarking on the final painting. Several of them are now located in Christiansborg Palace. His fourth sketch is in terms of composition almost identical to the final painting. It is now located in the Folketing.

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The Danish Constituent Assembly

In this artwork, how is the Other versions discussed?

Constantin Hansen painted a number of sketches and portrait studies before embarking on the final painting. Several of them are now located in Christiansborg Palace. His fourth sketch is in terms of composition almost identical to the final painting. It is now located in the Folketing.

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The Descent from the Cross (Rembrandt, 1634)

Focus on The Descent from the Cross (Rembrandt, 1634) and explain the abstract.

Descent from the Cross (1634), by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, is one of his many religious scenes. The piece is oil on canvas and now located in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. The piece is intriguing stylistically in its unique figural composition and variety of lighting effects. Aside from composition, the painting is notable in terms of its historical context, from the connection between its subject matter and Rembrandt's family situation to its endangered location during World War II.

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The Descent from the Cross (Rembrandt, 1634)

Focus on this artwork and explain the abstract.

Descent from the Cross (1634), by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, is one of his many religious scenes. The piece is oil on canvas and now located in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. The piece is intriguing stylistically in its unique figural composition and variety of lighting effects. Aside from composition, the painting is notable in terms of its historical context, from the connection between its subject matter and Rembrandt's family situation to its endangered location during World War II.

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The Descent from the Cross (Rembrandt, 1634)

Explore the Description of this artwork, The Descent from the Cross (Rembrandt, 1634).

The Descent from the Cross is a classic scene in religious themed art and, like many artists before and after him, Rembrandt portrayed this scene many times. In the Hermitage edition of the work, the figural arrangement is quite complex. While the scene is crowded, each person in the image has a specific facial expression, for the most part wracked with emotion. This emotion is shown in the weeping, open mourning of the women, and the more pensive, silently tense expressions of inner grief displayed by the men. Jesus' mother, Mary, is portrayed in the work as unconscious, having fainted from the overwhelming grief and sadness. She is portrayed as physically, and likely mentally, supported by the other bystanders. Jesus himself is portrayed in a realistic fashion, with his body slumped and twisted rather unsettlingly as he is carried down the cross displaying the lifeless quality of his form. Jesus' physical body shape is very rounded, almost Rubenesque, raising the question of whether Rembrandt was influenced by Rubens' notably voluptuous figures. Also evident on the body are the marks of the thorn crown and the stigmata on Jesus' hands and feet. Lighting of this image is very elaborate and strategized upon certain figures creating groupings of bystanders. The intensity of the light is highly varied. The lightest and brightest areas are on Jesus' body, promoting it as the focal point of the piece, and the darkest area in the unlit, nearly black, inky background. Various torches and candles provide the light shed on the figures, as the scene takes place at night. The different types of candles and torches provide different intensities of light. Although varying in degree, light specifically illuminates, and delineates, three main groups. These groups are Jesus and the people carrying him, women laying out what appears to be a burial cloth, and Mary and her supporters. This strategic lighting seems to create a sort of order to the work, shedding light on what has happened, what will happen next, and the effect it has on others. Rembrandt often used religious scenes and imagery in his paintings. Rembrandt's family was quite wealthy, his father was a miller, and his mother a baker's daughter. Although he later created many biblical works, Rembrandt was not raised in the church. His mother was a Roman Catholic, and father belonged to the Dutch Reformed Church. However, there is no evidence that Rembrandt belonged to a church. Throughout Rembrandt's youth and the early years of his career, the Netherlands was undergoing huge changes in religion in the form of the third wave of the Protestant Reformation. The third wave of the Reformation was followed closely by a large campaign by the Roman Catholic Jesuits to try and rekindle faith among Catholics. Dwindling numbers of Catholics and an influx of Protestant immigrants bringing about the end of the Roman Catholic era and the rise of Orthodox Calvinism that remains in the Netherlands to this day. Rembrandt's choice of this particular scene of biblical reference is part of both the Roman Catholic and the Protestant's belief systems. In more modern times, during World War II, the Hermitage Museum where Rembrandt's Descent from the Cross is housed faced the dilemma of what to do with the possibility of a siege of Leningrad. The museum's treasures, including Descent from the Cross, were evacuated from their displays. Paintings were taken out of their frames and packed into crates, with works that were too large or too fragile to be packed moved to the museum's vaults and cellars, which were reinforced against impending bombs. After the siege, the Hermitage was repaired and restocked with masterpieces, reopening in 1945.

0586_NT

The Descent from the Cross (Rembrandt, 1634)

Explore the Description of this artwork.

The Descent from the Cross is a classic scene in religious themed art and, like many artists before and after him, Rembrandt portrayed this scene many times. In the Hermitage edition of the work, the figural arrangement is quite complex. While the scene is crowded, each person in the image has a specific facial expression, for the most part wracked with emotion. This emotion is shown in the weeping, open mourning of the women, and the more pensive, silently tense expressions of inner grief displayed by the men. Jesus' mother, Mary, is portrayed in the work as unconscious, having fainted from the overwhelming grief and sadness. She is portrayed as physically, and likely mentally, supported by the other bystanders. Jesus himself is portrayed in a realistic fashion, with his body slumped and twisted rather unsettlingly as he is carried down the cross displaying the lifeless quality of his form. Jesus' physical body shape is very rounded, almost Rubenesque, raising the question of whether Rembrandt was influenced by Rubens' notably voluptuous figures. Also evident on the body are the marks of the thorn crown and the stigmata on Jesus' hands and feet. Lighting of this image is very elaborate and strategized upon certain figures creating groupings of bystanders. The intensity of the light is highly varied. The lightest and brightest areas are on Jesus' body, promoting it as the focal point of the piece, and the darkest area in the unlit, nearly black, inky background. Various torches and candles provide the light shed on the figures, as the scene takes place at night. The different types of candles and torches provide different intensities of light. Although varying in degree, light specifically illuminates, and delineates, three main groups. These groups are Jesus and the people carrying him, women laying out what appears to be a burial cloth, and Mary and her supporters. This strategic lighting seems to create a sort of order to the work, shedding light on what has happened, what will happen next, and the effect it has on others. Rembrandt often used religious scenes and imagery in his paintings. Rembrandt's family was quite wealthy, his father was a miller, and his mother a baker's daughter. Although he later created many biblical works, Rembrandt was not raised in the church. His mother was a Roman Catholic, and father belonged to the Dutch Reformed Church. However, there is no evidence that Rembrandt belonged to a church. Throughout Rembrandt's youth and the early years of his career, the Netherlands was undergoing huge changes in religion in the form of the third wave of the Protestant Reformation. The third wave of the Reformation was followed closely by a large campaign by the Roman Catholic Jesuits to try and rekindle faith among Catholics. Dwindling numbers of Catholics and an influx of Protestant immigrants bringing about the end of the Roman Catholic era and the rise of Orthodox Calvinism that remains in the Netherlands to this day. Rembrandt's choice of this particular scene of biblical reference is part of both the Roman Catholic and the Protestant's belief systems. In more modern times, during World War II, the Hermitage Museum where Rembrandt's Descent from the Cross is housed faced the dilemma of what to do with the possibility of a siege of Leningrad. The museum's treasures, including Descent from the Cross, were evacuated from their displays. Paintings were taken out of their frames and packed into crates, with works that were too large or too fragile to be packed moved to the museum's vaults and cellars, which were reinforced against impending bombs. After the siege, the Hermitage was repaired and restocked with masterpieces, reopening in 1945.

