What is the secret of the paintings of Giuseppe Arcimboldo, which inspired Dali and other surrealists of the XX century
Fantastic talent and eccentric portraits made Giuseppe Arcimboldo, one of the strangest Renaissance artists, world famous. His compositions of portraits of flowers, fruits, leaves, fish and books are unique in…

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How the main romantic of Germany Caspar Friedrich spoke about God with atmospheric landscapes
Caspar David Friedrich is one of the leading figures in the German romantic movement. His mysterious, atmospheric landscapes and seascapes proclaimed human helplessness against the forces of nature and did…

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7 beloved women by Pablo Picasso
“If he had not become an artist, he would have become Don Juan,” once said a friend of Pablo Picasso, the French playwright Jacques Cocteau. And it’s hard to disagree…

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modernist artists

As in the Sistine Chapel, the shame was also painted over other cases of strange censorship in the history of art

Censorship is sometimes unpredictable. For example, Facebook has been seen more than once in censorship scandals … naked antique sculptures, once during an advertising campaign for an international exhibition of statues. And on Iranian television athletes are covered up during competitions in rhythmic and artistic gymnastics (which is puzzling – because then there is no point in watching the competitions). It is impossible to embrace the history of censorship, but it has its own significant events.

There is a team: hide behind

In Novosibirsk, in one of the universities in 2018, students suddenly found all antique statues placed along the corridors draped in impenetrable bedspreads. So the university has prepared for a visit by representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church. Continue reading

Two seasons of love by Paul Gauguin: Virtuous Danish and passionate Tahitian

Paul Gauguin was passionate and enthusiastic, he could instantly be inflamed with passion, but his feelings passed as quickly as they appeared. Only two women left a deep mark on the soul and work of the artist. Matte and Tekha’mana were complete opposites: a white-skinned practical Danish and a dark-skinned obedient Tahitian. With one, he lived 12 years and became the father of five children, the other gave him one child, but only for a short time lit up his life.

Family joys

Paul Gauguin met Matte-Sophie Gad in 1872. The young Danish was a member of the family of Gustave Arosa, who was a friend of the late mother of the artist. It was with his help that Paul Gauguin was able at one time to get the position of a stock broker and secure a quite decent financial position. Continue reading

As an apprentice carpenter and an orphan became a world famous salon painter: Mihai Munkachi

Recently, in the Western world of art, a trend has begun to be traced more clearly, which fundamentally changes the priorities of styles. And no matter how adherents of abstractionism and modernism resisted, finally there was a turn in the direction of figurative painting – meaningful and realistic. The audience was much more impressed by the plot canvases, which can tell a lot for themselves. And today I would like to open to the reader the name of the amazing 19th-century Hungarian painter Mihai Munkachi, whose painting in our time has become in demand like 150 years ago.

The life path of each artist is always complicated and ambiguous. So Mihai Munkachi, walking along it, experienced stunning ups and downs. But, as is known from history, only strong-willed masters, clashing with adversity and misfortune, contrary to all laws of logic, temper their art, giving it a true fortress. Continue reading

“Love Letter” by Jan Vermeer: Why the lute is central to the picture
At the first glance at Jan Vermeer's famous painting “Love Letter”, the name seems far-fetched, because the letter itself is hardly noticeable. But the lute in the hands of a…

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What butterflies meant in the paintings of world famous artists
Butterfly and moth are one of the main symbols in art and a significant number of major artists include this image in their canvases. It is noteworthy that the butterfly…

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Unknown portrait of Da Vinci’s brush: Did the great master really write “Princess Leonardo” and whom he portrayed
It may seem that the legacy of Leonardo da Vinci has many paintings - this artist, who died five hundred years ago, is mentioned too much and too often in…

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