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1201_T

The Music Lesson

How does The Music Lesson elucidate its Painting materials?

The painting was investigated by Hermann Kühn in 1968 and there is also material on the pigment analysis on the website of the National Gallery in London where the painting was included in the exhibition "Vermeer and Music: The Art of Love and Leisure" in 2013. The Music Lesson is a mature work of Vermeer and his handling of color and his choice of painting materials is but one of the aspects proving his mastery. The painting is dominated by dark areas such as the bluish-black floor painted in bone black with the addition of natural ultramarine.

1201_NT

The Music Lesson

How does this artwork elucidate its Painting materials?

The painting was investigated by Hermann Kühn in 1968 and there is also material on the pigment analysis on the website of the National Gallery in London where the painting was included in the exhibition "Vermeer and Music: The Art of Love and Leisure" in 2013. The Music Lesson is a mature work of Vermeer and his handling of color and his choice of painting materials is but one of the aspects proving his mastery. The painting is dominated by dark areas such as the bluish-black floor painted in bone black with the addition of natural ultramarine.

1202_T

The Music Lesson

Focus on The Music Lesson and analyze the In popular culture.

The 2013 documentary film Tim's Vermeer documents inventor and entrepreneur Tim Jenison's attempt to recreate The Music Lesson to test his theory that Vermeer painted with the help of optical devices. Jenison is given the opportunity for a brief private viewing of the painting at Buckingham Palace. The film's claim that Vermeer used something similar to Jenison's technique has been controversial and was derided by the art critic Jonathan Jones.

1202_NT

The Music Lesson

Focus on this artwork and analyze the In popular culture.

The 2013 documentary film Tim's Vermeer documents inventor and entrepreneur Tim Jenison's attempt to recreate The Music Lesson to test his theory that Vermeer painted with the help of optical devices. Jenison is given the opportunity for a brief private viewing of the painting at Buckingham Palace. The film's claim that Vermeer used something similar to Jenison's technique has been controversial and was derided by the art critic Jonathan Jones.

1203_T

Owl on a Frog (sculpture)

In Owl on a Frog (sculpture), how is the abstract discussed?

Owl on a Frog is an early 17th century sculpture depicting an owl preying on a frog. The Austrian-produced sculpture is currently in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

1203_NT

Owl on a Frog (sculpture)

In this artwork, how is the abstract discussed?

Owl on a Frog is an early 17th century sculpture depicting an owl preying on a frog. The Austrian-produced sculpture is currently in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

1204_T

Owl on a Frog (sculpture)

Focus on Owl on a Frog (sculpture) and explore the Description.

The sculpture shares many similarities with other sculptures in private collections and in Ambras Castle. One source attributes the sculpture to European metalsmith Caspar Gras. The frog's mouth can serve as an inkwell.

1204_NT

Owl on a Frog (sculpture)

Focus on this artwork and explore the Description.

The sculpture shares many similarities with other sculptures in private collections and in Ambras Castle. One source attributes the sculpture to European metalsmith Caspar Gras. The frog's mouth can serve as an inkwell.

1205_T

Statue of Nelson Mandela, Parliament Square

Focus on Statue of Nelson Mandela, Parliament Square and explain the abstract.

Nelson Mandela is a bronze sculpture in Parliament Square, London, of former President of South Africa and anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela. Originally proposed to Mandela by Donald Woods in 2001, a fund was set up and led by Woods's wife and Lord Richard Attenborough after the death of Woods. The then Mayor of London Ken Livingstone obtained permission from Westminster City Council to locate the statue on the north terrace of Trafalgar Square, but after an appeal it was located in Parliament Square instead where it was unveiled on 29 August 2007.

1205_NT

Statue of Nelson Mandela, Parliament Square

Focus on this artwork and explain the abstract.

Nelson Mandela is a bronze sculpture in Parliament Square, London, of former President of South Africa and anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela. Originally proposed to Mandela by Donald Woods in 2001, a fund was set up and led by Woods's wife and Lord Richard Attenborough after the death of Woods. The then Mayor of London Ken Livingstone obtained permission from Westminster City Council to locate the statue on the north terrace of Trafalgar Square, but after an appeal it was located in Parliament Square instead where it was unveiled on 29 August 2007.

1206_T

Statue of Nelson Mandela, Parliament Square

Explore the Description of this artwork, Statue of Nelson Mandela, Parliament Square.

The statue is 9 feet (2.7 m) high, and made in bronze. The plinth the statue stands on is shorter than the other statues located in Parliament Square. It was created by English sculptor Ian Walters, at a cost of £400,000. Walters had previously created the bust of Mandela located on the South Bank in London. Fellow sculptor Glyn Williams criticised the statue at a public inquiry during the planning process, saying that it is "an adequate portrait but nothing more".

1206_NT

Statue of Nelson Mandela, Parliament Square

Explore the Description of this artwork.

The statue is 9 feet (2.7 m) high, and made in bronze. The plinth the statue stands on is shorter than the other statues located in Parliament Square. It was created by English sculptor Ian Walters, at a cost of £400,000. Walters had previously created the bust of Mandela located on the South Bank in London. Fellow sculptor Glyn Williams criticised the statue at a public inquiry during the planning process, saying that it is "an adequate portrait but nothing more".

1207_T

Statue of Nelson Mandela, Parliament Square

Focus on Statue of Nelson Mandela, Parliament Square and discuss the History.

Donald Woods originally proposed the idea of a statue of Nelson Mandela for London; the fundraising to create the statue was led by his wife and Lord Richard Attenborough after his death. Woods gained approval from Mandela in 2001, with the original idea to site the statue on a fifth plinth to be located outside the High Commission of South Africa in Trafalgar Square. The fund was officially launched at London's City Hall on 24 March 2003. In 2004, Mayor of London Ken Livingstone publicly pledged his support for a statue of Nelson Mandela for Trafalgar Square at a celebration in the square of the 10th anniversary of democracy in South Africa. "It will be a square of two Nelsons. The man up there, his battle of Trafalgar was the defining battle that paved the way for 100 years of British empire, and Nelson Mandela looking down on this square will symbolise the peaceful transition to a world without empires." Westminster City Council turned down the planning application to position the statue in the square's north terrace near the National Gallery on the grounds that it would impede events in the area and would end the symmetrical layout of that part of the square. The Mayor appealed to the office of the Deputy Prime Minister, which agreed with the council's decision. However the Deputy Prime Minister stated that he supported the location of the statue on an alternative site, while the council suggested placing the statue outside the High Commission of South Africa along the side of the square. The Liberal Democrats of the London Assembly later criticised the use of £100,000 by the London Mayor to appeal Westminster Council's decision, saying that "Thousands of pounds of taxpayers money is set to be wasted in these costly arguments."In April 2007, Westminster City Council completed a further review of possible locations for the statue. It was decided to locate the statue in Parliament Square alongside the statues of other important figures including Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Disraeli, Jan Smuts, and Churchill. The statue was unveiled by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on 29 August 2007, in a ceremony held in Parliament Square. Among the attendees were Mandela, his wife Graça Machel, and Livingstone. In a speech, Mandela said that it fulfilled a dream for there to be a statue of a black man in Parliament Square.The statue was temporarily covered up in June 2020 after protesters defaced a statue of Winston Churchill, attempted to vandalise The Cenotaph in London, and pulled down a statue of Edward Colston was in Bristol during the Black Lives Matter protests. Far-right group Britain First called for the statue of Mandela to be "torn down".

1207_NT

Statue of Nelson Mandela, Parliament Square

Focus on this artwork and discuss the History.

Donald Woods originally proposed the idea of a statue of Nelson Mandela for London; the fundraising to create the statue was led by his wife and Lord Richard Attenborough after his death. Woods gained approval from Mandela in 2001, with the original idea to site the statue on a fifth plinth to be located outside the High Commission of South Africa in Trafalgar Square. The fund was officially launched at London's City Hall on 24 March 2003. In 2004, Mayor of London Ken Livingstone publicly pledged his support for a statue of Nelson Mandela for Trafalgar Square at a celebration in the square of the 10th anniversary of democracy in South Africa. "It will be a square of two Nelsons. The man up there, his battle of Trafalgar was the defining battle that paved the way for 100 years of British empire, and Nelson Mandela looking down on this square will symbolise the peaceful transition to a world without empires." Westminster City Council turned down the planning application to position the statue in the square's north terrace near the National Gallery on the grounds that it would impede events in the area and would end the symmetrical layout of that part of the square. The Mayor appealed to the office of the Deputy Prime Minister, which agreed with the council's decision. However the Deputy Prime Minister stated that he supported the location of the statue on an alternative site, while the council suggested placing the statue outside the High Commission of South Africa along the side of the square. The Liberal Democrats of the London Assembly later criticised the use of £100,000 by the London Mayor to appeal Westminster Council's decision, saying that "Thousands of pounds of taxpayers money is set to be wasted in these costly arguments."In April 2007, Westminster City Council completed a further review of possible locations for the statue. It was decided to locate the statue in Parliament Square alongside the statues of other important figures including Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Disraeli, Jan Smuts, and Churchill. The statue was unveiled by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on 29 August 2007, in a ceremony held in Parliament Square. Among the attendees were Mandela, his wife Graça Machel, and Livingstone. In a speech, Mandela said that it fulfilled a dream for there to be a statue of a black man in Parliament Square.The statue was temporarily covered up in June 2020 after protesters defaced a statue of Winston Churchill, attempted to vandalise The Cenotaph in London, and pulled down a statue of Edward Colston was in Bristol during the Black Lives Matter protests. Far-right group Britain First called for the statue of Mandela to be "torn down".

1208_T

San Marco II

How does San Marco II elucidate its abstract?

San Marco II is an outdoor 1986 bronze sculpture of a stallion by Italian artist Ludovico de Luigi, installed in Chicago's The Plaza, FOUR40 (formerly known as One Financial Place), in the U.S. state of Illinois.

1208_NT

San Marco II

How does this artwork elucidate its abstract?

San Marco II is an outdoor 1986 bronze sculpture of a stallion by Italian artist Ludovico de Luigi, installed in Chicago's The Plaza, FOUR40 (formerly known as One Financial Place), in the U.S. state of Illinois.

1209_T

The Last Alarm (sculpture)

Focus on The Last Alarm (sculpture) and analyze the abstract.

The Last Alarm is a public art work by artist Robert Daus. It is located in front of the Milwaukee Fire Department headquarters in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin at 7th and Wells Streets.

1209_NT

The Last Alarm (sculpture)

Focus on this artwork and analyze the abstract.

The Last Alarm is a public art work by artist Robert Daus. It is located in front of the Milwaukee Fire Department headquarters in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin at 7th and Wells Streets.

1210_T

The Last Alarm (sculpture)

In The Last Alarm (sculpture), how is the Description discussed?

The sculpture consists of bronze boots, jacket, gloves and helmet stacked neatly as if in preparation for a funeral procession. The boots stand upright and face forward, and the jacket is folded neatly on top. Gloves rest on top of the jacket and beneath a helmet bearing the Milwaukee Fire Department insignia. The sculpture is mounted on a black granite pedestal inscribed with the names of workers who sacrificed their lives fighting fires. A brick plaza surrounds the work.

