Dutch Art History and Sitemap

Johannes Vermeer | The Allegory of Painting, 1666 | Art in Detail

Dutch art describes the history of visual arts in the Netherlands, after the United Provinces separated from Flanders.

Earlier painting in the area is covered in Early Netherlandish painting and Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting.

The history of Dutch art is dominated by the Dutch Golden Age painting, mostly of about 1620-1680, when a very distinct style and new types of painting were developed, though still keeping close links with Flemish Baroque painting.

Peter McGowan | Romantic garden

Peter McGowan is an British painter🎨. He was born and raised in Yorkshire, England and still makes his home there. McGowan paints from his studio in the County that has inspired many great artists, including Henry Moore and David Hockney.

Light and its effects fascinate McGowan.

He works in several media, including oils, acrylics, watercolors and pastels, to translate this interest to paper and canvas.

Lucian Freud (1922-2011)

Lucian Freud, Figurative Painter Who Redefined Portraiture, Is Dead at 88

By William Grimes, July 21, 2011 / The New York Times

Lucian Freud, whose stark and revealing paintings of friends and intimates, recast the art of portraiture and offered a new approach to figurative art, died on Wednesday night at his home in London. He was 88.

He died following a brief illness, said William Acquavella of Acquavella Galleries, Mr. Freud’s dealer.

David Hockney, 1937 | Pop Art painter

David Hockney is a British painter, printmaker, stage designer and photographer. As an important contributor to the Pop Art movement of the 1960s, he is considered one of the most influential British artists of the twentieth century.

He began this style of art by taking Polaroid photographs of one subject and arranging them into a grid layout. The subject would actually move while being photographed so that the piece would show the movements of the subject seen from the photographer’s perspective.

Ikushima Hiroshi 生 島 浩 , 1958 | Figurative painter

Born in Osaka, Ikushima Hiroshi 生 島 浩 is a Japanese award winning🎨 painter.

1983 - Graduated from Kyoto Seika University, Faculty of Fine Arts, Oil Painting Course.

1988 - Went to the United States ('89 to Europe '94 Returned to Japan).

1996 - Opened the painting class in Osaka.

1999 - Entered for the first time in the Hakujitsu Exhibition ('00 Hakujitsu Award, '02 Tomita Award, '05 Sanyo Art Encouragement Award, '10 The Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award, '12 Prime Minister Award).

Alexander Pushkin | A magic moment I remember / Ricordo il magico istante..

Boris Valentinovich Shcherbakov (1916-1995) | Pushkin in Mikhailovsky, 1969 (detail)

A magic moment I remember:

I raised my eyes and you were there,

A fleeting vision, the quintessence

Of all that's beautiful and rare

I pray to mute despair and anguish,

To vain the pursuits world esteems,

Long did I hear your soothing accents,

Long did your features haunt my dreams.

Alessandro Milesi | Genre painter

Alessandro Milesi (1856-1945) was an Venetian painter, mainly depicting genre subjects.

Milesi was a pupil of Napoleone Nani at the Venice Academy of Fine Arts from 1869-1874, when he followed his master to Verona, returning to his hometown in 1876.

The work he presented at the national exhibitions held in Milan (1881) and Venice (1887) established his reputation as a painter of everyday Venetian life, carrying on the tradition of Giacomo Favretto but also influenced by the new artistic approach of Ettore Tito and Cesare Laurenti.

Mark Keathley, 1963 | Romantic painter

Mark Keathley grew up on the family cattle farm in East Texas and loved romping through the woods and across open fields.

In the early 1990’s, he entered a couple of paintings in the Cheyenne, Wyoming “Old West Museum Show” and won a couple of awards for his work.

Nguyen Thanh Binh, 1954 | Ballet dancers

Born in Hanoi, Nguyễn Thanh Bình is an Vietnamese artist known for his series of paintings of young women, ballet dancer, mother and child in various compositions and a romantic realistic style which is uniquely, and distinctively his over the past 30 years.

From 1965-1972: Graduated from The Vietnam Fine Arts College, Hanoi.

Marina Podgaevskaya, 1963 | Abstract painter

Professional artist from Saint Petersburg Marina Podgaevskaya is a prolific painter, she has created more than 2000 canvases.

Marina Podgaevskaja graduated from the Higher Art School in 1983 with a degree in "interior designer", in 1998 - the school-studio at the old painting techniques.

Andrey Remnev, 1962 | Magic Realism painter

Aндрей Ремнев was born in Yakhroma town, in the vicinity of Moscow. "It is situated on high hills, from where broad Brueghelian vistas are open.

The uneven terrain with significant differences of high and low; a canal between the Moskva river and the Volga; small rivers, woods and villages; a nearby ancient town of Dmitrov, which is equal to Moscow in age; ships cruising the canal and trains outdistancing them - all this I saw from my window since my early years.

Simon Pasini, 1976 | Street scenes painter

For Italian painter🎨 Simon Pasini light plays a very important role in his paintings.

Most of his paintings are painted in Italy and the subjects of the paintings are also mostly related to Italy.

