Jacques-Louis David - The Intervention of the Sabine Women

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Inspired by Jacques-Louis David - The Intervention of the Sabine Women

In the 8th century BC, the Romans abducted the Sabine women to increase their child bearing population. They abducted 30 women, including the princess Hersilia, who became the wife of Romulus the Roman leader. Years later the Sabines returned to Rome to get revenge. In the ensuing battle Hersilia, the Sabine women and all their kids intervened to stop the bloodshed. Hersilia is standing between her father Tatius, King of the Sabines and her husband Romulus first king of Rome. In the end the two tribes sued for peace and formed a joint government.

The children in the foreground seem to be oblivious to the battle going on around them. Two of the children are having a wrestling match. The one attacks his brother like they were in a schoolyard brawl. In the middle of all this mayhem, the baby between Romulus’ feet casually sucks his thumb.

Go here for original photo: bit.ly/3vyNqAN

Jacques-Louis David - Napoleon Crossing the Alps

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Inspired by: Jacques-Louis David - Napoleon Crossing the Alps

This was the first of five versions of this painting. When Napoleon became the First Consul he attempted to make peace with Charles IV of Spain. While talks were underway to re-establish diplomatic relations, a traditional exchange of gifts took place. Charles received Versailles-manufactured pistols, dresses and jewels for the queen from the best Parisian designers. In return Napoleon was offered sixteen Spanish horses from the royal stables, portraits of the king and queen by Goya, and this portrait that was to be commissioned rom David. Charles decided to hang it in the palace in Madrid, so Bonaparte instructed David to produce three additional versions. David threw in an extra for himself. This version remained in Madrid until 1812, when it was taken by Joseph Bonaparte after his abdication as King of Spain. During his exile in the United States it hung at his Point Breeze estate near Bordentown, NJ. In truth, this is a pretentious depiction of the event, since Napoleon crossed the Alps on a mule and instead of leading his army into battle, he followed them.

To see the original:bit.ly/4c98K06

Tahitian Women on the Beach - Paul Gaugin

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Inspired by Paul Gaugin - Tahitian Women on the Beach

Born in Peru, he emigrated to France, and secured a job as a stockbroker in Paris. He did quite well as a broker. By the age of 31 he was pulling down 30,000 Francs a year, the equivalent of about $150,000 today. At the age of 35 he gave it all up to be a painter. This new job was not a success, so in 1891 he left his wife and five children and headed for Tahiti. He stayed there for ten years, returning once to try to sell his work and raise capital to return. His life in Tahiti was tempestuous. He married three times, all teenage island girls (13 and 14). This was considered a marriageable age in the Tahitian culture, but in western culture it is considered pedophilia. Gaugin was not the only French colonist that took advantage of the Tahitians desire for status or financial gain. These weddings were not legally binding and all three of his wives eventually left him. Gaugin used his wives for the models in countless paintings. The model for both of the women in this painting is Teha’amana, his first Tahitian muse, lover and eventually wife.

In 1901 when he became seriously ill with syphilis and in trouble with the French authorities, he left town. Alone and impoverished, Gauguin died of a stroke in the Marquesas Islands on May 8, 1903. He has been championed and reviled by art history. His painting was magnificent, but his lifestyle seems unacceptable.

If you would like to see the original painting: bit.ly/43HIFQS

Jan van Eyck - The Arnolfini Portrait

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Inspired by - Jan van Eyck - The Arnolfini Portrait

The verdict is still out concerning the interpretation of this painting. It is littered with iconography, which has kept researchers teetering between wedding celebration or memorial to a lost love.
The painting portrays a Bruges draper, Giovanni Arnolfini and his wife Trenta. She died in 1433 during childbirth, which was a year prior to the date signed on the painting. For this reason many people think Mrs Arnolfini is seen here in the family way. Although others think she has bunched up the dress material in her hand to show off her husband’s wears. Giovanni’s black clothing signifies a period of mourning, since black was not fashionable at this time, and definitely not for a wedding. Many of the icons found in the canvas symbolize her passing. Saint Margaret, the patron saint of the child-bearing woman, is carved on a chair in the background. The gargoyle seen next to her hand signifies her doom. The mirror, at the back of the room, is decorated with scenes from the Passion of Christ. On the woman’s side are scenes of death and resurrection, while on the man’s side are images of Christ’s life. A dog sits at their feet. In ancient Rome, dogs were carved on female tombstones, believed to guide them to the afterlife. Also, this dog is missing from the mirror, which adds to its status of a mythical character. A little spooky is the candelabra above them. The candles have all burned out except the one over the man’s head.