1210_NT

The Last Alarm (sculpture)

In this artwork, how is the Description discussed?

The sculpture consists of bronze boots, jacket, gloves and helmet stacked neatly as if in preparation for a funeral procession. The boots stand upright and face forward, and the jacket is folded neatly on top. Gloves rest on top of the jacket and beneath a helmet bearing the Milwaukee Fire Department insignia. The sculpture is mounted on a black granite pedestal inscribed with the names of workers who sacrificed their lives fighting fires. A brick plaza surrounds the work.

1211_T

Angola (Witkin)

Focus on Angola (Witkin) and explore the abstract.

Angola is a 1968 Cor-ten steel sculpture by Isaac Witkin, installed on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) campus, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States.

1211_NT

Angola (Witkin)

Focus on this artwork and explore the abstract.

Angola is a 1968 Cor-ten steel sculpture by Isaac Witkin, installed on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) campus, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States.

1212_T

The Republic (Daumier)

Focus on The Republic (Daumier) and explain the abstract.

The Republic, known in French as La République, is an oil-on-canvas painting by the French artist Honoré Daumier, created in 1848. It is a sketch made for a contest that would decide an official painting destined to represent the French Second Republic. It is held at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.

1212_NT

The Republic (Daumier)

Focus on this artwork and explain the abstract.

The Republic, known in French as La République, is an oil-on-canvas painting by the French artist Honoré Daumier, created in 1848. It is a sketch made for a contest that would decide an official painting destined to represent the French Second Republic. It is held at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.

1213_T

The Republic (Daumier)

Explore the History and description of this artwork, The Republic (Daumier).

The French Second Republic was proclaimed on 24 February 1848, to replace the deposed king Louis Philippe. The new regime started a competition on 14 March 1848 for a sketch that would define the official image of the republic. Daumier, who was a republican and a firm supporter of the new regime, was one of the 700 artists who entered the competition, including Jean-Léon Gérôme and Hippolyte Flandrin, with their final sketches shown at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, from 5 to 8 April 1848.The painting by Daumier, who was best known as a caricaturist, attracted much attention for its composition, which seemed inspired by the Italian painter Andrea del Sarto's work Charity. It represents a half-naked woman, representing the republic, seated, with long brown hair, wearing the Phrygian cap and proudly holding the French tricolour flag with her right hand. The big and muscular woman is breastfeeding two also muscular toddlers, while a third child is seated at her feet, concentrating on her reading. The official website of the Musée d'Orsay states that "this "big woman" summed up an ideal, that of a strong republic, nourishing and educating her children. A "fertile, serene and glorious" republic claiming its descent from the first great republic which had abolished slavery; the republic whose flag had circled the world."Daumier had positive critics and was placed in 11th place in the contest. However, he did not take part in the final selection, since he never made the expected painting.

1213_NT

The Republic (Daumier)

Explore the History and description of this artwork.

The French Second Republic was proclaimed on 24 February 1848, to replace the deposed king Louis Philippe. The new regime started a competition on 14 March 1848 for a sketch that would define the official image of the republic. Daumier, who was a republican and a firm supporter of the new regime, was one of the 700 artists who entered the competition, including Jean-Léon Gérôme and Hippolyte Flandrin, with their final sketches shown at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, from 5 to 8 April 1848.The painting by Daumier, who was best known as a caricaturist, attracted much attention for its composition, which seemed inspired by the Italian painter Andrea del Sarto's work Charity. It represents a half-naked woman, representing the republic, seated, with long brown hair, wearing the Phrygian cap and proudly holding the French tricolour flag with her right hand. The big and muscular woman is breastfeeding two also muscular toddlers, while a third child is seated at her feet, concentrating on her reading. The official website of the Musée d'Orsay states that "this "big woman" summed up an ideal, that of a strong republic, nourishing and educating her children. A "fertile, serene and glorious" republic claiming its descent from the first great republic which had abolished slavery; the republic whose flag had circled the world."Daumier had positive critics and was placed in 11th place in the contest. However, he did not take part in the final selection, since he never made the expected painting.

1214_T

Trophy, Hypertrophied

Focus on Trophy, Hypertrophied and discuss the abstract.

Trophy, Hypertrophied (1919) is a work of art by the German artist Max Ernst who was a pioneer of the Dada movement and Surrealism in Europe. This work is believed to be one of Ernst's earliest known pieces. The work was produced using a technique called line-block printing – a type of relief printing – to which Ernst later added further detail by drawing over the design with pen and ink. It depicts a complex mechanical instrument featuring a series of pulleys, gears and planetary symbols. The style of the work resembles a schematic drawing or architectural plan. Ernst created a similar piece the same year titled Farewell My Beautiful Land of Mary Laurencen. Help! Help! Trophy, Hypertrophied is a part of the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, USA.

1214_NT

Trophy, Hypertrophied

Focus on this artwork and discuss the abstract.

Trophy, Hypertrophied (1919) is a work of art by the German artist Max Ernst who was a pioneer of the Dada movement and Surrealism in Europe. This work is believed to be one of Ernst's earliest known pieces. The work was produced using a technique called line-block printing – a type of relief printing – to which Ernst later added further detail by drawing over the design with pen and ink. It depicts a complex mechanical instrument featuring a series of pulleys, gears and planetary symbols. The style of the work resembles a schematic drawing or architectural plan. Ernst created a similar piece the same year titled Farewell My Beautiful Land of Mary Laurencen. Help! Help! Trophy, Hypertrophied is a part of the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, USA.

1215_T

Martha and Mary Magdalene (Caravaggio)

How does Martha and Mary Magdalene (Caravaggio) elucidate its abstract?

Martha and Mary Magdalene (c. 1598) is a painting by the Italian Baroque master Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. It is in the Detroit Institute of Arts. Alternate titles include Martha Reproving Mary, The Conversion of the Magdalene, and the Alzaga Caravaggio.

1215_NT

Martha and Mary Magdalene (Caravaggio)

How does this artwork elucidate its abstract?

Martha and Mary Magdalene (c. 1598) is a painting by the Italian Baroque master Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. It is in the Detroit Institute of Arts. Alternate titles include Martha Reproving Mary, The Conversion of the Magdalene, and the Alzaga Caravaggio.

1216_T

Martha and Mary Magdalene (Caravaggio)

Focus on Martha and Mary Magdalene (Caravaggio) and analyze the History.

Caravaggio's Martha and Mary is dated to 1598–99, when he was in the entourage of Cardinal Francesco Maria Del Monte. Little is known of its history between those years and 25 June 1971, when its owners attempted to sell it at Christie's in London (lot 21). It remained unsold at 130,000 guineas, despite the confidence of the restorer Juan Corradini of Buenos Aires. Later converts were Benedict Nicolson and Mina Gregori (as late as January 1974). Today it is generally considered an autograph work. It was acquired by the Detroit Institute of Arts in 1973. It is thought that the painting was originally in the collection of Caravaggio's patron Ottavio Costa. His will of 6 August 1606, contains a painting by this description and states that Riggerio Tritonio, secretary of Cardinal Montalto, is to choose between the Martha and Mary and a Saint Francis; the painting not selected was to go to Costa's friend and colleague Giovanni Enriquez de Herrera. Since the Saint Francis later appears in the inventory of Tritinio, it has been assumed that the Martha and Mary passed to Herrera, probably in late 1606.Giovanni Enriquez de Herrera died on 1 March 1610, without a will, thus leaving his four sons to decide on the fate of his possessions. It has been speculated that it remained in Rome until the 1620s, but the only firm evidence for its provenance after the Herrera family is a seal and inscriptions on the back of the original canvas with the names Niccolò Panzani, Emilia Panzani and Anna E. Panzani. This family has not been traced.Since its rediscovery, its influence has become apparent, most notably in the number of copies, a now lost work by Carlo Saraceni and a well known version by Orazio Gentileschi, today in Munich.

1216_NT

Martha and Mary Magdalene (Caravaggio)

Focus on this artwork and analyze the History.

Caravaggio's Martha and Mary is dated to 1598–99, when he was in the entourage of Cardinal Francesco Maria Del Monte. Little is known of its history between those years and 25 June 1971, when its owners attempted to sell it at Christie's in London (lot 21). It remained unsold at 130,000 guineas, despite the confidence of the restorer Juan Corradini of Buenos Aires. Later converts were Benedict Nicolson and Mina Gregori (as late as January 1974). Today it is generally considered an autograph work. It was acquired by the Detroit Institute of Arts in 1973. It is thought that the painting was originally in the collection of Caravaggio's patron Ottavio Costa. His will of 6 August 1606, contains a painting by this description and states that Riggerio Tritonio, secretary of Cardinal Montalto, is to choose between the Martha and Mary and a Saint Francis; the painting not selected was to go to Costa's friend and colleague Giovanni Enriquez de Herrera. Since the Saint Francis later appears in the inventory of Tritinio, it has been assumed that the Martha and Mary passed to Herrera, probably in late 1606.Giovanni Enriquez de Herrera died on 1 March 1610, without a will, thus leaving his four sons to decide on the fate of his possessions. It has been speculated that it remained in Rome until the 1620s, but the only firm evidence for its provenance after the Herrera family is a seal and inscriptions on the back of the original canvas with the names Niccolò Panzani, Emilia Panzani and Anna E. Panzani. This family has not been traced.Since its rediscovery, its influence has become apparent, most notably in the number of copies, a now lost work by Carlo Saraceni and a well known version by Orazio Gentileschi, today in Munich.

1217_T

Martha and Mary Magdalene (Caravaggio)

In Martha and Mary Magdalene (Caravaggio), how is the Composition discussed?

The painting shows the sisters Martha and Mary from the New Testament. Martha is in the act of converting Mary from her life of pleasure to the life of virtue in Christ. Martha, her face shadowed, leans forward, passionately arguing with Mary, who twirls an orange blossom between her fingers as she holds a mirror, symbolising the vanity she is about to give up. The power of the image lies in Mary's face, caught at the moment when conversion begins. Martha and Mary was painted while Caravaggio was living in the palazzo of his patron, Cardinal Del Monte. His paintings for Del Monte fall into two groups: the secular genre pieces such as The Musicians, The Lute Player, and Bacchus – all featuring boys and youths in somewhat claustrophobic interior scenes – and religious images such as Rest on the Flight into Egypt and Ecstasy of Saint Francis. Among the religious paintings was a group of four works featuring the same two female models, together or singly. The models were two well-known courtesans who frequented the palazzi of Del Monte and other wealthy and powerful art patrons, and their names were Anna Bianchini and Fillide Melandroni. Anna Bianchini appeared first as a solitary Mary Magdalene in the Penitent Magdalene of about 1597. Fillide Melandroni appeared in a secular Portrait of a Courtesan done the same year for Del Monte's friend and fellow art-lover, the banker Vincenzo Giustiniani. In 1598 Caravaggio painted Fillide again as Saint Catherine, capturing a beauty full of intelligence and spirit. In Martha and Mary the two are shown together, Fillide perfectly fitted to the role of Mary, Anna to the mousier but insistent presence as Martha. A finely grained cream-brown table running in front of the sisters displays three objects, of which a Venetian mirror is the most obvious. It reflects the Magdalen's hand and a rectangular window, to which reflection her middle finger points. The other two objects are an ivory comb and a dish with a sponge. The type of dish was called a sponzarol by the Venetians and, in this case, is made of alabaster.Mary wears red, the colour of the Magdalen, and a dress very similar to one Caravaggio employs in his Portrait of a Courtesan (1597) and Saint Catherine (1598), with embroidery on the blouse, similar to what we see in his Penitent Magdalen.