0587_T

The Hat Makes the Man

Focus on The Hat Makes the Man and discuss the abstract.

The Hat Makes the Man (1920) is a collage by the German dadaist/surrealist Max Ernst. It is composed of cut out images of hats from catalogues linked by gouache and pencil outlines to create abstract anthropomorphic figures. There are inscriptions in ink that read "seed-covered stacked-up man seedless waterformer ('edelformer') well fitting nervous system also tightly fitting nerves! (the hat makes the man) (style is the tailor)." The idea for this work began as a sculpture made from wooden hat molds. Ernst was an important figure in the Dada movement, which often criticized the tastes of mainstream culture and depicted modern man as a conformist automaton.

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The Hat Makes the Man

Focus on this artwork and discuss the abstract.

The Hat Makes the Man (1920) is a collage by the German dadaist/surrealist Max Ernst. It is composed of cut out images of hats from catalogues linked by gouache and pencil outlines to create abstract anthropomorphic figures. There are inscriptions in ink that read "seed-covered stacked-up man seedless waterformer ('edelformer') well fitting nervous system also tightly fitting nerves! (the hat makes the man) (style is the tailor)." The idea for this work began as a sculpture made from wooden hat molds. Ernst was an important figure in the Dada movement, which often criticized the tastes of mainstream culture and depicted modern man as a conformist automaton.

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Eco-Earth Globe

How does Eco-Earth Globe elucidate its abstract?

Eco-Earth Globe, sometimes referred to simply as Eco Earth, is an outdoor sculpture depicting a globe, located in Riverfront Park in Salem, Oregon, in the United States. Completed in 2003, the globe was converted from an acid storage ball with a 26-foot (7.9 m) diameter that previously belonged to Boise Cascade, a pulp and paper company. Conceived by Mayor Roger Gertenrich, the community art project was funded by community members. According to Oregon Public Broadcasting, the sculpture "was an opportunity for students, and talented volunteers from Salem's art community to collaborate and create hundreds of ceramic icons that represent and teach about different cultures". Mary P. D. Heintzman, a local art teacher and artist, served as the project's art director.

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Eco-Earth Globe

How does this artwork elucidate its abstract?

Eco-Earth Globe, sometimes referred to simply as Eco Earth, is an outdoor sculpture depicting a globe, located in Riverfront Park in Salem, Oregon, in the United States. Completed in 2003, the globe was converted from an acid storage ball with a 26-foot (7.9 m) diameter that previously belonged to Boise Cascade, a pulp and paper company. Conceived by Mayor Roger Gertenrich, the community art project was funded by community members. According to Oregon Public Broadcasting, the sculpture "was an opportunity for students, and talented volunteers from Salem's art community to collaborate and create hundreds of ceramic icons that represent and teach about different cultures". Mary P. D. Heintzman, a local art teacher and artist, served as the project's art director.

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Metamorphosis III

Focus on Metamorphosis III and analyze the abstract.

Metamorphosis III is a woodcut print by the Dutch artist M. C. Escher created during 1967 and 1968. Measuring 19 cm × 680 cm (7+1⁄2 in × 22 ft 3+1⁄2 in), this is Escher's largest print. It was printed on thirty-three blocks on six combined sheets. It begins identically to Metamorphosis II, with the word metamorphose (the Dutch form of the word metamorphosis) forming a grid pattern and then becoming a black-and-white checkered pattern. Then the first set of new imagery begins. The angles of the checkered pattern change to elongated diamond shapes. These then become an image of flowers with bees. This image then returns to the diamond pattern and back into the checkered pattern. It then resumes with the Metamorphosis II imagery until the bird pattern. The birds then become sailing boats. From the sailing boats the image changes to a second fish pattern. Then from the fish to horses. The horses then become a second bird pattern. The second bird pattern then becomes black-and-white triangles, which then become envelopes with wings. These winged envelopes then return to the black-and-white triangles and then to the original bird pattern. It then resumes with the Metamorphosis II print until its conclusion.

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Metamorphosis III

Focus on this artwork and analyze the abstract.

Metamorphosis III is a woodcut print by the Dutch artist M. C. Escher created during 1967 and 1968. Measuring 19 cm × 680 cm (7+1⁄2 in × 22 ft 3+1⁄2 in), this is Escher's largest print. It was printed on thirty-three blocks on six combined sheets. It begins identically to Metamorphosis II, with the word metamorphose (the Dutch form of the word metamorphosis) forming a grid pattern and then becoming a black-and-white checkered pattern. Then the first set of new imagery begins. The angles of the checkered pattern change to elongated diamond shapes. These then become an image of flowers with bees. This image then returns to the diamond pattern and back into the checkered pattern. It then resumes with the Metamorphosis II imagery until the bird pattern. The birds then become sailing boats. From the sailing boats the image changes to a second fish pattern. Then from the fish to horses. The horses then become a second bird pattern. The second bird pattern then becomes black-and-white triangles, which then become envelopes with wings. These winged envelopes then return to the black-and-white triangles and then to the original bird pattern. It then resumes with the Metamorphosis II print until its conclusion.

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The Choice of Hercules (Carracci)

In The Choice of Hercules (Carracci), how is the abstract discussed?

