The End of the Song

The End of the Song is a painting by the English artist Edmund Blair Leighton (1852-1922) that was made in 1902. It depicts a scene from the Medieval romance Tristan and Isolde.

In the artwork we can see the tragic lovers sitting outside on a bench. To the right we can see King Mark, the husband of Isolde, looking at the couple with a growing suspicion.

Why is the painting's title supposed to mean? Does it refer to Tristan's harp that he has stopped playing in order to chat with Isolde? Or does it mean that their love song is about to end as Isolde's husband discovers the truth?

This painting is typical of the medieval scenes that Leighton liked to paint. It represents the middle ages as bright and shiny merry old England of brave knights and fair maidens.

The Abbey in the Oakwood

The Abbey in the Oakwood is a painting by the German artist Caspar David Friedrich (1774-1840) that was made around 1809 to 1810.

The artwork presents a gloomy scene cast in darkness. The features of the landscape are barely perceivable. Dark trees arise from the black ground. In the center we can see the ruins of an abbey, with only a single window remaining of the once great edifice. On the ground, there are gravestones littered about.

Everything about the painting screams dead and forgotten. There is no life about this place, it is lost to the human world and now stands as a relic of an age passed by. Only remnants of it remain, and even those are sliding back into the night.

This artwork is a great example of the Romantic art genre and its obsession with the medieval world. The age of Enlightenment optimism is over, the bright and shiny future came to nought. All that is left is to stare into the night as all our glory passes away.

Empress Eugenie Surrounded by her Ladies in Waiting

Empress Eugenie Surrounded by her Ladies in Waiting is a painting by the German artist Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805-1873) that was made in 1855. It is a portrait of Eugénie de Montijo, wife of Napoleon III, Emperor of the French and France's last monarch.

This artwork depicts the life of an empress just as you would imagine it. She is sitting outside in a garden, with verdant trees behind her, together with her eight ladies-in-waiting. The all wear beautiful dresses of all sorts of colours. No doubt they were just frolicking about the palace grounds and stopped for a moment to let us admire their elegance.

The entire image is a little girl's fantasy of what being royalty must be like. Winterhalter was famous for these kind of paintings of glamorous people in dazzling clothes living carefree lives. 

Unfortunately, reality rarely turns out like the pretty pictures. The Second French Empire didn't even make it to its 18th birthday before Napoleon III was overthrown. Eugenie's only son died aged just 23. 

Such summer idylls don't last long. Eventually cruel winter comes for them all.

Madame de Pompadour

Madame de Pompadour is painting by the French artist François Boucher (1703-1770) that was made in 1756. It is a portrait of Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour, the mistress of the French king Louis XV. She is one of the great symbols of the 18th century and the French monarchy in its last golden age.

In this artwork we see Pompadour lounging on a sofa in her richly decorated apartments. She wears a green dress with pink ribbons and flowers. In her right hand she holds a book that sits on her lap. On the right side is a small writing desk with a quill and candle. On the the left side at the bottom sits a little black dog.

Pompadour sits behind a mirror that reflects the back of her head and some books in a cupboard. The room is decorated with a golden coloured wallpaper and curtains. There are roses below her feet and under her desk.

What does this portrait want us to think about Pompadour? The books want us to see her as a wise and intelligent woman. Dogs in portraits are usually a symbol of loyalty and fidelity. The richness of the clothing and her surroundings shows off Pompadour's great status and power. And yet the little flowers scattered about suggest a hidden delicateness.

The Death of Socrates

 

The Death of Socrates is a history painting by the French artist Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825) that was made in 1787. This painting is one of the great works of Neoclassicism the art genre of the Enlightenment that looked back to the classical world.

This painting takes us to Ancient Greece and the last moments of the great philosopher Socrates. He is in a dark dungeon, surrounded by his followers and about to take the cup of poison. All about him men are stricken with grief while he alone is calm. The one who hands him the cup can't even bear to look at Socrates.

It is not just a man that dies in this artwork but reason itself. It wants us to feel sad at this loss of light, yet comforted by the knowledge that history will remember Socrates and not his judges. It is wrath of the intelligent against an unjust system.