1217_NT

Martha and Mary Magdalene (Caravaggio)

In this artwork, how is the Composition discussed?

The painting shows the sisters Martha and Mary from the New Testament. Martha is in the act of converting Mary from her life of pleasure to the life of virtue in Christ. Martha, her face shadowed, leans forward, passionately arguing with Mary, who twirls an orange blossom between her fingers as she holds a mirror, symbolising the vanity she is about to give up. The power of the image lies in Mary's face, caught at the moment when conversion begins. Martha and Mary was painted while Caravaggio was living in the palazzo of his patron, Cardinal Del Monte. His paintings for Del Monte fall into two groups: the secular genre pieces such as The Musicians, The Lute Player, and Bacchus – all featuring boys and youths in somewhat claustrophobic interior scenes – and religious images such as Rest on the Flight into Egypt and Ecstasy of Saint Francis. Among the religious paintings was a group of four works featuring the same two female models, together or singly. The models were two well-known courtesans who frequented the palazzi of Del Monte and other wealthy and powerful art patrons, and their names were Anna Bianchini and Fillide Melandroni. Anna Bianchini appeared first as a solitary Mary Magdalene in the Penitent Magdalene of about 1597. Fillide Melandroni appeared in a secular Portrait of a Courtesan done the same year for Del Monte's friend and fellow art-lover, the banker Vincenzo Giustiniani. In 1598 Caravaggio painted Fillide again as Saint Catherine, capturing a beauty full of intelligence and spirit. In Martha and Mary the two are shown together, Fillide perfectly fitted to the role of Mary, Anna to the mousier but insistent presence as Martha. A finely grained cream-brown table running in front of the sisters displays three objects, of which a Venetian mirror is the most obvious. It reflects the Magdalen's hand and a rectangular window, to which reflection her middle finger points. The other two objects are an ivory comb and a dish with a sponge. The type of dish was called a sponzarol by the Venetians and, in this case, is made of alabaster.Mary wears red, the colour of the Magdalen, and a dress very similar to one Caravaggio employs in his Portrait of a Courtesan (1597) and Saint Catherine (1598), with embroidery on the blouse, similar to what we see in his Penitent Magdalen.

1218_T

Martha and Mary Magdalene (Caravaggio)

Focus on Martha and Mary Magdalene (Caravaggio) and explore the Interpretation.

The writings of the Church Fathers (starting with Origen) established Martha and Mary as representative of the active versus the contemplative aspects of Christian faith. This distinction was exemplified in art like Bernardino Luini's Martha and Mary, once in the Barberini Collection in Rome, and attributed to Leonardo da Vinci. Caravaggio would certainly have known the painting.

1218_NT

Martha and Mary Magdalene (Caravaggio)

Focus on this artwork and explore the Interpretation.

The writings of the Church Fathers (starting with Origen) established Martha and Mary as representative of the active versus the contemplative aspects of Christian faith. This distinction was exemplified in art like Bernardino Luini's Martha and Mary, once in the Barberini Collection in Rome, and attributed to Leonardo da Vinci. Caravaggio would certainly have known the painting.

1219_T

Martha and Mary Magdalene (Caravaggio)

Focus on Martha and Mary Magdalene (Caravaggio) and explain the Technical investigation.

The painting was cleaned and investigated by the scientists at the Detroit Institute of Arts. The pigment analysis revealed the usual pigments of the Baroque period such as lead white, red and yellow ochre and azurite.

1219_NT

Martha and Mary Magdalene (Caravaggio)

Focus on this artwork and explain the Technical investigation.

The painting was cleaned and investigated by the scientists at the Detroit Institute of Arts. The pigment analysis revealed the usual pigments of the Baroque period such as lead white, red and yellow ochre and azurite.

1220_T

Roman Campagna (painting)

Focus on Roman Campagna (painting) and discuss the abstract.

Roman Campagna, also called Ruins of Aqueducts in the Campagna Di Roma, is an 1843 oil on canvas painting by Thomas Cole. It is currently displayed at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Connecticut.

1220_NT

Roman Campagna (painting)

Focus on this artwork and discuss the abstract.

Roman Campagna, also called Ruins of Aqueducts in the Campagna Di Roma, is an 1843 oil on canvas painting by Thomas Cole. It is currently displayed at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Connecticut.

1221_T

Shostakovich (paintings)

How does Shostakovich (paintings) elucidate its abstract?

Shostakovich is a series of thirty oil-on-canvas paintings by the Guyanese artist Aubrey Williams, created between 1969 and 1981. Each painting in the series is based on a particular symphony or quartet by the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich, whom Williams regarded as "the greatest composer of [his] time".

1221_NT

Shostakovich (paintings)

How does this artwork elucidate its abstract?

Shostakovich is a series of thirty oil-on-canvas paintings by the Guyanese artist Aubrey Williams, created between 1969 and 1981. Each painting in the series is based on a particular symphony or quartet by the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich, whom Williams regarded as "the greatest composer of [his] time".

1222_T

Shostakovich (paintings)

Focus on Shostakovich (paintings) and analyze the Background.

The Shostakovich series grew out of an intense involvement with Shostakovich's work that extended throughout Williams' adult life. Williams first heard Shostakovich's music (Symphony No. 1) as a teenager, when he was studying for an agricultural apprenticeship in Guyana, and the experience had a dramatic effect on him. In 1981 he described how hearing the symphony's finale had made him realize "a sonic connection with a new wellspring of this state of human consciousness we call ART"; and in 1987, he recalled that the music had "hit [him] really hard" in a way that had "profound visual connotations" and that made him "feel colour".By 1969, Williams had been living and working in London for seventeen years. Following an initial period of excitement and artistic success, he had come to feel increasingly "isolated" and "exiled from the art world". It was at this time that he began immersing himself in a "wild unknown world of sound" and working on a "visual expression" of Shostakovich's music. From 1970 onward he spent large amounts of time each year working in studios in Jamaica and Florida.

1222_NT

Shostakovich (paintings)

Focus on this artwork and analyze the Background.

The Shostakovich series grew out of an intense involvement with Shostakovich's work that extended throughout Williams' adult life. Williams first heard Shostakovich's music (Symphony No. 1) as a teenager, when he was studying for an agricultural apprenticeship in Guyana, and the experience had a dramatic effect on him. In 1981 he described how hearing the symphony's finale had made him realize "a sonic connection with a new wellspring of this state of human consciousness we call ART"; and in 1987, he recalled that the music had "hit [him] really hard" in a way that had "profound visual connotations" and that made him "feel colour".By 1969, Williams had been living and working in London for seventeen years. Following an initial period of excitement and artistic success, he had come to feel increasingly "isolated" and "exiled from the art world". It was at this time that he began immersing himself in a "wild unknown world of sound" and working on a "visual expression" of Shostakovich's music. From 1970 onward he spent large amounts of time each year working in studios in Jamaica and Florida.

1223_T

Shostakovich (paintings)

In Shostakovich (paintings), how is the Creation, style and themes discussed?

In the first five years of working on the series, Williams experimented with different systems of notation: first a formal system, then a system based on colour-notation. He subsequently abandoned the idea of notation completely, but remained, in his words, "lost in a miasma of structural rendition". Shostakovich's death in 1975 prompted further reconsideration and intensified his pursuit of an approach that was more attuned to the "rich humanity and surrealistic mystery" of Shostakovich's work. The final series was created between 1980 and 1981.Williams described Shostakovich as an exploration of "common concerns and perceptions in our work". In particular he stressed his admiration of Shostakovich's "world aesthetic" which was "open to all forms of music he heard" including jazz, Indian music and African drumming (he noted, for example, the presence of Samba in Symphony No. 11). He also regarded the series as an effort to find the "right connection" between music and painting – a problem that he thought had not been solved "even by Kandinsky".The series is painted in an abstract expressionist style. In 1981, art critic Guy Brett described the paintings as combining "prominent and defined" forms that "convey the idea of musical structure" with "less defined and more suggestive areas of colour and texture". He also noted that the paintings incorporate iconography inspired by the pre-Columbian cultures of indigenous peoples of the Americas – a signature motif in Williams' work. In 2010, Leon Wainwright described the series as "rooted in a sensorial project" that explores the "tactility of vision" and reveals "the ability of music to create spatial depth that can be pictured and played with.

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Shostakovich (paintings)

In this artwork, how is the Creation, style and themes discussed?

In the first five years of working on the series, Williams experimented with different systems of notation: first a formal system, then a system based on colour-notation. He subsequently abandoned the idea of notation completely, but remained, in his words, "lost in a miasma of structural rendition". Shostakovich's death in 1975 prompted further reconsideration and intensified his pursuit of an approach that was more attuned to the "rich humanity and surrealistic mystery" of Shostakovich's work. The final series was created between 1980 and 1981.Williams described Shostakovich as an exploration of "common concerns and perceptions in our work". In particular he stressed his admiration of Shostakovich's "world aesthetic" which was "open to all forms of music he heard" including jazz, Indian music and African drumming (he noted, for example, the presence of Samba in Symphony No. 11). He also regarded the series as an effort to find the "right connection" between music and painting – a problem that he thought had not been solved "even by Kandinsky".The series is painted in an abstract expressionist style. In 1981, art critic Guy Brett described the paintings as combining "prominent and defined" forms that "convey the idea of musical structure" with "less defined and more suggestive areas of colour and texture". He also noted that the paintings incorporate iconography inspired by the pre-Columbian cultures of indigenous peoples of the Americas – a signature motif in Williams' work. In 2010, Leon Wainwright described the series as "rooted in a sensorial project" that explores the "tactility of vision" and reveals "the ability of music to create spatial depth that can be pictured and played with.

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Shostakovich (paintings)

Focus on Shostakovich (paintings) and explore the Exhibitions and collections.

Shostakovich was first exhibited at the Commonwealth Institute in 1981. The exhibition was opened on October 22 by Dmitri Shostakovich's son, Maxim Shostakovich. It has since been exhibited at the Royal Festival Hall (1984) and at the Hales Gallery (2013).One of the paintings from the series, Shostakovich 3rd Symphony Opus 20, was purchased by the Tate in 1993.

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Shostakovich (paintings)

Focus on this artwork and explore the Exhibitions and collections.