The Choice of Hercules is a painting by the Italian Baroque painter Annibale Carracci. Dating from 1596, it is housed in the Capodimonte Gallery of Naples. The subject is the Choice of Hercules. Carracci, who was in Rome from the late 1595 or early 1596, was commissioned this work by Cardinal Odoardo Farnese for the ceiling of his camerino in his family's palace. In 1662 it was moved to the Farnese ducal seat in Parma. The work is considered one of Carracci's masterworks for its balanced rendering of a poetical ideal, graphically influenced by the artist's contact with Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel frescoes and Rome's classical remains, such as the Farnese Hercules or the Laocoön group. A vigorous and plastic Hercules is depicted with two women flanking him, who represent the opposite destinies which life could reserve him: to his right Virtue is calling him to the hardest path leading to glory through hardship, while on your left, a woman with worldly pleasures, the easier path, is enticing him to vice. Behind Hercules is a palm, which, through the leaves and the branches (a symbol of military victory and fame), hints to Hercules' future heroic life. At the top of the hardest path is Hercules reward, Pegasus.

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The Choice of Hercules (Carracci)

In this artwork, how is the abstract discussed?

The Choice of Hercules is a painting by the Italian Baroque painter Annibale Carracci. Dating from 1596, it is housed in the Capodimonte Gallery of Naples. The subject is the Choice of Hercules. Carracci, who was in Rome from the late 1595 or early 1596, was commissioned this work by Cardinal Odoardo Farnese for the ceiling of his camerino in his family's palace. In 1662 it was moved to the Farnese ducal seat in Parma. The work is considered one of Carracci's masterworks for its balanced rendering of a poetical ideal, graphically influenced by the artist's contact with Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel frescoes and Rome's classical remains, such as the Farnese Hercules or the Laocoön group. A vigorous and plastic Hercules is depicted with two women flanking him, who represent the opposite destinies which life could reserve him: to his right Virtue is calling him to the hardest path leading to glory through hardship, while on your left, a woman with worldly pleasures, the easier path, is enticing him to vice. Behind Hercules is a palm, which, through the leaves and the branches (a symbol of military victory and fame), hints to Hercules' future heroic life. At the top of the hardest path is Hercules reward, Pegasus.

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Lady at the Tea Table

In the context of Lady at the Tea Table, explain the History of the Description.

The painting depicts Mary Dickinson Riddle, Cassatt's mother's first cousin, seated at a table set with a tea service. The tea set was a gift to Cassatt's family from Riddle's daughter. The tea service is gilded blue-and-white porcelain from Canton (modern day Guangzhou) in Qing dynasty China; in the 19th century, Canton was renowned for its exports to the Western world, as the port city was one of the centers of the Old China Trade. Lady itself was painted by Cassatt as a gift for the Riddle family. However, Riddle's daughter disliked the painting, thinking it portrayed her mother's nose as being too big, and thus the painting was donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art by Cassatt in 1923.

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Lady at the Tea Table

In the context of this artwork, explain the History of the Description.

The painting depicts Mary Dickinson Riddle, Cassatt's mother's first cousin, seated at a table set with a tea service. The tea set was a gift to Cassatt's family from Riddle's daughter. The tea service is gilded blue-and-white porcelain from Canton (modern day Guangzhou) in Qing dynasty China; in the 19th century, Canton was renowned for its exports to the Western world, as the port city was one of the centers of the Old China Trade. Lady itself was painted by Cassatt as a gift for the Riddle family. However, Riddle's daughter disliked the painting, thinking it portrayed her mother's nose as being too big, and thus the painting was donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art by Cassatt in 1923.

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Lady at the Tea Table

Explore the Painting about the Description of this artwork, Lady at the Tea Table.

The painting exemplifies much of Cassatt's unique impressionist style; much emphasis is placed on the subject's stark outline, and Mrs. Riddle's jewelry pairs with the gold gilt on the tea service. Similarly, the faint blue hues used in the background draw the eye to the deeper blues of Riddle's eyes and the porcelain. The relative simplicity of the painting's design is also comparable to orientalist art, which Cassatt was influenced by.

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Lady at the Tea Table

Explore the Painting about the Description of this artwork.

The painting exemplifies much of Cassatt's unique impressionist style; much emphasis is placed on the subject's stark outline, and Mrs. Riddle's jewelry pairs with the gold gilt on the tea service. Similarly, the faint blue hues used in the background draw the eye to the deeper blues of Riddle's eyes and the porcelain. The relative simplicity of the painting's design is also comparable to orientalist art, which Cassatt was influenced by.

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Spirit of the Dead Watching

Focus on Spirit of the Dead Watching and discuss the abstract.

Spirit of the Dead Watching (Manao tupapau) is an 1892 oil on burlap canvas painting by Paul Gauguin, depicting a nude Tahitian girl lying on her stomach. An old woman is seated behind her. Gauguin said the title may refer to either the girl imagining the ghost, or the ghost imagining her.

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Spirit of the Dead Watching

Focus on this artwork and discuss the abstract.

Spirit of the Dead Watching (Manao tupapau) is an 1892 oil on burlap canvas painting by Paul Gauguin, depicting a nude Tahitian girl lying on her stomach. An old woman is seated behind her. Gauguin said the title may refer to either the girl imagining the ghost, or the ghost imagining her.

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Spirit of the Dead Watching

How does Spirit of the Dead Watching elucidate its Subject?