It is also prescient in how it predicts the French Revolution's descent into madness. A movement that started with the best of intentions but ended up being more bloody than the ancien régime that came before it. A time when reason truly died.

Saint Jerome Writing

 

Saint Jerome Writing is painting by the Italian artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610) who is often known just by his last name. It was completed sometime around 1605 to 1606.

The artwork depicts the early christian saint Jerome of Stridon who was born sometime in the 340s and died in 420. He is famous for translating the Bible into Latin, a translation known as the Vulgate.

In this painting we see Jerome busy at his work. His head is buried in books and he doesn't even notice our presence. To him we are but passers by, unworthy enough to interrupt him from his sacred work. He wears a red cloth that is wrapped around his aging body. His bald head shines brightly, and above it is a barely noticeable halo.

Jerome's desk is littered with books, and above them on the left side sits a single skull. The background is pitch black. The entire scene is unnatural and is not meant to be understood as a realistic depiction.

So what does this work of art mean? Is the darkness in the back meant to represent the earthly world, while Jerome and his books are the light of the true religion? Is the skull a symbol of mortality, that our time on this earth is short and we should focus on spiritual matters? Or do we, in modern times, look to this painting as representing the church in darkness, a thing of the past that is fading into oblivion?

Elizabeth I when a Princess

Elizabeth I when a Princess is a portrait of the english queen that is attributed to the flemish artist William Scrots. It was painted around 1546 to 1547 when Elizabeth was 13 years old.

The painting depicts Queen Elizabeth I of England in her teenage days, long before her ascent to the throne. She wears a red dress and that is richly decorated with pearls. The colours of her clothing are the royal colours of England. The painting wants to present Elizabeth as a worthy member of the Tudor dynasty. Despite her young age, she is unafraid to look us straight in the eyes.

Elizabeth holds a book in her hands and behind her is another book that lies open. The artwork tries to impress upon us the idea that she is a wise and learned princess. 

Of course, we today look at this work of art with hindsight. We know that Elizabeth will become a great queen, but at the time of the making of this portrait nothing about her future was certain.

Dancing Fairies

Dancing Fairies is a painting by the swedish artist August Malmström (1829-1901) that was made in 1866.

In the artwork we can see what at first appears to be mist on an evening landscape. But as you look closer you can see the vague shapes of humans as the spectral beings move across the land and the river. A moon can be seen in the background, signifying the coming night.

Reality and fantasy are mixed together in this painting. Is what we see merely an illusion, a trick on our eyes that makes us see something that isn't there? Or are we getting a peek behind the curtain as the spirits of nature reveal themselves to us? 

What does this painting represent? Is it rebellion against rationalism and wanting to see the magic of the world? A notion that there's something more to this life than materialism? Is it worship of nature, or is it a fear of its hidden powers?

Where do the fairies come from and where are they going? Will they take us with them, or is this but a moment that we are given on this calm evening?

Gnome Watching the Railway Train

 

Gnome Watching the Railway Train is a painting by the german artist Carl Spitzweg (1808-1885). It was made around 1848. Spitzweg was one of the great artists of the German Romanticism and the Biedermeier genres.

In the painting we see a lone gnome looking at a train passing by in the distance. He stands at the entrance of a dark cave that surrounds the borders of this artwork, while outside there is bright daylight.

What is this painting supposed to mean? Is it about the arrival of modernity and the new industrial age that leaves the old medieval world in darkness? A bright future outside that is waiting to be discovered?

Or is the piece more melancholy? Are we supposed to empathize with the gnome and feel his sadness as he sees his time pass by? Should we feel sad about the destruction of nature that this new mechanical era will bring? 

Is the piece about optimism or nostalgia? Are we the little creature whose days are numbered, or are we in the train and unaware that a gnome is watching us from far away?

Madame Victoire of France

Madame Victoire of France is a portrait painting by the french artist Adélaïde Labille-Guiard (1749-1803) that was made in 1788. The artwork depicts Princess Marie Louise Thérèse Victoire, one of the three unmarried daughters of the french king Louis XV. Her nephew, Louis XVI, referred to his aunts as Mesdames Tantes. She and her sister Adélaïde managed to escape the revolution and both died in Trieste a few years later.