Shostakovich was first exhibited at the Commonwealth Institute in 1981. The exhibition was opened on October 22 by Dmitri Shostakovich's son, Maxim Shostakovich. It has since been exhibited at the Royal Festival Hall (1984) and at the Hales Gallery (2013).One of the paintings from the series, Shostakovich 3rd Symphony Opus 20, was purchased by the Tate in 1993.

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The Dawn of Love (painting)

Focus on The Dawn of Love (painting) and explain the abstract.

The Dawn of Love, also known as Venus Now Wakes, and Wakens Love, is an oil painting on canvas by English artist William Etty, first exhibited in 1828 and currently in the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum in Bournemouth. Loosely based on a passage from John Milton's 1634 masque Comus, it shows a nude Venus leaning across to wake the sleeping Love by stroking his wings. While Etty often included nude figures in his work, he rarely depicted physical intimacy, and owing to this, The Dawn of Love is one of his more unusual paintings. The open sensuality of the work was intended to present a challenge to the viewer mirroring the plot of Comus, in which the heroine is tempted by desire but remains rational and detached. While a few critics praised elements of its composition and execution, The Dawn of Love was very poorly received when first exhibited. Etty had developed a reputation for painting realistic figures, and his stylised Venus was thought unduly influenced by foreign artists such as Rubens as well as being overly voluptuous and unrealistically coloured, while the painting as a whole was considered tasteless and obscene. The Dawn of Love was not among the 133 paintings exhibited in the major 1849 retrospective exhibition of Etty's works, and its exhibition in Glasgow in 1899 drew complaints for its supposed obscenity. In 1889 it was bought by Sir Merton Russell-Cotes, and has remained in the collection of the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum ever since.

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The Dawn of Love (painting)

Focus on this artwork and explain the abstract.

The Dawn of Love, also known as Venus Now Wakes, and Wakens Love, is an oil painting on canvas by English artist William Etty, first exhibited in 1828 and currently in the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum in Bournemouth. Loosely based on a passage from John Milton's 1634 masque Comus, it shows a nude Venus leaning across to wake the sleeping Love by stroking his wings. While Etty often included nude figures in his work, he rarely depicted physical intimacy, and owing to this, The Dawn of Love is one of his more unusual paintings. The open sensuality of the work was intended to present a challenge to the viewer mirroring the plot of Comus, in which the heroine is tempted by desire but remains rational and detached. While a few critics praised elements of its composition and execution, The Dawn of Love was very poorly received when first exhibited. Etty had developed a reputation for painting realistic figures, and his stylised Venus was thought unduly influenced by foreign artists such as Rubens as well as being overly voluptuous and unrealistically coloured, while the painting as a whole was considered tasteless and obscene. The Dawn of Love was not among the 133 paintings exhibited in the major 1849 retrospective exhibition of Etty's works, and its exhibition in Glasgow in 1899 drew complaints for its supposed obscenity. In 1889 it was bought by Sir Merton Russell-Cotes, and has remained in the collection of the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum ever since.

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The Dawn of Love (painting)

Explore the Background of this artwork, The Dawn of Love (painting).

William Etty was born in 1787, the son of a York baker and miller. He began as an apprentice printer in Hull. On completing his seven-year apprenticeship he moved at the age of 18 to London "with a few pieces of chalk crayons", with the intention of becoming a history painter in the tradition of the Old Masters. He enrolled at the Royal Academy, and after a year spent studying under renowned portrait painter Thomas Lawrence, Etty returned to the Royal Academy, drawing at the life class and copying other paintings. A follower of John Opie, who promoted the unfashionable painting style of Titian and Rubens over the then-prevalent formal style of Joshua Reynolds, Etty was unsuccessful in all the academy's competitions and every work he submitted to the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in the 1810s was rejected. In 1821 the Royal Academy accepted and exhibited one of Etty's works in the Summer Exhibition, The Arrival of Cleopatra in Cilicia (also known as The Triumph of Cleopatra). This painting was extremely well received, and many of Etty's fellow artists greatly admired him. He became well respected for his ability to capture flesh tones accurately in painting, and for his fascination with contrasts in skin tones. Following the exhibition of Cleopatra, over the next decade Etty tried to replicate its success by painting nude figures in biblical, literary and mythological settings.While some nudes by foreign artists were held in private English collections, the country had no tradition of nude painting and the display and distribution of nude material to the public had been suppressed since the 1787 Proclamation for the Discouragement of Vice. Etty was the first British artist to specialise in the nude, and the reaction of the lower classes to these paintings caused concern throughout the 19th century. Many critics condemned his repeated depictions of female nudity as indecent, although his portraits of male nudes were generally well received.

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The Dawn of Love (painting)

Explore the Background of this artwork.

William Etty was born in 1787, the son of a York baker and miller. He began as an apprentice printer in Hull. On completing his seven-year apprenticeship he moved at the age of 18 to London "with a few pieces of chalk crayons", with the intention of becoming a history painter in the tradition of the Old Masters. He enrolled at the Royal Academy, and after a year spent studying under renowned portrait painter Thomas Lawrence, Etty returned to the Royal Academy, drawing at the life class and copying other paintings. A follower of John Opie, who promoted the unfashionable painting style of Titian and Rubens over the then-prevalent formal style of Joshua Reynolds, Etty was unsuccessful in all the academy's competitions and every work he submitted to the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in the 1810s was rejected. In 1821 the Royal Academy accepted and exhibited one of Etty's works in the Summer Exhibition, The Arrival of Cleopatra in Cilicia (also known as The Triumph of Cleopatra). This painting was extremely well received, and many of Etty's fellow artists greatly admired him. He became well respected for his ability to capture flesh tones accurately in painting, and for his fascination with contrasts in skin tones. Following the exhibition of Cleopatra, over the next decade Etty tried to replicate its success by painting nude figures in biblical, literary and mythological settings.While some nudes by foreign artists were held in private English collections, the country had no tradition of nude painting and the display and distribution of nude material to the public had been suppressed since the 1787 Proclamation for the Discouragement of Vice. Etty was the first British artist to specialise in the nude, and the reaction of the lower classes to these paintings caused concern throughout the 19th century. Many critics condemned his repeated depictions of female nudity as indecent, although his portraits of male nudes were generally well received.

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The Dawn of Love (painting)

Focus on The Dawn of Love (painting) and discuss the Composition.

The Dawn of Love illustrates an early passage from Comus, a 1634 masque by John Milton. Comus is a morality tale in which the female protagonist, referred to only as "The Lady", becomes separated from her family. She encounters the debauched magician Comus who captures and imprisons her, and uses all the means at his disposal to try to inflame her sexual desires. The Lady resists all temptation, and using her reason and sense of morals resists Comus's efforts to draw her into intemperance or surrender to desire.Etty's painting is not a direct illustration of a scene from Comus. Instead, it is inspired by an early passage in which Comus, prior to his meeting with The Lady, muses on the notion that sin is only problematic if others become aware of it, and thus that it is right and natural to surrender to base desires while under cover of darkness, arguing that "What hath night to do with sleep? Night hath better sweets to prove, Venus now wakes, and wakens Love". Etty's painting shows the nude Venus, as "Goddess of nocturnal sport", reaching across to wake the sleeping Love by stroking his wings. While Etty had built his reputation on his renowned ability to paint realistic human figures, Venus in The Dawn of Love is highly stylised, and painted in a deliberate pastiche of the style of Rubens.The Dawn of Love intentionally presents a moral dilemma to viewers. By his open depiction of nudity and sensuality, Etty makes the same argument as that presented by Comus, that it is rational for the viewer to succumb to their lustful thoughts while in private. The picture presents the same moral challenge to the viewer as that which Comus presents to The Lady, that of remaining true to her better, moral and rational, nature, despite there being no apparent disadvantage in surrendering to desire.While Etty regularly painted nudity, he rarely depicted physical intimacy other than in combat, and The Dawn of Love is unusual among his works; Etty's biographer Leonard Robinson commented in 2007 that The Dawn of Love "is a subject so untypical of Etty that one finds difficulty in understanding why he painted it".

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The Dawn of Love (painting)

Focus on this artwork and discuss the Composition.

The Dawn of Love illustrates an early passage from Comus, a 1634 masque by John Milton. Comus is a morality tale in which the female protagonist, referred to only as "The Lady", becomes separated from her family. She encounters the debauched magician Comus who captures and imprisons her, and uses all the means at his disposal to try to inflame her sexual desires. The Lady resists all temptation, and using her reason and sense of morals resists Comus's efforts to draw her into intemperance or surrender to desire.Etty's painting is not a direct illustration of a scene from Comus. Instead, it is inspired by an early passage in which Comus, prior to his meeting with The Lady, muses on the notion that sin is only problematic if others become aware of it, and thus that it is right and natural to surrender to base desires while under cover of darkness, arguing that "What hath night to do with sleep? Night hath better sweets to prove, Venus now wakes, and wakens Love". Etty's painting shows the nude Venus, as "Goddess of nocturnal sport", reaching across to wake the sleeping Love by stroking his wings. While Etty had built his reputation on his renowned ability to paint realistic human figures, Venus in The Dawn of Love is highly stylised, and painted in a deliberate pastiche of the style of Rubens.The Dawn of Love intentionally presents a moral dilemma to viewers. By his open depiction of nudity and sensuality, Etty makes the same argument as that presented by Comus, that it is rational for the viewer to succumb to their lustful thoughts while in private. The picture presents the same moral challenge to the viewer as that which Comus presents to The Lady, that of remaining true to her better, moral and rational, nature, despite there being no apparent disadvantage in surrendering to desire.While Etty regularly painted nudity, he rarely depicted physical intimacy other than in combat, and The Dawn of Love is unusual among his works; Etty's biographer Leonard Robinson commented in 2007 that The Dawn of Love "is a subject so untypical of Etty that one finds difficulty in understanding why he painted it".

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The Dawn of Love (painting)

How does The Dawn of Love (painting) elucidate its Reception?