The subject of the painting is Gauguin's 13-year-old native "wife" Teha'amana (called Tehura in his letters), who one night, according to Gauguin, was lying in fear when he arrived home late: "immobile, naked, lying face downward flat on the bed with the eyes inordinately large with fear [...] Might she not with my frightened face take me for one of the demons and specters, one of the Tupapaus, with which the legends of her race people sleepless nights?." Gauguin was suffering from advanced venereal disease when he came to Tahiti, and he passed it onto Teha'amana, who was his first sexual partner on the island. Art historian Nancy Mowll Mathews says the painting is a direct descendant of a previous series of "frightened Eves" that Gauguin painted from 1889. His 1889 Breton Eve, shown at the Volpini exhibition of 1889, represented Eve as in fear of the snake, reinterpreting the traditional Christian theme of innocence before the fall. In his letter of 8 December 1892 to his wife Mette (famously neglecting to mention that the girl in question was his lover), he says "I painted a nude of a young girl. In this position she is on the verge of being indecent. But I want it that way: the lines and movement are interesting to me. And so, I give her, in depicting the head, a bit of a fright." He then needed to find a pretext for the girl's emotions. At first (in his letter to Mette) Gauguin made the old woman the subject of her fright, but later in his account in Noa Noa made himself the subject of her fear. Mathews says it is too simple to attribute Tehura's terror to her belief in spirits and irrational fear of the dark; she says, following Sweetman, that Gauguin's sexual predilections should not be ignored when trying to understand the work. Rather, she suggests the girl's fear was a response to Gauguin's aggressive behavior, consistent with his known physical abuse of his wife Mette, the submissive fear in her eyes his erotic reward.Stephen F. Eisenman, professor of Art History at Northwestern University, suggests the painting and its narrative is "a veritable encyclopaedia of colonial racism and misogyny". Eisenman's book Gauguin's Skirt challenges conventional notions of the political and gender content of Gauguin's paintings. In Spirit he sees parallels not only with Manet's Olympia (see below), but also with the Louvre Hermaphrodite in the boyishness of the features and the a tergo posture. The androgynous depiction is in keeping with Polynesian cosmology and its stress on the dual nature of things.Other historians such as Naomi E. Maurer have viewed the narrative as a device to make the indecency of the subject more acceptable to a European audience. The painting appears (as a mirror image) in the background of another Gauguin painting, his Self-portrait with Hat, indicating the importance he attached to it.

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Spirit of the Dead Watching

How does this artwork elucidate its Subject?

The subject of the painting is Gauguin's 13-year-old native "wife" Teha'amana (called Tehura in his letters), who one night, according to Gauguin, was lying in fear when he arrived home late: "immobile, naked, lying face downward flat on the bed with the eyes inordinately large with fear [...] Might she not with my frightened face take me for one of the demons and specters, one of the Tupapaus, with which the legends of her race people sleepless nights?." Gauguin was suffering from advanced venereal disease when he came to Tahiti, and he passed it onto Teha'amana, who was his first sexual partner on the island. Art historian Nancy Mowll Mathews says the painting is a direct descendant of a previous series of "frightened Eves" that Gauguin painted from 1889. His 1889 Breton Eve, shown at the Volpini exhibition of 1889, represented Eve as in fear of the snake, reinterpreting the traditional Christian theme of innocence before the fall. In his letter of 8 December 1892 to his wife Mette (famously neglecting to mention that the girl in question was his lover), he says "I painted a nude of a young girl. In this position she is on the verge of being indecent. But I want it that way: the lines and movement are interesting to me. And so, I give her, in depicting the head, a bit of a fright." He then needed to find a pretext for the girl's emotions. At first (in his letter to Mette) Gauguin made the old woman the subject of her fright, but later in his account in Noa Noa made himself the subject of her fear. Mathews says it is too simple to attribute Tehura's terror to her belief in spirits and irrational fear of the dark; she says, following Sweetman, that Gauguin's sexual predilections should not be ignored when trying to understand the work. Rather, she suggests the girl's fear was a response to Gauguin's aggressive behavior, consistent with his known physical abuse of his wife Mette, the submissive fear in her eyes his erotic reward.Stephen F. Eisenman, professor of Art History at Northwestern University, suggests the painting and its narrative is "a veritable encyclopaedia of colonial racism and misogyny". Eisenman's book Gauguin's Skirt challenges conventional notions of the political and gender content of Gauguin's paintings. In Spirit he sees parallels not only with Manet's Olympia (see below), but also with the Louvre Hermaphrodite in the boyishness of the features and the a tergo posture. The androgynous depiction is in keeping with Polynesian cosmology and its stress on the dual nature of things.Other historians such as Naomi E. Maurer have viewed the narrative as a device to make the indecency of the subject more acceptable to a European audience. The painting appears (as a mirror image) in the background of another Gauguin painting, his Self-portrait with Hat, indicating the importance he attached to it.

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Spirit of the Dead Watching

Focus on Spirit of the Dead Watching and analyze the Relation to Édouard Manet's Olympia.

Gauguin was an admirer of Édouard Manet's 1863 Olympia. He had seen it exhibited at the 1889 Exposition Universelle and commented in a review, "La Belle Olympia, who once caused such a scandal, is esconced there like the pretty woman she is, and draws not a few appreciative glances". After the French state purchased Olympia from Manet's widow, with funds from a public subscription organised by Claude Monet, Gauguin took the opportunity to make a three-quarter size copy when it was exhibited in the Musée du Luxembourg. The copy is not an especially faithful one and it is thought he completed it from a photograph. Edgar Degas later purchased it for 230 francs at Gauguin's 1895 auction of his paintings to raise funds for his return to Tahiti. It is known that Gauguin took a photograph of Manet's Olympia with him on his first visit to Tahiti. Claire Frèches-Thory remarks that Olympia, the modern equivalent of Titian's Venus of Urbino, is a constant presence in Gauguin's great nudes of the South Pacific: Spirit of the Dead Watching, Te arii vahine, and Nevermore.When Gauguin exhibited Spirit of the Dead Watching at his largely unsuccessful 1893 Durand-Ruel exhibition (in particular he failed to sell Spirit at the elevated 3,000 francs he had set for it), several critics noted the compositional similarities with Olympia. Thadée Natanson, a founder of La Revue Blanche, called it the "Olympia of Tahiti", while Alfred Jarry, more pointedly, dubbed it "the brown Olympia".

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Spirit of the Dead Watching

Focus on this artwork and analyze the Relation to Édouard Manet's Olympia.

Gauguin was an admirer of Édouard Manet's 1863 Olympia. He had seen it exhibited at the 1889 Exposition Universelle and commented in a review, "La Belle Olympia, who once caused such a scandal, is esconced there like the pretty woman she is, and draws not a few appreciative glances". After the French state purchased Olympia from Manet's widow, with funds from a public subscription organised by Claude Monet, Gauguin took the opportunity to make a three-quarter size copy when it was exhibited in the Musée du Luxembourg. The copy is not an especially faithful one and it is thought he completed it from a photograph. Edgar Degas later purchased it for 230 francs at Gauguin's 1895 auction of his paintings to raise funds for his return to Tahiti. It is known that Gauguin took a photograph of Manet's Olympia with him on his first visit to Tahiti. Claire Frèches-Thory remarks that Olympia, the modern equivalent of Titian's Venus of Urbino, is a constant presence in Gauguin's great nudes of the South Pacific: Spirit of the Dead Watching, Te arii vahine, and Nevermore.When Gauguin exhibited Spirit of the Dead Watching at his largely unsuccessful 1893 Durand-Ruel exhibition (in particular he failed to sell Spirit at the elevated 3,000 francs he had set for it), several critics noted the compositional similarities with Olympia. Thadée Natanson, a founder of La Revue Blanche, called it the "Olympia of Tahiti", while Alfred Jarry, more pointedly, dubbed it "the brown Olympia".

