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Study from the Palace of the Duke of Urbino, 1476.
Commissioned by Frederico da Montefeltro, duke of Urbino for a palace in Gubbio near Perugia, Italy, but now part of the collection of The Met. This room is an example of the trompe l'oeil, or "fool the eye" technique. Small pieces of wood are inlaid in patterns to resemble actual objects.
Penelope Unraveling her Work by Dora Wheeler, 1886, textile.
Wheeler and her mother ran an interior design firm and Dora Wheeler did some original textiles for the firm. This piece is featured in the Connections/Poetry by Jennette Mullaney.
The Cleveland Museum of Art also has a wonderful portrait of Dora Wheeler, which features a textile (with fighting cats) behind her done by her teacher William Merritt Chase.
Portrait of Dora Wheeler by William Merritt Chase, 1882-83, The Cleveland Museum of Art.
Pygmalion and Galatea by Jean-Leon Gerome, ca. 1890.
Gerome is well known for his beautiful paintings but he also took up sculpture late in his career and created a sculpture based on this same subject.
The Great Wave at Kanagawa (from the series Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji), c.1830-32 by Katsushika Hokusai, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
One of the most famous members of the Ukiyo-e group of printmakers from the Edo period in Japanese Art. Hokusai's work is popular in his native country and was also popular among the 19th century French Impressionists. It continues to be popular throughout the world today and a museum dedicated to his art is in Obuse, Japan.
Oedipus and the Sphinx by Gustav Moreau, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Moreau captures the tension as the Sphinx asks Oedipus that simple riddle that eluded so many before him.
Presentation Quilt, 1847-50 by Mary Heidenroder Simon.
In earlier centuries quilts were to mark important events. People would save up material from just about any source and incorporate into their work, so often a favorite shirt or dress would have a second life.
2nd Style Roman Painting c.40-30 B.C., The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Second style combines naturalistic scenes with architectural elements. Perspective was not fully developed for roughly 1500 years, so what the scenes lacked in realism they made-up for in creativity and imagination.
Woman with a Cat, 1921 by Fernand Léger, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, ©1999 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris
Léger's early study of architecture can be seen in the lines and lay-out of his paintings. His artwork is a bridge between the two worlds.
Necklace, Rene Jules Lalique, c.1900, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Lalique whose name is better known for his glass than his jewelry, created some amazing art nouveau jewelry, as he was trained as a jeweler. His jewelry often incorporated enamel which led him to begin to work in glass.
Detail
Princesse Albert de Broglie, née Joséphine-Eléonore-Marie-Pauline de Galard de Brassac de Béarn, 1853 by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres.
Ingres portraits are some of the most amazing studies of people and how we adorn ourselves. His skill at rendering the faces and capturing his sitters makes him among the finest portraitists ever.
Fur Traders Descending the Missouri, 1845 by George Caleb Bingham, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Bingham studied art in the US and in Europe, he lived in Missouri where his family had moved when he was a child. Bingham eventually took up a life in politics. Some experts differ as to the animal with the collar in the front of the boat. Some say it is a cat and some a bear cub.
Egyptian Faience Hippo, Middle Kingdom Period, 3800 - 1710 BC.
Faience is a type of ceramic with a high concentration of quartz. When fired it turns a bright blue. While the Ancient Egyptians considered the male hippo very dangerous the female was thought to bring luck in maternity. The lotus flower and other plants that decorate the body represent the river where the hippo lives.
Also see William at the Met.
Ballet Rehearsal 1874 by Edgar Degas. The Metropolitan Museum.
The teacher in these paintings was actually a dancer and friend of Degas and not the class teacher. His name was Jules Perrot.
Cat and Spider, c.1868 - 1912 by Oide Toko, The Metropolitan Museum.
From the Meiji period which began during the end of the feudal period and when Japan was exposed to the modern world. An eclectic mix of the ancient mix of the two worlds.
Garden Landscape and Fountain, 1905-1915 by Louis Comfort Tiffany, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Tiffany's father began the jewelry business that has become on of the world's most famous and Louis Comfort Tiffany could have settled into the family business, but instead he chose to create a legacy of his own and some of the most widely collected and prized art glass in the world.
Dancers in the Wings by Edgar Degas, 1876-78, Pastel
Degas is well known for his superior ability to draw and to fade into the background so that he could capture a scene without influencing what was happening.
Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop's Grounds, ca. 1825 by John Constable, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
This one is a favorite of mine by Constable because the cathedral is so clear and detailed.
Yesterday I saw a Twitter post by @m_tisserand that said “we are all edward hopper paintings now” and it struck me as so true. We are isolated and unsure of what lies ahead but somehow not without hope. This painting is owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and is called Office in a Small City from 1953. There is also an extremely disheartening piece in the New York Times today about museums not being able to weather this situation and that many will close their doors for good as a result. If you can, a donation might help. They have to contend with ongoing costs like utilities and insurance, not to mention payroll, even if their doors are closed to the public.