Etty exhibited the painting in February 1828 at the British Institution under the title of Venus Now Wakes, and Wakens Love. It immediately met with a storm of derision from critics for the style in which Venus was painted; one of the few positive reviews was that of The New Monthly Magazine, whose critic considered "the figure of Venus is delightfully drawn and most voluptuously coloured; and the way in which she awakens love, by ruffling the feathers of his wings, is exquisitely imagined and executed". The Times commented that "the drawing is free and flowing" and "the colouring, though rich, is perfectly natural", but felt that "the subject is, however, handled in a way entirely too luscious (we might, with great propriety, use a harsher term) for the public eye". The Literary Gazette conceded that the painting was "very attractive, especially in colour", but considered the painting's "voluptuousness" as "one of the most unpardonable sins against taste", and chided Etty's "careless" drawing, observing that "it is impossible that an artist who has for so many years, and so unremittingly, studied the living model, can err in that respect from want of knowledge". The Monthly Magazine complained of Venus's "sullen colour and corpulent shape", as well as Etty's "excessive exposure of [Venus's] figure". La Belle Assemblée, meanwhile, felt that Etty's representation of Venus "though a fine voluptuous woman, is not, either in supremacy of beauty, or according to any received description of the love-inspiring goddess, a Venus", and complained that "the colouring of the flesh is chalky".The harshest criticism came from an anonymous reviewer in The London Magazine:This small picture ... we utterly condemn, not for the nudity or indecency of which some have complained, but because there is a total want of beauty, grace, and expression, to clothe the nakedness and abstract the mind from it. Mr. Etty seems conscious of the coldness of his flesh-colour, and atones for it by the flabbiness of his figures. They are any thing but voluptuous or alluring. We would recommend to our artist to leave these small unfinished vignettes, these little doughy Rubenses as "toys of desperation" to others. His firm, broad, manly pencil, requires wider scope and a different subject. An anonymous reviewer in the same publication later that year returned to the theme, chiding Etty for his imitation of foreign artists rather than attempting to develop a new and unique style of his own, observing that "we cannot imitate the voice or the actions of another, without exaggerating or caricaturing them", complaining that there is "[no] propriety in seeing the Venuses of Titian, the fables of heathenism, or the base occupations of Dutch boors, placed in parallel with those subjects which form the basis [of] all our future hopes", and observing that "surely, Rubens ought here [in England] to be held up as rock to avoid, not a light to follow".

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The Dawn of Love (painting)

How does this artwork elucidate its Reception?

Etty exhibited the painting in February 1828 at the British Institution under the title of Venus Now Wakes, and Wakens Love. It immediately met with a storm of derision from critics for the style in which Venus was painted; one of the few positive reviews was that of The New Monthly Magazine, whose critic considered "the figure of Venus is delightfully drawn and most voluptuously coloured; and the way in which she awakens love, by ruffling the feathers of his wings, is exquisitely imagined and executed". The Times commented that "the drawing is free and flowing" and "the colouring, though rich, is perfectly natural", but felt that "the subject is, however, handled in a way entirely too luscious (we might, with great propriety, use a harsher term) for the public eye". The Literary Gazette conceded that the painting was "very attractive, especially in colour", but considered the painting's "voluptuousness" as "one of the most unpardonable sins against taste", and chided Etty's "careless" drawing, observing that "it is impossible that an artist who has for so many years, and so unremittingly, studied the living model, can err in that respect from want of knowledge". The Monthly Magazine complained of Venus's "sullen colour and corpulent shape", as well as Etty's "excessive exposure of [Venus's] figure". La Belle Assemblée, meanwhile, felt that Etty's representation of Venus "though a fine voluptuous woman, is not, either in supremacy of beauty, or according to any received description of the love-inspiring goddess, a Venus", and complained that "the colouring of the flesh is chalky".The harshest criticism came from an anonymous reviewer in The London Magazine:This small picture ... we utterly condemn, not for the nudity or indecency of which some have complained, but because there is a total want of beauty, grace, and expression, to clothe the nakedness and abstract the mind from it. Mr. Etty seems conscious of the coldness of his flesh-colour, and atones for it by the flabbiness of his figures. They are any thing but voluptuous or alluring. We would recommend to our artist to leave these small unfinished vignettes, these little doughy Rubenses as "toys of desperation" to others. His firm, broad, manly pencil, requires wider scope and a different subject. An anonymous reviewer in the same publication later that year returned to the theme, chiding Etty for his imitation of foreign artists rather than attempting to develop a new and unique style of his own, observing that "we cannot imitate the voice or the actions of another, without exaggerating or caricaturing them", complaining that there is "[no] propriety in seeing the Venuses of Titian, the fables of heathenism, or the base occupations of Dutch boors, placed in parallel with those subjects which form the basis [of] all our future hopes", and observing that "surely, Rubens ought here [in England] to be held up as rock to avoid, not a light to follow".

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The Dawn of Love (painting)

Focus on The Dawn of Love (painting) and analyze the Legacy.

In February 1828, shortly after the exhibition of The Dawn of Love, Etty defeated John Constable by 18 votes to five to become a full Royal Academician, at the time the highest honour available to an artist. From 1832 onwards, needled by repeated attacks from the press on his supposed indecency and tastelessness, Etty continued to be a prominent painter of nudes but began to make conscious efforts to reflect moral teachings in his work. He died in 1849, working and exhibiting up until his death and remained well-regarded as an artist despite being judged by many as a pornographer. Charles Robert Leslie observed shortly after Etty's death that "[Etty] himself, thinking and meaning no evil, was not aware of the manner in which his works were regarded by grosser minds". Interest in his work declined as new movements came to characterise painting in Britain, and by the end of the 19th century the cost of all his paintings had fallen below their original prices.The Dawn of Love (under its original title of Venus Now Wakes, and Wakens Love) was exhibited in 1829 at the Birmingham Society of Arts, but other than that its history during Etty's lifetime is not recorded. No record of its original sale exists, and it was not among the 133 paintings included in the major retrospective exhibition of Etty's works at the Royal Society of Arts in 1849. It is known that in 1835 it was in the collection of textile entrepreneur Joseph Strutt, but it was not among the paintings sold on his death in 1844. In June 1889 it was bought from an unknown buyer for an unknown sum by Sir Merton Russell-Cotes, and has remained in the collection of the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum in Bournemouth ever since. It was shown at an 1899 exhibition of works from Russell-Cotes's collection at the Glasgow Corporation Gallery. This exhibition caused some controversy owing to its supposed obscene nature; in 1894 a number of supposedly obscene prints of works by major artists had been removed from a Glasgow shop by police and magistrates, and it was felt inappropriate for a publicly funded educational body to be displaying a work of equal obscenity. Several luminaries of the art world such as Frederic Leighton intervened, and the exhibition went ahead. The Dawn of Love was also exhibited at a 1955 Arts Council exhibition, and was one of the works exhibited in a major retrospective of Etty's works at the York Art Gallery in 2011–12.

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The Dawn of Love (painting)

Focus on this artwork and analyze the Legacy.

In February 1828, shortly after the exhibition of The Dawn of Love, Etty defeated John Constable by 18 votes to five to become a full Royal Academician, at the time the highest honour available to an artist. From 1832 onwards, needled by repeated attacks from the press on his supposed indecency and tastelessness, Etty continued to be a prominent painter of nudes but began to make conscious efforts to reflect moral teachings in his work. He died in 1849, working and exhibiting up until his death and remained well-regarded as an artist despite being judged by many as a pornographer. Charles Robert Leslie observed shortly after Etty's death that "[Etty] himself, thinking and meaning no evil, was not aware of the manner in which his works were regarded by grosser minds". Interest in his work declined as new movements came to characterise painting in Britain, and by the end of the 19th century the cost of all his paintings had fallen below their original prices.The Dawn of Love (under its original title of Venus Now Wakes, and Wakens Love) was exhibited in 1829 at the Birmingham Society of Arts, but other than that its history during Etty's lifetime is not recorded. No record of its original sale exists, and it was not among the 133 paintings included in the major retrospective exhibition of Etty's works at the Royal Society of Arts in 1849. It is known that in 1835 it was in the collection of textile entrepreneur Joseph Strutt, but it was not among the paintings sold on his death in 1844. In June 1889 it was bought from an unknown buyer for an unknown sum by Sir Merton Russell-Cotes, and has remained in the collection of the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum in Bournemouth ever since. It was shown at an 1899 exhibition of works from Russell-Cotes's collection at the Glasgow Corporation Gallery. This exhibition caused some controversy owing to its supposed obscene nature; in 1894 a number of supposedly obscene prints of works by major artists had been removed from a Glasgow shop by police and magistrates, and it was felt inappropriate for a publicly funded educational body to be displaying a work of equal obscenity. Several luminaries of the art world such as Frederic Leighton intervened, and the exhibition went ahead. The Dawn of Love was also exhibited at a 1955 Arts Council exhibition, and was one of the works exhibited in a major retrospective of Etty's works at the York Art Gallery in 2011–12.

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The Garden of Eden with the Fall of Man

In The Garden of Eden with the Fall of Man, how is the abstract discussed?

The Garden of Eden with the Fall of Man or The Earthly Paradise with the Fall of Adam and Eve (ca. 1615) is a painting by Peter Paul Rubens (figures) and Jan Brueghel the Elder (flora and fauna). It is housed in the Mauritshuis art museum in The Hague, Netherlands. The painting depicts the moment just before the consumption of forbidden fruit and the fall of man. Adam and Eve are depicted beneath the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, where various fruits grow. On the opposite side the tree of life is depicted, also laden with fruits. The scene is a reference to Genesis 2:8–14 and hosts a variety of animals, presumably 100, from diverse ecosystems. There is a Capuchin Monkey from South America, hidden to the left, who bites into an apple to symbolize the sin about the be committed by Adam and Eve. Since Adam has yet to commit the original sin, these creatures all live in harmony – a cow peacefully watches while two large cats play. Birds of Paradise are also painted with a scientific accuracy. Up until the time of this painting, these birds were believed to lack feet, and in this painting, they are depicted clearly. This was a modernistic move on Bruegel's behalf.The monkey next to Adam is the hotspur who cannot resist temptation, while the choleric cat near Eve's heels represents cruel cunning. In Christian symbolism, several grapes in the foliage behind Adam and Eve represent Christ's death on the cross, as wine represents his blood. A plethora of exotic birds such as peacocks and macaws spectate Adam's detrimental demise.

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The Garden of Eden with the Fall of Man

In this artwork, how is the abstract discussed?

The Garden of Eden with the Fall of Man or The Earthly Paradise with the Fall of Adam and Eve (ca. 1615) is a painting by Peter Paul Rubens (figures) and Jan Brueghel the Elder (flora and fauna). It is housed in the Mauritshuis art museum in The Hague, Netherlands. The painting depicts the moment just before the consumption of forbidden fruit and the fall of man. Adam and Eve are depicted beneath the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, where various fruits grow. On the opposite side the tree of life is depicted, also laden with fruits. The scene is a reference to Genesis 2:8–14 and hosts a variety of animals, presumably 100, from diverse ecosystems. There is a Capuchin Monkey from South America, hidden to the left, who bites into an apple to symbolize the sin about the be committed by Adam and Eve. Since Adam has yet to commit the original sin, these creatures all live in harmony – a cow peacefully watches while two large cats play. Birds of Paradise are also painted with a scientific accuracy. Up until the time of this painting, these birds were believed to lack feet, and in this painting, they are depicted clearly. This was a modernistic move on Bruegel's behalf.The monkey next to Adam is the hotspur who cannot resist temptation, while the choleric cat near Eve's heels represents cruel cunning. In Christian symbolism, several grapes in the foliage behind Adam and Eve represent Christ's death on the cross, as wine represents his blood. A plethora of exotic birds such as peacocks and macaws spectate Adam's detrimental demise.

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The Garden of Eden with the Fall of Man

Focus on The Garden of Eden with the Fall of Man and explore the Artists.