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Spirit of the Dead Watching

Describe the characteristics of the Griselda Pollock's Avant-Garde Gambits in Spirit of the Dead Watching's Relation to Édouard Manet's Olympia.

In the 1992 Walter Neurath Memorial Lecture, published as Avant-Garde Gambits 1888-1893: Gender and the Colour of Art History, the feminist art historian Griselda Pollock examines the problems faced by a white art historian in writing an art history that recognises the historical subjectivity of a woman of colour such as Teha'amana, known otherwise to art history only by her representations within the discourses of masculinity and colonial imperialism. She attempts this by concentrating on a detailed reading of a single painting, the Spirit of the Dead Watching, advancing a new theory of avant-gardism as a kind of game-play involving first reference, then deference, and finally difference. In this case the object of reference is Manet's Olympia, the deference was to Manet as leader of the avant-garde treatment of the nude, and the difference (amongst other matters) was the colour of the subject and the role of the second figure in the painting, the whole a gambit by which Gauguin hoped to usurp Manet's place in the avant-garde.Pollock notes a structural correspondence between the two paintings. In Spirit of the Dead Watching, a viewer for the scene is invoked by Teha'amana's gaze on the bed, a viewer for whom Gauguin has to invent a narrative, while in Olympia the implied narrative is that of prostitution, as critics of the time such as Emile Zola clearly recognised. In Gauguin's final version of his narrative, as published in Noa Noa, he makes the second subject of his painting, the spectre, a surrogate spectator within the painting, and then (with Teha'aman's gaze) relocates and displaces Teha'amana's fear and paranoia on him, the intruder. Thus, by formal reference to Manet's Olympia, Gaughin has reintroduced himself, taking his place in the avant-garde as artist, as owner, and as colonist.

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Spirit of the Dead Watching

Describe the characteristics of the Griselda Pollock's Avant-Garde Gambits in this artwork's Relation to Édouard Manet's Olympia.

In the 1992 Walter Neurath Memorial Lecture, published as Avant-Garde Gambits 1888-1893: Gender and the Colour of Art History, the feminist art historian Griselda Pollock examines the problems faced by a white art historian in writing an art history that recognises the historical subjectivity of a woman of colour such as Teha'amana, known otherwise to art history only by her representations within the discourses of masculinity and colonial imperialism. She attempts this by concentrating on a detailed reading of a single painting, the Spirit of the Dead Watching, advancing a new theory of avant-gardism as a kind of game-play involving first reference, then deference, and finally difference. In this case the object of reference is Manet's Olympia, the deference was to Manet as leader of the avant-garde treatment of the nude, and the difference (amongst other matters) was the colour of the subject and the role of the second figure in the painting, the whole a gambit by which Gauguin hoped to usurp Manet's place in the avant-garde.Pollock notes a structural correspondence between the two paintings. In Spirit of the Dead Watching, a viewer for the scene is invoked by Teha'amana's gaze on the bed, a viewer for whom Gauguin has to invent a narrative, while in Olympia the implied narrative is that of prostitution, as critics of the time such as Emile Zola clearly recognised. In Gauguin's final version of his narrative, as published in Noa Noa, he makes the second subject of his painting, the spectre, a surrogate spectator within the painting, and then (with Teha'aman's gaze) relocates and displaces Teha'amana's fear and paranoia on him, the intruder. Thus, by formal reference to Manet's Olympia, Gaughin has reintroduced himself, taking his place in the avant-garde as artist, as owner, and as colonist.

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Spirit of the Dead Watching

Focus on Spirit of the Dead Watching and explore the Commentary by Gauguin.