To see original: https://bit.ly/3JQDPKk

Howard Pyle - Marooned

Pyle was considered the dean of American illustration. In 1894, he began teaching illus-tration at the Drexel Institute of Art, Science, and Industry (now Drexel University). He left there to open his own school, the Howard Pyle School of Illustration Art This was in Wilmington, Delaware where he had spent most of his life. Artists came from all over to be part of this studio. NC Wyeth was from Massachusetts, but gravitated to Pyle in Delaware. He sent Pyle a portfolio and was accepted. Pyle did not charge his students, but he only accepted the ones he felt were truly talented.He influenced so many artists, and told them "Throw your heart into the picture and then jump in after it."
Historians at that time were not sure what pirates actually looked like. In his many pirate books, he created their clothes straight from his imagination, giving them a style akin to gypsies. His works became so well known, that what Pyle painted is now what the general public thinks pirates looked like. The creators of “Pirates of the Caribbean” with Johnny Depp, acquired a number of his pirate illustrations and modeled the characters in the movie after them. Many of his pirates wore a big red sash and bandana, a style that was not from history, but manufactured by Pyle. In this painting the hat and the coat at the pirate’s feet are those of a naval officer. Probably garnered from a high seas skirmish.In his stories, there was a pirate’s code, which if broken brought on punishment. One possible punishment was, marooning. The pirate would be left on a desert island and given a knife or pistol with which to commit suicide. This poor sole hangs his head and contemplates his end. To see original: https://bit.ly/3Yduocp

Sandro Botticelli - Primavera

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Inspired by: Sandro Botticelli , Primavera

Many believe this painting was commissioned by Medicis as a gift on the occasion of a family wedding. Though the ceremony took place in July, the nuptial was originally scheduled for May, making spring an appropriate subject matter. In the painting, nine mythological figures appear in an orange grove (a reference to the Medicis). All around them, sprout hundreds of flowers in bloom. There are almost 500 blossoms, representing about 200 different species of which 130 have been specifically identified. The characters in the painting are intended to be identified in order from right to left to suggest the progression of the Spring season. Zephyrus god of March, followed by Venus, the goddess of April, and Mercury, the god of May. Mercury uses his caduceus to disperse the wisps of clouds in preparation for the oncoming summer. The caduceus is Mercury’s magic wand entwined by two serpents. It became a symbol of the medical profession. To see original: https://bit.ly/2FC6z83

Thomas Eakins - Between Rounds

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Inspired by: Thomas Eakins Between Rounds - 1898-99

Most of Eakins's sporting paintings: rowing, baseball and swimming are from the 1870’s and 80’s. But, he painted three boxing scenes in the late 90’s. These he began after attending professional matches at the Philadelphia Arena, then located diagonally across the street from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. He asked several of the participants to pose for him, along with his friends and family who portrayed officials and spectators. Here we find boxer “Turkey Point” Billy Smith in his corner. Billy lost more fights than he won, and in the depicted bout he was knocked out in the third round.

Eakins sports paintings frequently expressed the muscular system of the nude male. He stands as the first American artist to base his art on the close and exacting analysis of the body. He felt it so important that he even studied anatomy at Jefferson Medical College. He began teaching at PAFA (his almamater) in 1876, While there, discontent arose concerning his teaching methods, His insistence on the study of the nude in mixed-sex classes and his frequent use of pupils as models did not please Victorian Philadelphia. While lecturing about the pelvis to a class that included female students, Eakins removed a loincloth from a male model so that he could trace the course of a muscle. Angry protests by parents and students forced him to resign at the request of the Academy board. To see original: https://bit.ly/3z6ufh4

Édouard Manet - The Balcony

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Inspired by Édouard Manet - The Balcony

All the models are friends or relatives of Manet. Painter Berthe Morisot is the lady sitting on the left. Standing in the back is another painter Jean Baptiste Antoine Guillemet. On the right is the violinist Fanny Claus (no kidding). The fourth figure, partially obscured in the interior's background, is possibly Léon Leenhoff, Manet's son. Berthe Morisot was one of the three important female Impressionists. She was one of Manet’s favorite models. This was the first portrait Manet did of her. Then he painted her 11 more times. She would become the wife of his brother, Eugène.

There were many iterations of this painting. It was inspired by Majas on the Balcony by Francisco Goya. Which was very similar, and which Manet gave attribution. This painting was just a redo. and it took Manet a couple of shots at to get it right. In his first version there were two women on a balcony. The name of that painting is Portrait of Mademoiselle Claus (no kidding). In the first version Fanny is seated in the chair and Berthe is standing, back to painter. In this version he added two more characters and made Berthe sit and Fanny stand. Oh, and he threw in a dog with a bow in its hair beneath Morrisot’s chair. Then Surrealist René Magritte painted Perspective II: Manet's Balcony in 1950, a commentary on this work. In Magritte’s version there are four coffins (one "seated") in place of the four people. Magritte said "For me the setting of The Balcony offered a suitable place to put coffins. The 'mechanism' at work here might form the object of a learned explanation, which I am unable to provide.”

The painting was exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1869, and then kept by Manet until his death in 1883.

To see original: https://bit.ly/3rtj39s