Several attempts were made at this painting to showcase the best work of each artist. Rubens started the painting, sketching Adam and Eve in thin paint, followed by the tree and serpent. The details were then meticulously painted by Brueghel. The pair were known not only as collaborators, but also as the best of friends, so much so that Rubens was godfather to Brueghel's children. The two artists were leading painters in the first three decades of the 17th century. Rubens was known for his depiction of supple human bodies, while Bruegel was known for his animals, flora, and fauna. This painting serves as a primary example of the nickname "Velvet Brueghel" given to Jan Brueghel the Elder for his delicate brushwork.

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The Garden of Eden with the Fall of Man

Focus on this artwork and explore the Artists.

Several attempts were made at this painting to showcase the best work of each artist. Rubens started the painting, sketching Adam and Eve in thin paint, followed by the tree and serpent. The details were then meticulously painted by Brueghel. The pair were known not only as collaborators, but also as the best of friends, so much so that Rubens was godfather to Brueghel's children. The two artists were leading painters in the first three decades of the 17th century. Rubens was known for his depiction of supple human bodies, while Bruegel was known for his animals, flora, and fauna. This painting serves as a primary example of the nickname "Velvet Brueghel" given to Jan Brueghel the Elder for his delicate brushwork.

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The Garden of Eden with the Fall of Man

Focus on The Garden of Eden with the Fall of Man and explain the Provenance.

From 1766, the painting was in the collection of Pieter de la Court van der Voort of Leiden. Then it was in the possession of Willem V van Oranje-Nassau and in 1816 it was placed in the collection of the Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis in The Hague.

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The Garden of Eden with the Fall of Man

Focus on this artwork and explain the Provenance.

From 1766, the painting was in the collection of Pieter de la Court van der Voort of Leiden. Then it was in the possession of Willem V van Oranje-Nassau and in 1816 it was placed in the collection of the Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis in The Hague.

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The Death of the Earl of Chatham

Explore the Background of this artwork, The Death of the Earl of Chatham.

Lord Chatham was the architect of the British victory in the Seven Years' War (1757–1763), in which Britain won supremacy in America. Although sympathetic to American grievances and against the use of force to subdue the Americans, he was opposed to American independence. On 23 March 1778 the Duke of Richmond proposed in the Lords to withdraw all British troops from America. This was defeated by 56 votes to 28. On 5 April he sent Chatham a draft of the Address in which he argued for "entreating his Majesty to dismiss his Ministers, and withdraw his forces, by sea and land, from the revolted provinces...I am willing to hope that differences of opinion were more apparent than real, and arose only from want of opportunities to communicate and to explain." Chatham replied in third person: "It is an unspeakable concern to him, to find himself under so wide a difference with the Duke of Richmond, as between the sovereignty and allegiance of America, that he despairs of bringing about successfully any honourable issue".Chatham was determined to answer Richmond's motion and so on 7 April he went to the House of Lords, swathed in flannels, supported by crutches and leaning on the arm of his 18-year-old son William Pitt the Younger. Lord Camden wrote to Lord Grafton, describing Chatham as:...pale and emaciated. Within his large wig little more was to be seen than his aquiline nose, and his penetrating eye. He looked more like a dying man; yet never was seen a figure of more dignity; he appeared like a being of a superior species. Sensing the historic nature of the occasion, all the peers rose in their places. Richmond in his speech said that as the Americans could not be defeated they were independent already and that recognising this fact was common sense. Lord Weymouth then spoke for the government. Chatham then rose in his place: "He took one hand from his crutch and raised it, casting his eyes towards heaven...He appeared to be extremely feeble and spoke with that difficulty of utterance which is the characteristic of severe indisposition". Chatham said:My Lords, I rejoice that the grave has not closed upon me; that I am still alive to lift up my voice against the dismemberment of this ancient and most noble monarchy! Pressed down as I am by the hand of infirmity, I am little able to assist my country in this most perilous conjuncture; but, my Lords, while I have sense and memory, I will never consent to deprive the royal offspring of the House of Brunswick, the heirs of the Princess Sophia, of their fairest inheritance. Where is the man that will dare to advise such a measure? My Lords, his Majesty succeeded to an empire as great in extent as its reputation was unsullied. Shall we tarnish the lustre of this nation by an ignominious surrender of its rights and fairest possessions? Shall this great kingdom, that has survived, whole and entire, the Danish depredations, the Scottish inroads, and the Norman conquest; that has stood the threatened invasion of the Spanish Armada, now fall prostrate before the House of Bourbon? Surely, my Lords, this nation is no longer what it was! Shall a people, that seventeen years ago was the terror of the world, now stoop so low as to tell its ancient inveterate enemy, take all we have, only give us peace? It is impossible! ...My Lords, any state is better than despair. Let us at least make one effort; and if we must fall, let us fall like men! After delivering this speech Chatham suddenly pressed his hand to his heart and fell back in a swoon. The Duke of Cumberland, Lord Temple and other peers, along with Chatham's younger son James Pitt, hastened to assist Chatham. Chatham was then "removed into the Prince's Chamber, and the medical assistance of Dr. Brocklesby, who happened to be in the House, was instantly procured". He was then carried to a house at Downing Street and later that day back to his home at Hayes, Kent. Chatham, aged 69, died there on 11 May.Technically the title is a misnomer as his death did not take place until 34 days after the collapse portrayed and at home away from the Palace of Westminster.

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The Death of the Earl of Chatham

Explore the Background of this artwork.

Lord Chatham was the architect of the British victory in the Seven Years' War (1757–1763), in which Britain won supremacy in America. Although sympathetic to American grievances and against the use of force to subdue the Americans, he was opposed to American independence. On 23 March 1778 the Duke of Richmond proposed in the Lords to withdraw all British troops from America. This was defeated by 56 votes to 28. On 5 April he sent Chatham a draft of the Address in which he argued for "entreating his Majesty to dismiss his Ministers, and withdraw his forces, by sea and land, from the revolted provinces...I am willing to hope that differences of opinion were more apparent than real, and arose only from want of opportunities to communicate and to explain." Chatham replied in third person: "It is an unspeakable concern to him, to find himself under so wide a difference with the Duke of Richmond, as between the sovereignty and allegiance of America, that he despairs of bringing about successfully any honourable issue".Chatham was determined to answer Richmond's motion and so on 7 April he went to the House of Lords, swathed in flannels, supported by crutches and leaning on the arm of his 18-year-old son William Pitt the Younger. Lord Camden wrote to Lord Grafton, describing Chatham as:...pale and emaciated. Within his large wig little more was to be seen than his aquiline nose, and his penetrating eye. He looked more like a dying man; yet never was seen a figure of more dignity; he appeared like a being of a superior species. Sensing the historic nature of the occasion, all the peers rose in their places. Richmond in his speech said that as the Americans could not be defeated they were independent already and that recognising this fact was common sense. Lord Weymouth then spoke for the government. Chatham then rose in his place: "He took one hand from his crutch and raised it, casting his eyes towards heaven...He appeared to be extremely feeble and spoke with that difficulty of utterance which is the characteristic of severe indisposition". Chatham said:My Lords, I rejoice that the grave has not closed upon me; that I am still alive to lift up my voice against the dismemberment of this ancient and most noble monarchy! Pressed down as I am by the hand of infirmity, I am little able to assist my country in this most perilous conjuncture; but, my Lords, while I have sense and memory, I will never consent to deprive the royal offspring of the House of Brunswick, the heirs of the Princess Sophia, of their fairest inheritance. Where is the man that will dare to advise such a measure? My Lords, his Majesty succeeded to an empire as great in extent as its reputation was unsullied. Shall we tarnish the lustre of this nation by an ignominious surrender of its rights and fairest possessions? Shall this great kingdom, that has survived, whole and entire, the Danish depredations, the Scottish inroads, and the Norman conquest; that has stood the threatened invasion of the Spanish Armada, now fall prostrate before the House of Bourbon? Surely, my Lords, this nation is no longer what it was! Shall a people, that seventeen years ago was the terror of the world, now stoop so low as to tell its ancient inveterate enemy, take all we have, only give us peace? It is impossible! ...My Lords, any state is better than despair. Let us at least make one effort; and if we must fall, let us fall like men! After delivering this speech Chatham suddenly pressed his hand to his heart and fell back in a swoon. The Duke of Cumberland, Lord Temple and other peers, along with Chatham's younger son James Pitt, hastened to assist Chatham. Chatham was then "removed into the Prince's Chamber, and the medical assistance of Dr. Brocklesby, who happened to be in the House, was instantly procured". He was then carried to a house at Downing Street and later that day back to his home at Hayes, Kent. Chatham, aged 69, died there on 11 May.Technically the title is a misnomer as his death did not take place until 34 days after the collapse portrayed and at home away from the Palace of Westminster.

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The Death of the Earl of Chatham

Focus on The Death of the Earl of Chatham and discuss the Painting.

Copley positions Chatham beneath the tapestries depicting the defeat of the Spanish Armada made by Hendrick Cornelisz Vroom. Chatham's vision of the strength of the British Empire resting upon commercial expansion via the sea and his collapsing beneath the depiction of one of England's greatest naval victories are connected and symbolic.Copley also shows Lord Mansfield, one of Chatham's enemies, seated in indifference.

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The Death of the Earl of Chatham

Focus on this artwork and discuss the Painting.

Copley positions Chatham beneath the tapestries depicting the defeat of the Spanish Armada made by Hendrick Cornelisz Vroom. Chatham's vision of the strength of the British Empire resting upon commercial expansion via the sea and his collapsing beneath the depiction of one of England's greatest naval victories are connected and symbolic.Copley also shows Lord Mansfield, one of Chatham's enemies, seated in indifference.

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The Death of the Earl of Chatham

How does The Death of the Earl of Chatham elucidate its Reception?

Copley rented out a private room to exhibit the painting, charging for admission. He also made money from the painting from prints of it, marketed by John Boydell.

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The Death of the Earl of Chatham

How does this artwork elucidate its Reception?

Copley rented out a private room to exhibit the painting, charging for admission. He also made money from the painting from prints of it, marketed by John Boydell.

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Aurora (sculpture)

Focus on Aurora (sculpture) and analyze the abstract.

Aurora is a public artwork by American artist Mark di Suvero. It is in the collection of the National Gallery of Art and on display at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., United States.

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Aurora (sculpture)

Focus on this artwork and analyze the abstract.

Aurora is a public artwork by American artist Mark di Suvero. It is in the collection of the National Gallery of Art and on display at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., United States.

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Aurora (sculpture)

In Aurora (sculpture), how is the Information discussed?

The name of the sculpture comes from a poem by Federico García Lorca about New York City.

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Aurora (sculpture)

In this artwork, how is the Information discussed?

The name of the sculpture comes from a poem by Federico García Lorca about New York City.

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Aurora (sculpture)

In the context of Aurora (sculpture), explore the Acquisition of the Information.

The sculpture is a gift from the Gift of Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation.

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Aurora (sculpture)

In the context of this artwork, explore the Acquisition of the Information.

The sculpture is a gift from the Gift of Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation.

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Aurora (sculpture)

In the context of Aurora (sculpture), explain the Reception of the Information.