In the painting we see the 55-year-old princess strolling about in the gardens of the Château de Bellevue. She wears a blue dress and is staring right at us. Her hand is slightly pointed towards a statue that represents friendship, and below it are flowers in a pot. In the distance dark green trees seem to go on forever.

What is happening in this painting? Is the princess showing off her garden to us? Does she want us to observe the simplicity of the flowers? Does the portrait try to portray not just Victoire's appearance but inner being?

The Swing

The Swing is a painting by the french artist Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806) that was made in 1767. It is one of the masterpieces of the rococo genre.

The artwork takes us back to the simpler days of the french aristocracy before the revolution where noble lords and ladies spent their days in idle pleasure. The whole scene looks like something out of a fairy tale. A garden in some perfect nowhere, people dressed in soft lace and silk. A life lived without the usual cares of one's everyday existence, just comfort and luxury where life is an endless summer where you frolic through the garden. 

Look at the woman in the center of the piece. Would you not want to be her? To sit there in your pretty pink dress, going up and down the swing in the most sublime of gardens. The scent of sweet flowers about you, the sound of birds chirping around you. And down there below is a man - your lover, your admirer who desires you above all else in this world.

Love is all about in this painting. Two statues of cupids stand in the background looking at our two main characters. The hand of the the lover is reaching towards that untouchable place. This artwork is a mix of both innocence and sensual knowledge.

Bonaparte Before the Sphinx

 

Bonaparte Before the Sphinx is a history painting by the french artist Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824-1904) that was made in 1886. The artwork depicts Napoleon Bonaparte, while still the First Consult of the French Republic, during his Egyptian Campaign from 1798 to 1801.

In the painting we see the Great Sphinx of Giza looming large over the landscape while Napoleon seems small and insignificant next to it. In the distance we can see Napoleon's army, but he himself stands alone before this monument. The sphinx is the only object that we can see, as it is surrounded by a lifeless desert of sand and rock.

What is he thinking as he looks at the buried statue? Is he admiring the work of the ancient pharaohs? Or are his thoughts heavy with the realization that all glory is meant to fade and be hidden by the sands of time.

The painting was made when all of this was long in the past. We who look at it now, as in Gérôme's days, know that Napoleon will make himself an emperor and that his empire will fall. We know that after him France will never again be the world superpower. Perhaps for Gérôme France is the same as Egypt - a country whose glory days are in the past.

Anne of Austria

 

Anne of Austria is a portrait painting of the french queen by the flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) that was made around 1622. It depicts the spanish-born Queen of France, the wife of Louis XIII and mother of Louis XIV, the sun king.

In this painting the queen stands against a pitch black background. There is nothing else for our eyes to gaze at other than her majesty. She wears a magnificent blue dress that is adorned with pearls and fleur-de-lis, the symbol of the french monarchy. Her eyes are looking directly at us. Everything about Anne's clothing and bearing is an expression of her regal power.

In this artwork the artist puts us directly in front of the queen, as if we had come to her for an audience. We're not catching a quick glimpse from afar as we're passing by, no. We're standing right next to her and in awe of her presence. The portrait is meant to overwhelm you, to deliver the thought that royals are not like us mere mortals, that they are God's chosen creatures meant to reign over us.

Spring

 

Spring is a painting by the italian artist Sandro Botticelli that was made sometime between the late 1470s or early 1480s. It is one of the masterworks of the Italian Renaissance, often just known by its italian name - Primavera.

In the center stands the love goddess Venus, as a queen overseeing her court and above her a cupid. To her right are the Three Graces, or Charites, going around in a dance of merriment. To the left of Venus is Flora the goddess of spring that brings flowers from her lap. To the sides we see Mercury and the nymph Chloris carried off by Zephyrus.

In the background we see trees but they are black and seem more like shadowy columns that enclose us. The ground is also black. On this dark background all the fruits and trees look more brighter. Their colours are in stark contrast with the rest of nature.

So what are we to think when we look at this artwork? At first it looks like a celebration of nature, an idealistic allegory of the seasons with love, flowers and beauty at the very center of it. The medieval world has died and the classical one is reborn. A new age has come and this painting is a celebration of youth.