There are five sources for Gauguin's description of the painting: a letter to his patron Daniel Monfreid dated 8 December 1892, another letter to his wife Mette the same day, his 1893 manuscript Cahier pour Aline ("Notebook for Aline"), the first unpublished 1893-4 draft of Noa Noa and then finally the published 1901 version prepared together with his collaborator Charles Morice. Richard Field has provided a critical analysis of these sources. Letter to Daniel Monfreid In an 8 December 1892 letter to Daniel Monfreid, Gauguin gives the titles of eight paintings he is sending out for exhibition in Copenhagen. He translates the title Manao tupapau as "Think of the Ghost, or, The Spirits of the Dead are Watching" and goes on to say that he wants to reserve it for a later sale, but will sell for 2,000 francs. He describes the painting as follows (without explaining the subject is a nude):This picture is for me (excellent). Here is the genesis (for you only). General Harmony. Dark dull violet, dark blue and chrome. 1. The draperies are chrome 2. because this colour suggests night, without explaining it however, and furthermore serves as a happy medium between the yellow orange and the green, completing the harmony. These flowers are also like phosphorescences in the night (in her thoughts). The Kanakas believe that the phosphorous lights seen at night are the souls of the dead.In short, it is a fine bit of painting, although it is not according to nature. Paintings from Gauguin's first Tahitian period selected for his Copenhagen exhibition Letter to Mette Gauguin In an 8 December 1892 letter to his wife, Gauguin gives translations of the Tahitian titles of the paintings he intends to send. He stresses this is for Mette's eyes only, so that she can provide them for those who ask for them. He fixes a price of at least 1,500 francs for the painting, and goes on to describe it as follows:I painted a nude of a young girl. In this position she is on the verge of being indecent. But I want it that way: the lines and movement are interesting to me. And so, I give her, in depicting the head, a bit of a fright. It is necessary to justify this fright if not to explain it because it is in the character of a Maori person. Traditionally these people have a great fear of the spirits of the dead. One of our own young girls [in Europe] would be frightened to be caught in this position. (The women here would not.) I have to explain this fright with the least possible literary means as was done formerly. So I did this. General harmony, somber, sad, frightening, telling in the eye like a funeral knell. Violet, somber blue, and orange-yellow. I make the linen greenish-yellow: 1 because the linen of this savage is a different linen than ours (beaten tree bark); 2 because it creates, suggests artificial light (the Kanaka woman never sleeps in darkness) and yet I don't want the effect of a lamp (it is common); 3 this yellow linking the orange-yellow and the blue completes the musical harmony. There are several flowers in the background, but they should not be real, being imaginative, I make them resemble sparks. For the Kanaka, the phosphorescences of the night are from the spirit of the dead, they believe they are there and fear them. Finally, to end, I make the ghost quite simply, a little old woman; because the young girl, unacquainted with the spirits of the French stage, could not visualise death except in the form of a person like herself. There you have the script that will prepare you for the critics when they bombard you with their malicious questions. To conclude, the painting had to be made very simple, the motif being savage, childlike According to Gauguin, the phosphorescences that could be seen in Tahiti at night, and which natives believed to be the exhalations of the spirits of the dead, were emitted by mushrooms that grew on trees. The description of the spirit of the dead that the artist would have been familiar with came from the work of Pierre Loti, who described the spirit as a "blue-faced monster with sharp fangs"; the decision to paint an old woman instead of a bizarre demon may have been prompted by the desire to use a symbol that would be more familiar to a European audience.Cahier pour Aline Gauguin began this notebook in 1893 for his eldest daughter Aline, then sixteen years old, during his first visit to Tahiti. Unfortunately she died in 1897 from pneumonia before she could receive it. The notebook includes a description of the painting, under the title Genèse d'un tableau ("Genesis of a picture"), accompanied by a watercolor sketch. It is here that Gauguin remarked the title Manao tupapau can be understood in two ways:In this rather daring position, quite naked on a bed, what might a young Kanaka girl be doing? Preparing for love? This is indeed in her character, but it is indecent and I do not want that. Sleeping, after the act of love? But that is still indecent. The only possible thing is fear. What kind of fear? Certainly not the fear of Susannah surprised by the Elders. That does not happen in Oceania. The tupapau is just the thing... According to Tahitian beliefs, the title Manao tupapau has a double meaning... either she thinks of the ghost or the ghost thinks of her. To recapitulate: Musical part - undulating horizontal lines - harmonies in orange and blue linked by yellows and violets, from which they derive. The light and the greenish sparks. Literary part - the spirit of a living girl linked with the spirit of Death. Night and Day. This genèse is written for those who always have to know the whys and wherefores. Otherwise the picture is simply a study of a Polynesian nude.Noa NoaNoa Noa was originally conceived as a travelogue to accompany Gauguin's 1893 Durand-Ruel exhibition. Gauguin wrote the first rough draft (now in the Getty Center) in 1893 but could not complete it in time. He subsequently entered into a collaboration with the Symbolist poet Charles Morice to produce a more elaborate and imaginative work. The manuscript for this, prepared between 1893 and 1897, is now in the Louvre. Extracts, including those dealing with the painting, were published in 1897 in the La Revue Blanche, while the whole work was finally published at Morice's expense, Gauguin having essentially lost interest, in 1901 in the La Plume edition. In the draft account, Gauguin describes coming home late to find Teha'amana lying on her bed in the dark. This was to be followed by a description of the painting he never inserted. Finally he records Teha'amana chiding Gauguin for leaving her in the dark:One day I had to go to Papeete. I had promised to come back that same evening. On the way back the carriage broke down half way: I had to do the rest on foot. It was one in the morning when I got home. Having at that moment very little oil in the house - my stock was to be replenished - the lamp had gone out, and the room was in darkness when I went in. I felt afraid and, more still, mistrustful. Surely the bird has flown. I struck matches and saw on the bed (Description of the picture Tupapau) The poor child came to herself again and I did all I could to restore her confidence. 'Never leave me alone again like this without light! What have you been doing in town? - you've been to see women, the kind who go to the market to drink and dance, then give themselves to the officers, to the sailors, to everybody?' Gauguin's account is considerably extended in the final published version. Critics agree that Morice was responsible for the expansion, albeit with the full support of Gauguin. The description of the painting, previously omitted, now commences:Tehura lay motionless, naked, belly down on the bed: she stared up at me, her eyes wide with fear, and she seemed not to know who I was. For a moment I too felt a strange uncertainty. Tehura's dread was contagious: it seemed to me that a phosphorescent light poured from her staring eyes. I had never seen her so lovely; above all I had never seen her beauty so moving. And in the half-shadow, which no doubt seethed with dangerous apparitions and ambiguous shapes, I feared to make the slightest move in case the child should be terrified out of her mind. Did I know what she thought I was, in that instant? Perhaps she took me, with my anguished face, for one of those legendary demons or specters, the Tupapaus that filled the sleepless nights of her people. This final version continues, as in the draft, with the quarrel over using prostitutes in town, and then concludes with a new remark:I would not quarrel with her, and the night was soft, soft and ardent, a night of the tropics. ...where Morice invokes what Pollock characterizes as an imaginary Utopia whose material foundation nevertheless lay in concrete social spaces, redefined by colonialism.Wadley comments, as essentially does Frèches-Thory, that the painting is an example of the fusion of reality and fiction in Gauguin's mature work. The two accounts of Tehura's reaction, that she was haunted by the tupapau, and that she was angrily suspicious Gauguin had been using prostitutes, likewise pose a similar confrontation between fiction and probable fact.

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Spirit of the Dead Watching

Focus on this artwork and explore the Commentary by Gauguin.

