Artists and Movements

STILL LIFE: CARAVAGGIO AND THE BASKET OF FRUIT Still life Caravaggio. Caravaggio’s Basket of Fruit is considered to be the first Italian still-life painting, a pictorial genre which already existed and had a long tradition behind, and whose undisputed masters were the Flemish painters. In Italy the use of still life was only a decorative […]

EDOUARD MANET: THE LUNCHEON ON THE GRASS When I think of Edouard Manet, the first painting that comes to my mind is The Luncheon on the grass, the first painting which distances itself from academic painting, and which marks the beginning of the artistic career of the master of the Impressionists. In this post I’ll […]

BOTTICELLI’S VENUS: THE BIRTH OF VENUS AND BOTTICELLI’S MUSE Botticelli’s Venus. The days I spent in Florence in January were characterized by rest and relaxation, and those who followed me on Instagram could see what places I visited and what artworks I admired. The most exciting day was the day I dedicated to my visit […]

The Pietà Rondanini is Michelangelo Buonarroti’s last work, and perhaps also his most intense and moving. An unfinished masterpiece that does not showcase the artist’s technical perfection, but rather his profound spirituality, human fragility, and the urgency to leave behind an artistic and inner testament. Today, it can be admired at the Castello Sforzesco in […]

DONATO BRAMANTE: ARCHITECT AND PAINTER  Donato Bramante (1444-1514) was one of the most important architects and painters of the Renaissance, and it seems that he studied in Urbino and was a collaborator of Piero della Francesca. Little is known about Bramante’s life and his early years, but for certain he established himself on the 16th-century artistic scene by bringing back to the […]

5 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT PIERO DELLA FRANCESCA Piero della Francesca, one of the greatest 15th century Italian artists, a pioneer of the Italian Renaissance who had significant influence in the development of Italian painting. Piero della Francesca spending most of his life at the most important Courts in Central and Adriatic Italy. Among the wide […]

THE NIGHT WATCH Rembrandt painted The Night Watch in 1640 on commission from the doctor Frans Banning Cocq, who also commanded a company of harquebusiers, the Kloveniers. This painting is Rembrandt’s masterpiece, and the artist was paid 1,600 guilders, and according to the documents, each person portrayed gave him 100 guilders.

WORKS BY INGRES: THE SOURCE Works by Ingres. When I visited the exhibition dedicated to Impressionism in Treviso I was impressed that the among the first paintings on shown there were some portraits by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, a leading figure of Neoclassical painting, a style which would be overwhelmed by Impressionism. But it’s the first time […]

THE 16TH CENTURY: THE GREATEST MASTERS I often write about artists and artistic movements, taking for granted that everyone can associate with right historic period. But a reader left a comment on my Facebook profile which made me think. She lives in the USA e and is keen on fashion, but she shows little about […]

WORKS BY TITIAN: WHERE YOU CAN FIND AND SEE WORKS BY TITIAN IN VENICE Works by Titian. Great exhibitions often offer the chance to admire masterpieces of artists we love. Few minutes far from Treviso lies Venice, and there you may find some of the most important works of this artist.

THE BEETHOVEN FRIEZE BY KLIMT The narrative theme is an interpretation of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, whose Ode to joy, conducted by Mahler, was performed for the opening of the event. Klimt is a portrait of the great musicians to put a face to its armed knight, who heeds to the human desire for happiness and goes forth to […]

AMOR SACRO E AMOR PROFANO (SACRED AND PROFANE LOVE): TITIAN’S MYSTERIOUS PAINTING Amor sacro e amor profano (Sacred and profane love). Titian was one of the most important Renaissance artists, and his works entered the most prestigious private and public art collections in the world. Among them there was Cardinal Scipione Borghese’s art collection. In […]

TITIAN PAINTER: PHOTO GALLERY OF TITIAN’S PAINTINGS Titian painter. Titian is certainly my favourite Renaissance artist. He had a formidable talent, that he showed since he was a child, but above all he managed to pursue his career wisely. In this post you will find the images of his most important paintings. 

ANTONIO CANOVA, LIFE AND WORKS Antonio Canova was born in Possagno, near Treviso, on November 1st 1757. Antonio’s father was a stonecutter and his paternal grandfather led him into the art of sculpting. Canova soon showed great talent, and was sent to Venice where he spent some time at the most important sculptures’ studios, and […]

THE MACCHIAIOLI Macchiaioli. Not a year goes by without an exhibition dedicated to the Macchiaioli or to an artist who was attached somehow to the most important artistic movement in Italy in the 19th century. I think it’s time for me to give a definition of “Macchiaioli”, and I will be waiting for your comments […]

CANOVA IN VENICE: CANOVA AT THE GALLERIE DELL’ACCADEMIA IN VENICE Canova in Venice. One of the greatest novelties of the new tour of the exhibition at the Gallerie dell’Accademia, which I have recently described in a special post dedicated to the new rooms set in the Palladian Wing, is the exhibition of the works by […]

Hello! Have you ever thought about how fascinating Monet’s world is, today more than ever? Reliving his artistic discoveries through contemporary events and insights brings out an art that is never “old.” I’ll take you inside Monet, into the beating heart of Impressionism, with new curiosities, unmissable exhibitions, and brilliant reflections. 5 THINGS TO KNOW […]

  The Madonna del parto (the Madonna of parturition) by Piero della Francesca The Madonna del parto (Madonna of the parturition) by Piero della Francesca. One of the most fascinating and mysterious masterpieces by Piero della Francesca is located in Monterchi, in province of Arezzo. It’s a fresco painted for a lateral altar in an […]

Alvise Vivarini Alvise Vivarini was born between 1442 and 1453 in Venice.He trained in the family workshop with his father Antonio Vivarini and his uncle Bartolomeo, specializing in altarpiece painting.

BRERA MADONNA by Piero della Francesca Brera Madonna. One of the most famous painting by the Italian Renaissance master Piero della Francesca is Montefeltro Altarpiece, also known as Brera Madonna or Brera Altarpiece. It’s a mysterious masterpiece and its exact dating, its meaning, and its original placing are still the subject of scholars’ investigations.