And yet, to the right there is Zephyrus stealing away one of the members of this idyllic scene. He is dark blue like a spirit from the netherworld. Is he winter, a time of death, and its bitter cold that won't go away? And to the left is Mercury the god of thieves. Has he too come to steal something from us? And then there is the darkness that surrounds us. Is the artist trying to say that in nature there is both beauty and harshness?

Miranda

 

Miranda by is a painting by the english artist John William Waterhouse (1849-1917) that was completed in 1875. The artwork depicts Miranda, a character from The Tempest by William Shakespeare. It is she that utters the famous phrase, "A brave new world." Though the artist is mostly known as a member of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, this particular painting is in his earlier Academic style.

In the artwork we see Miranda dressed in a white gown of the classical era. She looks more like a character from Ancient Greece or Rome and not from early 17th century when the play was written. The light colour of her dress makes her seem almost naked. The bare feet add to her look of fragility. Her hair is a light brown colour, but her face is barely visible as she stares off in the distance across the dark sea.

Can you see yourself there? Sitting there on cold rocks, barely dressed, while sharp wind brings gray storm clouds towards you. What do you think as you look across the endless sea as the last rays of sunlight are to be cowered by dark clouds? Can you feel the wet sand on your feet, the cold in your toes as they feel the biting wind? Do you hope that the sea will bring forth your saviour, the one who will take you away from the small world that is all that you have ever known?

The painting has a mood of longing. It is a fragile human being against the harshness of the natural world. It is waiting for escape.

Morning in a Pine Forest

 

 

Morning in a Pine Forest is painting by the russian artists Ivan Shishkin (1832-1898) and Konstantin Savitsky (1844-1905). The artwork was made in 1889. The painting is often attributed solely to Shishkin, while Savitsky's, who drew the bears, and his contribution is often forgotten.

In this painting we travel to the very depths of the forest. Old and once grand trees lie fallen down littering the forest floor. Up above us there is the golden sun whose morning rays barely penetrate the deep woods. Around us the white fog, rising from the ground. You could almost feel the slight chill in the air of a damp morning.

We are invited to see a scene that man is not meant to observe. It is nature as it exists on its own. It's not the tidy and well kept forest meant for human enjoyment, but the natural messiness of the animal world.

In the center of the painting there are four bears - a mother and her cubs. Two little bears are playing on the nearly fallen tree  while their mother stands on guard watching them. Meanwhile the third bear cub stares in the distance of the misty forest. What is he thinking? Does he wonder what lies beyond at the very heart of the forest? A future hidden in the clouds?

The painting is a masterwork of russian realism. The realist artists of the Peredvizhniki movement tried to accurately capture the world and its rough beauty. Peredvizhniki is usually translated as The Wanderers, the people who sought to leave behind the old conservative notions of art.

Marie Antoinette with a Rose

Marie Antoinette with a Rose is a portrait painting by the french artist Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun (1755-1842). It was painted in 1783.

In the painting we see the ill fated Queen of France at her most happiest time, when the troubles of the future would have seemed unimaginable.

The queen holds in her hand a single white rose, whose inner pink matches the blush of her cheeks. She stares at us and wants us to admire it. Her dress is a light blue colour, with lace and frills. She has feathers in her hair. Her entire appearance is as fragile as the rose that she holds.

In the background we see a garden with more roses growing on a bush. It was a place she would have loved to be in - away from the all the court pomp and ceremony.

The landscape is dark and ominous. Marie-Antoinette stands bright and shining against the gloomy backdrop. The trees are black and their features are barely perceptible. The sky is a dark blue - an omen for the storm to come. This combination of the delicacy of the flowers and the dark background is a great symbol for Marie-Antoinette's whole life - a life of gilded simplicity that was cut short by the violence of the French Revolution.

This painting comes to us from the last days of rococo art. It was art that represented all that was delicate and too soft for this world. It was art of princesses frolicking in the gardens with not a care in the world. All of it would be washed away by the birth of the new industrial age that brought with it the end of the old aristocracy.