According to the National Gallery of Art the supports and steel "combine massive scale with elegance of proportion," and "imparting tension and dynamism." Michael Kimmelman of The New York Times called the work "pure compacted energy".

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Aurora (sculpture)

In the context of this artwork, explain the Reception of the Information.

According to the National Gallery of Art the supports and steel "combine massive scale with elegance of proportion," and "imparting tension and dynamism." Michael Kimmelman of The New York Times called the work "pure compacted energy".

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Statue of St Christopher, Norton Priory

Explore the abstract of this artwork, Statue of St Christopher, Norton Priory.

The Statue of St Christopher stands in the museum at Norton Priory, Runcorn, Cheshire, England. It is a large statue of St Christopher that was created towards the end of the 14th century and is a rare survival of a religious sculpture from late medieval England. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries the sculpture was owned by the Brooke family and stood originally in the outer courtyard of their house, and later in the garden. When the Brooke family left the site, the statue remained and, in a damaged condition, it was given to National Museums Liverpool in 1964. It has been restored and is housed in the museum on the site of the priory.

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Statue of St Christopher, Norton Priory

Explore the abstract of this artwork.

The Statue of St Christopher stands in the museum at Norton Priory, Runcorn, Cheshire, England. It is a large statue of St Christopher that was created towards the end of the 14th century and is a rare survival of a religious sculpture from late medieval England. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries the sculpture was owned by the Brooke family and stood originally in the outer courtyard of their house, and later in the garden. When the Brooke family left the site, the statue remained and, in a damaged condition, it was given to National Museums Liverpool in 1964. It has been restored and is housed in the museum on the site of the priory.

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Statue of St Christopher, Norton Priory

Focus on Statue of St Christopher, Norton Priory and discuss the Description.

The statue is carved from red sandstone and is twice life-size, standing 3.37 metres (11.1 ft) high. It weighs 1.25 tonnes and is the largest surviving medieval statue of St Christopher in Britain. The statue depicts St Christopher carrying Christ, as a child, on his left shoulder, walking through water that contains fish; the saint is wearing medieval clothes. It does not have the full thickness of a statue and is rather a carving in relief, having a maximum depth of 0.4 metres (1.3 ft). It was created in three pieces, one of which is now missing. The main piece is the section above the saint's knees and it includes the Christ child. The smaller piece is the base, consisting of the saint's lower legs and the river. The missing piece would have fitted into a hollow on the saint's right side. The right arm of the saint and the Christ child's right arm are missing. It is likely that the Christ child's arm would have been raised in benediction, and the saint's arm would have carried a staff. The Christ child's head is not original, having been replaced in the 17th century. There is a break running from the saint's forehead to below Christ's knee. The details of the carving remain fine, with little weathering. The depictions of the fish are sufficiently realistic for the species of all but one to be identified; the species identified are garfish, pike, mullet, carp or bream, and plaice or flounder. Fragments of paint remaining on the surface show that the statue was originally brightly coloured, with a vermilion cloak, naturally coloured skin, and a grey beard. Traces of wax are also present, some of them overlaid by particles of blue-green paint.

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Statue of St Christopher, Norton Priory

Focus on this artwork and discuss the Description.

The statue is carved from red sandstone and is twice life-size, standing 3.37 metres (11.1 ft) high. It weighs 1.25 tonnes and is the largest surviving medieval statue of St Christopher in Britain. The statue depicts St Christopher carrying Christ, as a child, on his left shoulder, walking through water that contains fish; the saint is wearing medieval clothes. It does not have the full thickness of a statue and is rather a carving in relief, having a maximum depth of 0.4 metres (1.3 ft). It was created in three pieces, one of which is now missing. The main piece is the section above the saint's knees and it includes the Christ child. The smaller piece is the base, consisting of the saint's lower legs and the river. The missing piece would have fitted into a hollow on the saint's right side. The right arm of the saint and the Christ child's right arm are missing. It is likely that the Christ child's arm would have been raised in benediction, and the saint's arm would have carried a staff. The Christ child's head is not original, having been replaced in the 17th century. There is a break running from the saint's forehead to below Christ's knee. The details of the carving remain fine, with little weathering. The depictions of the fish are sufficiently realistic for the species of all but one to be identified; the species identified are garfish, pike, mullet, carp or bream, and plaice or flounder. Fragments of paint remaining on the surface show that the statue was originally brightly coloured, with a vermilion cloak, naturally coloured skin, and a grey beard. Traces of wax are also present, some of them overlaid by particles of blue-green paint.

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Statue of St Christopher, Norton Priory

How does Statue of St Christopher, Norton Priory elucidate its History?

The statue has been dated on stylistic grounds to have been produced between 1375 and 1400. The status of the foundation at Norton was raised from that of a priory to a mitred abbey in 1391, and it has been suggested by J. Patrick Greene, the director of the excavations in the 1970s and 1980s, that the statue may have been commissioned as a result of this. The priory was dedicated to St Mary, and when its status was raised to that of an abbey, St Christopher was adopted as a subsidiary patron saint. The sandstone was probably obtained from a quarry 1 mile (2 km) from the priory at Windmill Hill. It is likely that the statue was carved at the priory, but the identity of the sculptor is not known. The original position of the statue in the priory is uncertain. Greene suggested that it stood in the outer courtyard of the priory, where it is shown in a print dated 1727. However, Marrow argued that it was probably originally placed at the west end of the abbey church. He supports this by the fact that statues of St Christopher were sited at the west end of Notre Dame in Paris and the church in Terrington St Clement, Norfolk. He also says that the crispness of the carving is consistent with the statue having been indoors for part of its existence.The Reformation was a period in which religious sculpture was attacked or destroyed, although some items survived because they were hidden and orders to destroy them were disobeyed. At the end of this period "no more than a tiny fraction of such medieval sculpture remained". The survival of this statue is considered to be "extraordinary". Norton Priory was one of the first monasteries to be closed in the Dissolution of the Monasteries. However, while movable objects and materials were taken away, the statue, being "colossal and fragile" and probably built into the structure of the abbey, remained until the abbey and manor were sold to Sir Richard Brooke in 1545. At some time it was moved, because in a print of 1727 it is shown outside the buildings in a courtyard. The head of the Christ child was probably broken off during the Reformation, and its replacement is dated stylistically to between 1660 and 1685. It is known that the statue was on view in 1636 because reference is made to it in a poem of that date, Iter Lancastrense, by Rev Richard James.At some stage the medieval paint was removed. John Larson, who carried out conservation work on the statue, is of the opinion that it was removed deliberately at some time before about 1660 and a coat of wax, probably beeswax, was applied to give it a plainer and a "uniform dull brown appearance". This may have made it "less offensive to Reformers". No wax was found on the replacement head of the Christ child. After the Restoration the statue was on display at the priory. A print of Norton Priory by the Buck Brothers dated 1727 shows the statue displayed in front of the house in the outer courtyard. A sketch plan drawn by a member of the Randle Holme family of Chester at some time between 1664 and 1678 shows that statue was already in this position at this earlier date. Although it was outside the house, it stood against a wall and was sheltered to a degree by the overhanging upper storey; this would have given it some protection from weathering. At some time between 1727 and 1757 the old house was demolished and it was replaced by a new house in neoclassical style. The statue was moved into the garden, and it is likely that the blue-green paint was applied around this time to give it the appearance of a bronze garden sculpture. A visitor's guide to Runcorn published in 1834 states "In the garden [of Norton Priory] is an antique gigantic figure of St. Christopher".The Brooke family left Norton Priory in 1921, leaving the statue behind. The house was demolished in 1928, apart from a section of wall to which the statue was bolted. By the 1960s, the statue had sunk into the ground and was damaged. In 1964 it was given to Liverpool Museum, now part of National Museums Liverpool, and removed from the priory site because of worries about its security. In the 1990s it was taken to the National Conservation Centre in Liverpool where it underwent conservation and cleaning, including removal of the blue-green paint. After work lasting three years it was returned to Norton Priory in September 1999. The statue is on loan to Norton Priory Museum Trust until 2049.

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Statue of St Christopher, Norton Priory

How does this artwork elucidate its History?

The statue has been dated on stylistic grounds to have been produced between 1375 and 1400. The status of the foundation at Norton was raised from that of a priory to a mitred abbey in 1391, and it has been suggested by J. Patrick Greene, the director of the excavations in the 1970s and 1980s, that the statue may have been commissioned as a result of this. The priory was dedicated to St Mary, and when its status was raised to that of an abbey, St Christopher was adopted as a subsidiary patron saint. The sandstone was probably obtained from a quarry 1 mile (2 km) from the priory at Windmill Hill. It is likely that the statue was carved at the priory, but the identity of the sculptor is not known. The original position of the statue in the priory is uncertain. Greene suggested that it stood in the outer courtyard of the priory, where it is shown in a print dated 1727. However, Marrow argued that it was probably originally placed at the west end of the abbey church. He supports this by the fact that statues of St Christopher were sited at the west end of Notre Dame in Paris and the church in Terrington St Clement, Norfolk. He also says that the crispness of the carving is consistent with the statue having been indoors for part of its existence.The Reformation was a period in which religious sculpture was attacked or destroyed, although some items survived because they were hidden and orders to destroy them were disobeyed. At the end of this period "no more than a tiny fraction of such medieval sculpture remained". The survival of this statue is considered to be "extraordinary". Norton Priory was one of the first monasteries to be closed in the Dissolution of the Monasteries. However, while movable objects and materials were taken away, the statue, being "colossal and fragile" and probably built into the structure of the abbey, remained until the abbey and manor were sold to Sir Richard Brooke in 1545. At some time it was moved, because in a print of 1727 it is shown outside the buildings in a courtyard. The head of the Christ child was probably broken off during the Reformation, and its replacement is dated stylistically to between 1660 and 1685. It is known that the statue was on view in 1636 because reference is made to it in a poem of that date, Iter Lancastrense, by Rev Richard James.At some stage the medieval paint was removed. John Larson, who carried out conservation work on the statue, is of the opinion that it was removed deliberately at some time before about 1660 and a coat of wax, probably beeswax, was applied to give it a plainer and a "uniform dull brown appearance". This may have made it "less offensive to Reformers". No wax was found on the replacement head of the Christ child. After the Restoration the statue was on display at the priory. A print of Norton Priory by the Buck Brothers dated 1727 shows the statue displayed in front of the house in the outer courtyard. A sketch plan drawn by a member of the Randle Holme family of Chester at some time between 1664 and 1678 shows that statue was already in this position at this earlier date. Although it was outside the house, it stood against a wall and was sheltered to a degree by the overhanging upper storey; this would have given it some protection from weathering. At some time between 1727 and 1757 the old house was demolished and it was replaced by a new house in neoclassical style. The statue was moved into the garden, and it is likely that the blue-green paint was applied around this time to give it the appearance of a bronze garden sculpture. A visitor's guide to Runcorn published in 1834 states "In the garden [of Norton Priory] is an antique gigantic figure of St. Christopher".The Brooke family left Norton Priory in 1921, leaving the statue behind. The house was demolished in 1928, apart from a section of wall to which the statue was bolted. By the 1960s, the statue had sunk into the ground and was damaged. In 1964 it was given to Liverpool Museum, now part of National Museums Liverpool, and removed from the priory site because of worries about its security. In the 1990s it was taken to the National Conservation Centre in Liverpool where it underwent conservation and cleaning, including removal of the blue-green paint. After work lasting three years it was returned to Norton Priory in September 1999. The statue is on loan to Norton Priory Museum Trust until 2049.

