Artists and Movements

THE PORTRAIT OF POPE JULIUS II BY RAFFAELLO: ANALYSIS AND CURIOSITIES There are two versions of Raphael’s portrait of Julius II. The first is currently in London and was painted in 1511, while the second is in Italy, dated around 1512 and is kept in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. In this post, I describe […]

WHY MONET’S WATER LILIES ARE IMPORTANT AND WHERE THEY ARE FOUND Monet’s water lilies are none other than the flowers in the pond at the painter’s house in Giverny. From a young age, the artist had focused his attention on seascapes, such as ‘Impression, soleil levant’ with which he inaugurated the first Impressionist exhibition. However, […]

THE BED OF TOULOUSE-LAUTREC: DESCRIPTION, WHERE TO SEE THE WORK AND CURIOSITIES Toulouse-Lautrec’s Bed is simply one of the earliest depictions of female couples. Sapphic love had never been of interest to painting and neither did the patrons request this type of representation, unless it was set in a mythological scenario. Toulouse-Lautrec breaks a taboo […]

WHO WAS RAFFAELLO’S YOUNG WOMAN AND WHERE TO SEE HER TODAY Who was actually Raphael’s young woman (La Muta) and why did the artist correct the work several times? This portrait has sparked scholarly speculation, prompted investigations in the archives and fuelled many stories, but still has not unravelled its mysteries. We know almost nothing […]

THE PORTRAIT OF CARAVAGGIO AT THE ROYAL PALACE OF NAPLES If you visit the Royal Palace in Naples, don’t forget to look for Caravaggio’s portrait, which can be found in one of the oldest frescoed vaults in the palace. The artist who frescoed the vault, and who painted the portrait of the great master, is […]

WORKS AND TICKETS MUSÉE MARMOTTAN MONET What are the works and how to book tickets for the Musée Marmottan Monet? Here is a post to discover some of the most significant works of the master of Impressionism kept in the museum, which is the repository of the largest collection of works by Claude Monet in […]

DANIELE DA VOLTERRA AND MICHELANGELO’S BRONZE PORTRAITS Daniele Ricciarelli, known as Daniele da Volterra (1509 – 1566), was a friend and pupil of Michelangelo Buonarroti and was present at the master’s death in his Roman home on 18 February 1564. By virtue of this bond between the pupil and his master, Leonardo Buonarroti, Michelangelo’s nephew, […]

JUDITH DECAPITATING HOLOFERNES BY CARAVAGGIO Caravaggio’s Judith Beheading Holofernes is one of Michelangelo Merisi’s masterpieces and one of the most important works of the 17th century. The work belonged to the banker Ottavio Costa, one of the most famous and wealthy figures in early 17th-century Rome. Ottavio Costa was so proud of his ownership of […]

THE WORKS OF DONATELLO, SYMBOL OF THE RENAISSANCE Donatello’s works made a profound mark on art in the 15th century, becoming a point of reference for entire generations of artists. His fame as a sculptor and architect spread from Tuscany to the Veneto, from the Marches to Rome and Naples, comparable only to the greats […]

TITIAN’S WOMEN: THE FEMALE PORTRAIT IN SIXTEENTH-CENTURY VENICE Titian’s women appear sensual and elegant. In his numerous portraits, they seem to belong to the more affluent strata of society and appear strong and confident. Was this really the case? In 16th-century Venice, the image of women took on a role that had never been seen […]

THE MADONNA LIA AND THE STUDENTS OF LEONARDO DA VINCI The Madonna Lia, painted by Francesco Napolitano, is part of a group of works executed in Leonardo da Vinci’s Milanese workshop at the end of the 15th century, during the years when Leonardo was engaged in numerous assignments at the Sforza court. Here is what […]

YOUNG WOMAN BY PICASSO: HISTORY AND CURIOSITIES OF A PAINTING  Young Woman by Picasso is a Cubist painting from 1909. It belongs to Pablo Picasso’s most important works and is an example of the painter’s research in the phase of Analytical Cubism. The painting has participated in international exhibitions and is coming to Italy, for […]

MONET AND THE IMPRESSIONISTS IN NORMANDY In Normandy, Monet and the Impressionists experimented with techniques to depict the landscape as it is. Inspired by a magical place, they found the inspiration that would change the course of art history forever, acquiring the ability to depict clear skies and threatening clouds, sparkling water and verdant valleys […]

THE ENTOMBMENT OF CHRIST BY CARAVAGGIO: ANALYSIS AND CURIOUS FACTS Caravaggio was said to be a tormented artist who painted works destined to be both admired and criticized at the same time. But not everyone knows that the Entombment of Christ was the only painting that was met with general approval. In this post you’ll […]

DEPOSITION BY RAPHAEL, ALSO KNOWN AS BORGHESE ENTOMBMENT: DESCRIPTION AND CURIOUS FACTS The Deposition by Raphael is one of the artist’s early masterpieces, painted before he moved to Rome, at the court of Pope Julius II, and before many other masterpieces such as the Madonna of the Chair or the Fornarina. In this post you’ll discover details and curious facts […]

THE DEATH OF MARAT BY DAVID: ANALYSIS AND CURIOUS FACTS On July 13th 1793 the news of the death of Marat, a protagonist of the French Revolution, shocked France. Marat was stabbed to death and his murderer, Charlotte Corday, four days after the assassination and after a summary trial, was executed by guillotine. In this post you’ll […]

Saint Catherine of Alexandria by Caravaggio is a painting painted in 1597, a happy period and of great work for the artist. Everything seemed to be perfect, but that it wasn’t exactly true. After all, the model Caravaggio used for the painting belonged to the dark world that inhabited Rome in the late 17th century, […]

LE MOULIN DE LA GALETTE: DESCRIPTION AND CURIOUS FACTS The painting Le Moulin de la Galette by Picasso was executed in 1900, and is considered one of his most interesting early paintings, prior to Cubism but already pervaded by the Parisian atmosphere that the Spanish artist had just started to experience. In this post you’ll find a description […]

POLLARD WILLOWS AT SUNSET BY VAN GOGH: DESCRIPTION AND CURIOUS FACTS When I look at Pollard Willows at Sunset by van Gogh there’s a words that immediately comes to my mind: emotion. If I look at brushstrokes and lines drawn by van Gogh with colour I feel his emotion while admiring this Provençal landscape. I can […]

GOYA’S PAINTINGS: THE UNMISSABLE ONES AND WHERE TO ADMIRE THEM What are Goya’s paintings and where can you admire them? Francisco Goya was the most important Spanish artist after Velázquez and the most famous before Picasso. Just visionary and daring enough to create modern paintings that denounce the horrors of war.  Goya’s paintings to know and […]