There are five sources for Gauguin's description of the painting: a letter to his patron Daniel Monfreid dated 8 December 1892, another letter to his wife Mette the same day, his 1893 manuscript Cahier pour Aline ("Notebook for Aline"), the first unpublished 1893-4 draft of Noa Noa and then finally the published 1901 version prepared together with his collaborator Charles Morice. Richard Field has provided a critical analysis of these sources. Letter to Daniel Monfreid In an 8 December 1892 letter to Daniel Monfreid, Gauguin gives the titles of eight paintings he is sending out for exhibition in Copenhagen. He translates the title Manao tupapau as "Think of the Ghost, or, The Spirits of the Dead are Watching" and goes on to say that he wants to reserve it for a later sale, but will sell for 2,000 francs. He describes the painting as follows (without explaining the subject is a nude):This picture is for me (excellent). Here is the genesis (for you only). General Harmony. Dark dull violet, dark blue and chrome. 1. The draperies are chrome 2. because this colour suggests night, without explaining it however, and furthermore serves as a happy medium between the yellow orange and the green, completing the harmony. These flowers are also like phosphorescences in the night (in her thoughts). The Kanakas believe that the phosphorous lights seen at night are the souls of the dead.In short, it is a fine bit of painting, although it is not according to nature. Paintings from Gauguin's first Tahitian period selected for his Copenhagen exhibition Letter to Mette Gauguin In an 8 December 1892 letter to his wife, Gauguin gives translations of the Tahitian titles of the paintings he intends to send. He stresses this is for Mette's eyes only, so that she can provide them for those who ask for them. He fixes a price of at least 1,500 francs for the painting, and goes on to describe it as follows:I painted a nude of a young girl. In this position she is on the verge of being indecent. But I want it that way: the lines and movement are interesting to me. And so, I give her, in depicting the head, a bit of a fright. It is necessary to justify this fright if not to explain it because it is in the character of a Maori person. Traditionally these people have a great fear of the spirits of the dead. One of our own young girls [in Europe] would be frightened to be caught in this position. (The women here would not.) I have to explain this fright with the least possible literary means as was done formerly. So I did this. General harmony, somber, sad, frightening, telling in the eye like a funeral knell. Violet, somber blue, and orange-yellow. I make the linen greenish-yellow: 1 because the linen of this savage is a different linen than ours (beaten tree bark); 2 because it creates, suggests artificial light (the Kanaka woman never sleeps in darkness) and yet I don't want the effect of a lamp (it is common); 3 this yellow linking the orange-yellow and the blue completes the musical harmony. There are several flowers in the background, but they should not be real, being imaginative, I make them resemble sparks. For the Kanaka, the phosphorescences of the night are from the spirit of the dead, they believe they are there and fear them. Finally, to end, I make the ghost quite simply, a little old woman; because the young girl, unacquainted with the spirits of the French stage, could not visualise death except in the form of a person like herself. There you have the script that will prepare you for the critics when they bombard you with their malicious questions. To conclude, the painting had to be made very simple, the motif being savage, childlike According to Gauguin, the phosphorescences that could be seen in Tahiti at night, and which natives believed to be the exhalations of the spirits of the dead, were emitted by mushrooms that grew on trees. The description of the spirit of the dead that the artist would have been familiar with came from the work of Pierre Loti, who described the spirit as a "blue-faced monster with sharp fangs"; the decision to paint an old woman instead of a bizarre demon may have been prompted by the desire to use a symbol that would be more familiar to a European audience.Cahier pour Aline Gauguin began this notebook in 1893 for his eldest daughter Aline, then sixteen years old, during his first visit to Tahiti. Unfortunately she died in 1897 from pneumonia before she could receive it. The notebook includes a description of the painting, under the title Genèse d'un tableau ("Genesis of a picture"), accompanied by a watercolor sketch. It is here that Gauguin remarked the title Manao tupapau can be understood in two ways:In this rather daring position, quite naked on a bed, what might a young Kanaka girl be doing? Preparing for love? This is indeed in her character, but it is indecent and I do not want that. Sleeping, after the act of love? But that is still indecent. The only possible thing is fear. What kind of fear? Certainly not the fear of Susannah surprised by the Elders. That does not happen in Oceania. The tupapau is just the thing... According to Tahitian beliefs, the title Manao tupapau has a double meaning... either she thinks of the ghost or the ghost thinks of her. To recapitulate: Musical part - undulating horizontal lines - harmonies in orange and blue linked by yellows and violets, from which they derive. The light and the greenish sparks. Literary part - the spirit of a living girl linked with the spirit of Death. Night and Day. This genèse is written for those who always have to know the whys and wherefores. Otherwise the picture is simply a study of a Polynesian nude.Noa NoaNoa Noa was originally conceived as a travelogue to accompany Gauguin's 1893 Durand-Ruel exhibition. Gauguin wrote the first rough draft (now in the Getty Center) in 1893 but could not complete it in time. He subsequently entered into a collaboration with the Symbolist poet Charles Morice to produce a more elaborate and imaginative work. The manuscript for this, prepared between 1893 and 1897, is now in the Louvre. Extracts, including those dealing with the painting, were published in 1897 in the La Revue Blanche, while the whole work was finally published at Morice's expense, Gauguin having essentially lost interest, in 1901 in the La Plume edition. In the draft account, Gauguin describes coming home late to find Teha'amana lying on her bed in the dark. This was to be followed by a description of the painting he never inserted. Finally he records Teha'amana chiding Gauguin for leaving her in the dark:One day I had to go to Papeete. I had promised to come back that same evening. On the way back the carriage broke down half way: I had to do the rest on foot. It was one in the morning when I got home. Having at that moment very little oil in the house - my stock was to be replenished - the lamp had gone out, and the room was in darkness when I went in. I felt afraid and, more still, mistrustful. Surely the bird has flown. I struck matches and saw on the bed (Description of the picture Tupapau) The poor child came to herself again and I did all I could to restore her confidence. 'Never leave me alone again like this without light! What have you been doing in town? - you've been to see women, the kind who go to the market to drink and dance, then give themselves to the officers, to the sailors, to everybody?' Gauguin's account is considerably extended in the final published version. Critics agree that Morice was responsible for the expansion, albeit with the full support of Gauguin. The description of the painting, previously omitted, now commences:Tehura lay motionless, naked, belly down on the bed: she stared up at me, her eyes wide with fear, and she seemed not to know who I was. For a moment I too felt a strange uncertainty. Tehura's dread was contagious: it seemed to me that a phosphorescent light poured from her staring eyes. I had never seen her so lovely; above all I had never seen her beauty so moving. And in the half-shadow, which no doubt seethed with dangerous apparitions and ambiguous shapes, I feared to make the slightest move in case the child should be terrified out of her mind. Did I know what she thought I was, in that instant? Perhaps she took me, with my anguished face, for one of those legendary demons or specters, the Tupapaus that filled the sleepless nights of her people. This final version continues, as in the draft, with the quarrel over using prostitutes in town, and then concludes with a new remark:I would not quarrel with her, and the night was soft, soft and ardent, a night of the tropics. ...where Morice invokes what Pollock characterizes as an imaginary Utopia whose material foundation nevertheless lay in concrete social spaces, redefined by colonialism.Wadley comments, as essentially does Frèches-Thory, that the painting is an example of the fusion of reality and fiction in Gauguin's mature work. The two accounts of Tehura's reaction, that she was haunted by the tupapau, and that she was angrily suspicious Gauguin had been using prostitutes, likewise pose a similar confrontation between fiction and probable fact.