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Statue of St Christopher, Norton Priory

Focus on Statue of St Christopher, Norton Priory and analyze the Iconography and the cult of St Christopher.

The name Christopher means "Christ-bearer". St Christopher was one of the most popular saints in the late medieval period and the cult based on him was derived from legends dating from the 5th century and later. It is possible that there was a person called Christopher who was martyred between 249 and 251. However, because of doubts about historical authenticity the cult came in for criticism during the Reformation. The saint's late medieval popularity derived largely from a version of the story published in 1275 in the Golden Legend by Jacobus de Voragine, in which a giant named Christopher helped travellers across a dangerous river and, when he planted his staff in the riverbank, it burst into leaf. In addition it was believed that seeing an image of the saint would protect from sudden death that day; this would have been particularly persuasive after the Black Death of 1348–49. The statue at Norton Priory was "created not as a work of art but as a practical working image with a religious purpose". Images of St Christopher are found in three poses. In the first pose the saint stands holding a staff in one hand and the Christ child in the other. The second pose, that adopted by the Norton Priory statue, shows the saint with a staff in one hand; the other hand rests on his hip and the Christ child sits on his shoulder. The third version shows the saint walking, holding the staff with both hands, and the Christ child either kneels behind his neck or sits with one leg on each side of his neck.The association between St Christopher and Norton Priory is probably the result of the priory's proximity to the River Mersey. The priory stood 3 miles (5 km) from the Runcorn ferry where it crossed the river near Runcorn Gap. The priory had an obligation to be hospitable to travellers, and the saint is the patron saint of travellers. In addition the priory received one tenth of the profits from the ferry. In 1331 priory lands had been damaged by flooding, and Greene suggested that the saint might "also have been regarded as a protector against a repeat of the floods".

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Statue of St Christopher, Norton Priory

Focus on this artwork and analyze the Iconography and the cult of St Christopher.

The name Christopher means "Christ-bearer". St Christopher was one of the most popular saints in the late medieval period and the cult based on him was derived from legends dating from the 5th century and later. It is possible that there was a person called Christopher who was martyred between 249 and 251. However, because of doubts about historical authenticity the cult came in for criticism during the Reformation. The saint's late medieval popularity derived largely from a version of the story published in 1275 in the Golden Legend by Jacobus de Voragine, in which a giant named Christopher helped travellers across a dangerous river and, when he planted his staff in the riverbank, it burst into leaf. In addition it was believed that seeing an image of the saint would protect from sudden death that day; this would have been particularly persuasive after the Black Death of 1348–49. The statue at Norton Priory was "created not as a work of art but as a practical working image with a religious purpose". Images of St Christopher are found in three poses. In the first pose the saint stands holding a staff in one hand and the Christ child in the other. The second pose, that adopted by the Norton Priory statue, shows the saint with a staff in one hand; the other hand rests on his hip and the Christ child sits on his shoulder. The third version shows the saint walking, holding the staff with both hands, and the Christ child either kneels behind his neck or sits with one leg on each side of his neck.The association between St Christopher and Norton Priory is probably the result of the priory's proximity to the River Mersey. The priory stood 3 miles (5 km) from the Runcorn ferry where it crossed the river near Runcorn Gap. The priory had an obligation to be hospitable to travellers, and the saint is the patron saint of travellers. In addition the priory received one tenth of the profits from the ferry. In 1331 priory lands had been damaged by flooding, and Greene suggested that the saint might "also have been regarded as a protector against a repeat of the floods".

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Statue of St Christopher, Norton Priory

In Statue of St Christopher, Norton Priory, how is the Recent and current display discussed?

Between September 2001 and March 2002 the statue was on display at Tate Britain in its exhibition of medieval sculpture entitled Image and Idol: Medieval Sculpture. The statue has since been on display in Norton Priory Museum.

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Statue of St Christopher, Norton Priory

In this artwork, how is the Recent and current display discussed?

Between September 2001 and March 2002 the statue was on display at Tate Britain in its exhibition of medieval sculpture entitled Image and Idol: Medieval Sculpture. The statue has since been on display in Norton Priory Museum.

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Odalisque with Raised Arms

Focus on Odalisque with Raised Arms and explore the abstract.

Odalisque With Raised Arms is a painting by Henri Matisse, completed in 1923. The oil on canvas measuring 23 by 26 inches is in the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. Matisse's style changed and evolved drastically throughout his career, including a wide and varying collection of paintings depicting the female nude. His Odalisque paintings were inspired by his trip to Morocco. Many of the female subjects in the Odalisque paintings were modeled after Matisse's main model at the time, Henriette Darricarrère.

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Odalisque with Raised Arms

Focus on this artwork and explore the abstract.

Odalisque With Raised Arms is a painting by Henri Matisse, completed in 1923. The oil on canvas measuring 23 by 26 inches is in the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. Matisse's style changed and evolved drastically throughout his career, including a wide and varying collection of paintings depicting the female nude. His Odalisque paintings were inspired by his trip to Morocco. Many of the female subjects in the Odalisque paintings were modeled after Matisse's main model at the time, Henriette Darricarrère.

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Odalisque with Raised Arms

Focus on Odalisque with Raised Arms and explain the Matisse's sources.

This painting is in dialogue with the tradition of the reclining female nude. The history of the depicting the nude female figure is far too vast to contrast Odalisque with Raised Arms with every painting of a nude woman. It is notable that modern painting was especially interested in straying from convention, and teachings from academic art. This slight rebellion can be seen in the manner in which Matisse paints his subject. She is only semi-reclined, her eyes are open, and though she is not engaging with the viewer by eye contact she seems to exude a level of awareness. Her attitude is reminiscent of Édouard Manet's Olympia. The gaze of the prostitute in the painting prevents easy contemplation of her body, she is guarded, she is challenging you, and she is dominating the relationship between the viewer and herself, with her as the object being viewed.

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Odalisque with Raised Arms

Focus on this artwork and explain the Matisse's sources.

This painting is in dialogue with the tradition of the reclining female nude. The history of the depicting the nude female figure is far too vast to contrast Odalisque with Raised Arms with every painting of a nude woman. It is notable that modern painting was especially interested in straying from convention, and teachings from academic art. This slight rebellion can be seen in the manner in which Matisse paints his subject. She is only semi-reclined, her eyes are open, and though she is not engaging with the viewer by eye contact she seems to exude a level of awareness. Her attitude is reminiscent of Édouard Manet's Olympia. The gaze of the prostitute in the painting prevents easy contemplation of her body, she is guarded, she is challenging you, and she is dominating the relationship between the viewer and herself, with her as the object being viewed.

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Odalisque with Raised Arms

Explore the Matisse's model of this artwork, Odalisque with Raised Arms.

Matisse's model for many of his paintings including Odalisque with Raised Arms is Henriette Darricarrière. Darricarrière was born in 1901, she studied ballet, violin, piano, and painting. She sat for Matisse from 1920 to 1927.

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Odalisque with Raised Arms

Explore the Matisse's model of this artwork.

Matisse's model for many of his paintings including Odalisque with Raised Arms is Henriette Darricarrière. Darricarrière was born in 1901, she studied ballet, violin, piano, and painting. She sat for Matisse from 1920 to 1927.

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Odalisque with Raised Arms

Focus on Odalisque with Raised Arms and discuss the Morocco and the Odalisque.

Matisse was inspired to paint his Odalisque's by his trip to Morocco in 1912, he argues for the legitimacy of the subject by stating “‘I do Odalisques in order to do nudes. But, how does one do a nude without being artificial? And then I do them because I know they exist. I was in Morocco, I have seen them” The word “odalisque” is derived from the Turkish word Odalik, which means chambermaid or female harem slave. Matisse would recreate the Moorish interior that he experienced on his trip by decorating parts of his studio with his collections of “oriental” objects such as tapestries, mirrors, ornate screens, decorative wall hangings, and elaborate costumes.

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Odalisque with Raised Arms

Focus on this artwork and discuss the Morocco and the Odalisque.

Matisse was inspired to paint his Odalisque's by his trip to Morocco in 1912, he argues for the legitimacy of the subject by stating “‘I do Odalisques in order to do nudes. But, how does one do a nude without being artificial? And then I do them because I know they exist. I was in Morocco, I have seen them” The word “odalisque” is derived from the Turkish word Odalik, which means chambermaid or female harem slave. Matisse would recreate the Moorish interior that he experienced on his trip by decorating parts of his studio with his collections of “oriental” objects such as tapestries, mirrors, ornate screens, decorative wall hangings, and elaborate costumes.

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Odalisque with Raised Arms

How does Odalisque with Raised Arms elucidate its Fauvism?

Matisse created many Odalisque paintings in the nineteen-twenties, when Henriette Darricarrière was his main model, and when he was still working loosely under the style of fauvism. Fauvism in painting is characterized by the isolation of individual brush strokes on the canvas and coloristic freedom that moves away from naturalistic representation. The repetition of the Odalisque as the subject was in a way a medium for Matisse to work through and explore his artistic purposes.

1249_NT

Odalisque with Raised Arms

How does this artwork elucidate its Fauvism?

Matisse created many Odalisque paintings in the nineteen-twenties, when Henriette Darricarrière was his main model, and when he was still working loosely under the style of fauvism. Fauvism in painting is characterized by the isolation of individual brush strokes on the canvas and coloristic freedom that moves away from naturalistic representation. The repetition of the Odalisque as the subject was in a way a medium for Matisse to work through and explore his artistic purposes.

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The Family of Philip V (1743)

Focus on The Family of Philip V (1743) and analyze the abstract.

The Family of Philip V is an oil-on-canvas painting by the French artist Louis-Michel van Loo, completed in 1743. It features life-sized depictions of Philip V of Spain and his family. The painting depicts the royal family in a fictional room and is in the style of French baroque and rococo art. The painting is one of a trio of paintings which bear the same name and are dated 1723 by Jean Ranc, a smaller 1738 version and the 1743 rendition, which it's the most popular of the versions

1250_NT

The Family of Philip V (1743)

Focus on this artwork and analyze the abstract.

The Family of Philip V is an oil-on-canvas painting by the French artist Louis-Michel van Loo, completed in 1743. It features life-sized depictions of Philip V of Spain and his family. The painting depicts the royal family in a fictional room and is in the style of French baroque and rococo art. The painting is one of a trio of paintings which bear the same name and are dated 1723 by Jean Ranc, a smaller 1738 version and the 1743 rendition, which it's the most popular of the versions