Friday, April 30, 2010

Isabella and the Pot of Basil

(click to enlarge)
John White Alexander
(American, 1856-1915)
Isabella and the Pot of Basil, 1897
Oil on canvas

I posted a painting of the same subject just a few days ago. How different they are! This one is (obviously) much darker. I think it's very original and memorable.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Tristan and Isolde with the Potion

 (click to enlarge)
John William Waterhouse
(English, 1849-1917)
Tristan and Isolde with the Potion, 1916
Oil on canvas

I posted another painting of the same subject awhile back, and you can read the story there.  Take a moment to enlarge the painting and notice how loosely it is painted, especially the background.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Fairies of the Meadow

 
(click to enlarge)
Nils Blommer
(Swedish, 1816-1853)
Fairies of the Meadow,1850
Oil on canvas

This painting is so different! I wish I could find a higher quality photo . . . Anyway, notice the knight on horseback in the background. And how the fairies hover above the ground!

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

The New Arrival


(click to enlarge)
Jules Worms
(French, 1832-1914)
Le Nouveau Qui Arrive (The New Arrival), ????
Oil on canvas

Definitely a painting that seems to have a story!

Monday, April 26, 2010

Isabella

(click to enlarge)
Henrietta Rae
(English, 1859-1928)
Isabella, ????
Oil on canvas

The painting shows a scene from John Keat's poem Isabella, or the Pot of Basil. It's a rather long poem, but to sum it up, Isabella's brothers murder her lover and cut off his head. Isabella then buries the head in a pot of basil and tends it obsessively. The painting depicts this part of the poem:
Hung over her sweet basil evermore,
And moisten'd it with tears unto the core.
 It's the subject of many paintings, so you'll probably be seeing Isabella again on this blog soon!

Sunday, April 25, 2010

The Girl I Left Behind Me

 
(click to enlarge)
Eastman Johnson
(American, 1824-1906)
The Girl I Left Behind Me, 1870
Oil on canvas

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Muse Playing the Harp

 
(click to enlarge)
Antoine-Auguste-Ernest Hebert
(French, 1817-1909)
Muse Playing the Harp, ????
Oil on canvas

Friday, April 23, 2010

Midsummer Eve

(click to enlarge)
Edward Robert Hughes
(English, 1851-1914)
Midsummer Eve, 1908 
Watercolor with gouache

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Miss Betty Pollock

 (click to enlarge)
John William Waterhouse
(English, 1849-1917)
Miss Betty Pollock, 1911
Oil on canvas

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

The Household Gods

 (click to enlarge)
John William Waterhouse
(English, 1849-1917)
The Household Gods, 1880
Oil on canvas

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

La Lecture

(click to enlarge)
Frederic Soulacroix
(Italian, 1858-1933)
La Lecture, ????
Oil on canvas

Monday, April 19, 2010

Faith

(click to enlarge)
Arthur Hughes
(English, 1832-1915)
Faith, ????
Oil on canvas

It was extremely hard to find a high quality photo of this painting, and the one I finally ended up using is a bit small. Here is a larger photo that is slightly cropped:
(click to enlarge)

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Piazza of St. Mark's, Venice

(click to enlarge)
William Logsdail
(French, 1859-1944)
Piazza of St. Mark's, Venice, 1883
Oil on canvas

Photo of the piazza can be seen here.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Juliet

 (click to enlarge)
John William Waterhouse
(English, 1849-1917)
Juliet, 1898
Oil on canvas

Juliet from Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. I'm sure the plot is well known enough that I don't need to post a summary. Whether you like the play or not, it's a pretty painting. :)

Friday, April 16, 2010

Asleep in the Woods

(click to enlarge)
Arthur Hughes
(English, 1832-1915)
Asleep in the Woods, ????
Oil on canvas

Thursday, April 15, 2010

The Mirror

 (click to enlarge) 
Frank Markham Skipworth
(American, 1854-1929)
The Mirror, 1911
Oil on canvas

Everything about this painting is so delicate and dreamy: the colors, the jewelry, the dress . . .

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

The Fair Beauty and the Dark One


(click to enlarge)
James Archer
(English, 1823-1904)
The Fair Beauty and the Dark One, 1874
Oil on canvas

Aww!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Pietà

 
(click to enlarge)
Annibale Carracci
(Italian, 1560-1609)
Pietà, 1599-1600
Oil on canvas

Monday, April 12, 2010

The Farmer's Daughter

 
(click to enlarge)
Elizabeth Jane Gardner Bouguereau
(American, 1837-1922)
The Farmer's Daughter, 1876
Oil on canvas

I love the colors and the girl looks so pretty and graceful. She rather reminds me of a princess or worthy peasant maid in a fairy tale. Snow White perhaps?
You probably noticed that the style is a lot like William Adolphe Bouguereau's and they have the same last name. Elizabeth Jane Gardner Bouguereau was William Adolphe Bouguereau's student and later his wife!

Sunday, April 11, 2010

A Music Party

(click to enlarge)
Arthur Hughes
(English, 1832-1915)
A Music Party, 1861-64
Oil on canvas

Wow, I love the vibrant colors and gorgeous fabrics! And notice how the son is holding the father's hand. It's such a sweet detail! :)

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Three Little Girls

(click to enlarge)
Charles Hopkinson
(American, 1869-1962)
Three Little Girls, 1911
Oil on canvas

Friday, April 9, 2010

Expectations

 
(click to enlarge)
Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema
(Dutch, 1836-1912)
Expectations, 1885
Oil on canvas

I'm not usually a fan of "toga pictures," but I think this one is interesting. It looks like there's a storm brewing . . .

Thursday, April 8, 2010

The Three Princesses


(click to enlarge)
Edward Matthew Hale
(English, 1852-1924)
The Three Princesses, 1881
Oil on canvas

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Sir Galahad

(click to enlarge)
Sir Joseph Noel Paton
(English, 1821-1901)
Sir Galahad, ????
Oil on canvas

Galahad the pure knight again!

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Stitching the Standard

(click to enlarge)
Edmund Blair Leighton
(English, 1853-1922)
Stitching the Standard, 1911
Oil on canvas

This painting is so gorgeous! I love the colors, the way she's perched on the wall, and the tiny glimpse of her shoes! The colors seem a bit unusual to me (you don't usually see so much yellow and black together) but it works so well! I get an impression of sweetness and strength.

Monday, April 5, 2010

The Orchard, Quimperle

(click to enlarge)
Stanhope Alexander Forbes
(Irish, 1857-1947)
The Orchard, Quimperle, 1882
Oil on canvas

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Women Saints at the Tomb

(click to enlarge)
William Adolphe Bouguereau
(French, 1825-1905)
Le Saintes Femmes au Tombeau (Women Saints at the Tomb), ????
Oil on canvas

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Pietà

(click to enlarge)
Massimo Stanzione
(Italian, 1585-1656)
Pietà, 1621-25
Oil on canvas

Friday, April 2, 2010

The Flagellation of Christ

(click to enlarge)
William Adolphe Bouguereau
(French, 1825-1905)
Flagellation de Notre Seigneur Jésus Christ (The Flagellation of Christ), 1880
Oil on canvas

Thursday, April 1, 2010

The Last Supper

 
(click to enlarge) 
Pascal-Adolphe-Jean Dagnan-Bouveret 
(French, 1852-1929) 
The Last Supper, ????
Oil on canvas