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Spirit of the Dead Watching

Focus on Spirit of the Dead Watching and explain the Other versions.

Gauguin reprised the theme in a pastel (from which there are two counterproofs recorded), in a lithograph, and in several woodcuts, one of which is part of the innovative suite of woodcuts he prepared for his travelogue Noa Noa.PastelThe pastel is done on the reverse of a fully worked pastel study of Annah the Javanese. That study has been cut at the head, indicating that the pastel of the reclining nude was executed later and is thus a study of Anna rather than Teha'amana, dating from between 1894 and 1895. Art historian Richard Brettell notes the androgynous quality of the figure. LithographThis was the only lithograph on stone executed by Gauguin (other 'lithographs' are in fact zincographs, i.e. transferred from zinc plates). It appeared in the 6th issue of 'L'Estampe originale, a journal devoted to publishing limited editions of contemporary prints.WoodcutsGauguin prepared his suite of ten Noa Noa woodcuts to accompany his travelogue, but they were never published in his lifetime. The 1901 La Plume edition was planned to include them, but Gauguin declined to allow the publishers to print them on smooth paper. These woodcuts were extremely innovative, amounting to a revolution in printmaking. Also notable is the large 1894 woodcut he prepared in Brittany. This has a carving of the face and upper body of the frightened Teha'amana cut into the reverse of the block, one of three scenes cut into the reverse that Gauguin used to make impressions.

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Spirit of the Dead Watching

Focus on this artwork and explain the Other versions.

Gauguin reprised the theme in a pastel (from which there are two counterproofs recorded), in a lithograph, and in several woodcuts, one of which is part of the innovative suite of woodcuts he prepared for his travelogue Noa Noa.PastelThe pastel is done on the reverse of a fully worked pastel study of Annah the Javanese. That study has been cut at the head, indicating that the pastel of the reclining nude was executed later and is thus a study of Anna rather than Teha'amana, dating from between 1894 and 1895. Art historian Richard Brettell notes the androgynous quality of the figure. LithographThis was the only lithograph on stone executed by Gauguin (other 'lithographs' are in fact zincographs, i.e. transferred from zinc plates). It appeared in the 6th issue of 'L'Estampe originale, a journal devoted to publishing limited editions of contemporary prints.WoodcutsGauguin prepared his suite of ten Noa Noa woodcuts to accompany his travelogue, but they were never published in his lifetime. The 1901 La Plume edition was planned to include them, but Gauguin declined to allow the publishers to print them on smooth paper. These woodcuts were extremely innovative, amounting to a revolution in printmaking. Also notable is the large 1894 woodcut he prepared in Brittany. This has a carving of the face and upper body of the frightened Teha'amana cut into the reverse of the block, one of three scenes cut into the reverse that Gauguin used to make impressions.

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Spirit of the Dead Watching

Explore the History of this artwork, Spirit of the Dead Watching.

The painting was among the eight canvases Gauguin sent for exhibition at Copenhagen in 1893. He evidently prized it highly, for in his letter to Monfreid quoted above he said he wanted to reserve it for a later sale, although he would let it go for 2,000 francs. Later that same year, when he returned to Paris, it was exhibited at his Durand-Ruel show, where it failed to sell for the 3,000 francs he asked for it, despite favourable reviews from critics including Edgar Dégas. It was included in his unsuccessful 1895 Hôtel Drouot sale to raise funds for his return to Tahiti, when he was obliged to buy it in for just 900 francs. Subsequently, he left it in the care of a dealer, who failed to sell it. By 1901 it was with Gauguin's new dealer Ambroise Vollard, with whom Gauguin had reached an arrangement that allowed him a measure of financial security in his final years. Vollard valued it at between only 400 and 500 francs. Eventually it reached the newly opened Galerie Druet, where it was acquired by Count Kesslar of Weimar, a noted patron of modern art. As publisher, Kesslar was responsible for publishing in 1906 the first monograph on Gauguin, by Jean de Rotonchamp.Subsequent owners included Sir Michael Sadler and Lord Ivor Spencer-Churchill. It was purchased in 1929 by A. Conger Goodyear, whose art collection was bequeathed to the Buffalo Academy of Fine Arts housed at the Albright–Knox Art Gallery.

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Spirit of the Dead Watching

Explore the History of this artwork.

The painting was among the eight canvases Gauguin sent for exhibition at Copenhagen in 1893. He evidently prized it highly, for in his letter to Monfreid quoted above he said he wanted to reserve it for a later sale, although he would let it go for 2,000 francs. Later that same year, when he returned to Paris, it was exhibited at his Durand-Ruel show, where it failed to sell for the 3,000 francs he asked for it, despite favourable reviews from critics including Edgar Dégas. It was included in his unsuccessful 1895 Hôtel Drouot sale to raise funds for his return to Tahiti, when he was obliged to buy it in for just 900 francs. Subsequently, he left it in the care of a dealer, who failed to sell it. By 1901 it was with Gauguin's new dealer Ambroise Vollard, with whom Gauguin had reached an arrangement that allowed him a measure of financial security in his final years. Vollard valued it at between only 400 and 500 francs. Eventually it reached the newly opened Galerie Druet, where it was acquired by Count Kesslar of Weimar, a noted patron of modern art. As publisher, Kesslar was responsible for publishing in 1906 the first monograph on Gauguin, by Jean de Rotonchamp.Subsequent owners included Sir Michael Sadler and Lord Ivor Spencer-Churchill. It was purchased in 1929 by A. Conger Goodyear, whose art collection was bequeathed to the Buffalo Academy of Fine Arts housed at the Albright–Knox Art Gallery.

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Covered jar with carp design

Focus on Covered jar with carp design and discuss the abstract.

This covered jar with a carp design is a piece of porcelain from the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty in China, currently located in the Indianapolis Museum of Art, which is in Indianapolis, Indiana. Created between 1522 and 1566, it is exceptionally large and elaborate and would have been a source of great prestige for its owner.

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Covered jar with carp design

Focus on this artwork and discuss the abstract.

This covered jar with a carp design is a piece of porcelain from the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty in China, currently located in the Indianapolis Museum of Art, which is in Indianapolis, Indiana. Created between 1522 and 1566, it is exceptionally large and elaborate and would have been a source of great prestige for its owner.