His inspiration is mostly actions in daily life, it looks like people are not posing in his painting. He uses oil paint to manufacture his paintings, you can tell from the way he uses his brush on the canvas that he has a lot of experience with completing frescoes.

Luis Enrique Toledo del Rio, 1989 | Magic Realism painter

Born in Santa Clara, Cuba, Luis Enrique Toledo del Rio graduated from Manuel Ascunce Domenech in Cuba.

Toledo del Rio considers his creations a form of magical realism, evoking dreams, fantasy and magic through the use of color, light, shadow and space.

Toledo del Rio achieves, "...dreamlike atmospheres where reality and fantasy intertwine to show a different world".

Marcel Cosson (1878-1956) | Painter of the Belle Époque

Jean Louis Marcel Cosson was a French🎨 Post-Impressionist and Modern painter who was born in Bordeaux, France. Cosson exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Francais where he won an honorable mention in 1901 and a third place medal🎨 in 1911.

He also showed his work at the Salon de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts and at the Salon des Tuileries.

Matteo Arfanotti, 1974 | Magic Realism painter

Internationally renowned painter, Matteo Arfanotti is a versatile artist, curious and always fascinated by new forms of art and experimentation.

After dedicating more than two decades to drawing, painting and installation, in 2010, he approached the world of bodypainting and remained fascinated by the extraordinary ability to give life to his work and his creatures, even if so ephemeral, for the space of a few hours.

Lorenzo di Credi | High Renaissance painter

Born the son of a goldsmith in 1457 or 1459, Lorenzo di Credi was, with Leonardo da Vinci and Perugino, a pupil in the Florentine workshop of Andrea del Verrocchio, where he is first recorded in 1480 as a poorly paid assistant

During the master's absence in 1482-1483, Lorenzo took over the shop, and he became Verrocchio's heir upon Andrea's death in 1488.

Peter Demetz, 1969 | Wood sculptor

Born in Bolzano, Italy, Peter Demetz has reached international acclaim for his intricate wood carvings.

After studying at the Ortisei Art Institute, Demetz acquired an apprenticeship under master sculptor Heinrich Demetz, whose focus in creating “sacred art” had a profound impact on Peter and his work.

Paul Hedley, 1947 | Watercolor / Figurative painter

British painter🎨 Paul Hedley was brought up in Chatham, Kent.

His relaxed style combines incisive observation and capable draughtsmanship, and he has produced these soft, subtle, almost sensuous paintings with a deft skill that must escalate him into one of the elite band of figurative artists in England today.

Jacob van Velsen (1597-1656) | Dutch Golden Age painter

Jacob Jansz. van Velsen was a Dutch🎨 Golden Age painter. Little is known about the painter's life. He lived his entire life in Delft, but died in Amsterdam.

He was the son of Jan Jacobsz van Velsen and Janntegen Jansdr van der Hooch. April 18, 1625 he became a member of the Delft Saint Luke Guild.

John Salminen, 1945 | Watercolor painter

John Salminen earned his Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree in art from the University of Minnesota. He lives and works in Duluth, Minnesota. John teaches workshops, makes presentations and participates in painting events around the world.

John is a signature member of numerous art societies in the United States, including: the American Watercolor Society – Dolphin Fellowship; the National Watercolor Society; and the Transparent Watercolor Society of America – Distinguished Master.

Rembrandt van Rijn | Life and Artworks

Rembrandt van Rijn, in full Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, Rembrandt originally spelled Rembrandt (born July 15, 1606, Leiden, Netherlands-died October 4, 1669, Amsterdam), Dutch Baroque painter and printmaker, one of the greatest storytellers in the history of art, possessing an exceptional ability to render people in their various moods and dramatic guises.

Rembrandt is also known as a painter of light and shade and as an artist who favoured an uncompromising realism that would lead some critics to claim that he preferred ugliness to beauty.

Early in his career and for some time, Rembrandt painted mainly portraits. Although he continued to paint-andetch and, occasionally, draw-portraits throughout his career, he did so less frequently over time. Roughly one-tenth of his painted and etched oeuvre consists of studies of his own face as well as more-formal self-portraits, a fact that has led to much speculation.

Francesco Solimena (1657-1747) | Baroque painter

Francesco Solimena was a prolific Italian painter🎨 of the Baroque era🎨, one of an established family of painters and draughtsmen.

Francesco Solimena was born in Canale di Serino, province Avellino.

He received early training from his father, Angelo Solimena, with whom he executed a Paradise for the cathedral of Nocera (a place where he spent a big part of his life) and a Vision of St. Cyril of Alexandria for the church of San Domenico at Solofra.

Royal Palace of Caserta | A triumph of Italian Baroque

The Royal Palace of Caserta is a former royal residence in Caserta, southern Italy, constructed by the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies as their main residence as kings of Naples.

It is one of the largest palaces erected in Europe during the 18th century.

In 1997, the palace was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site; its nomination described it as "the swan song of the spectacular art of the Baroque, from which it adopted all the features needed to create the illusions of multidirectional space".

Lui Liu 刘溢, 1957 | Surrealist painter

Lui Liu 刘溢 was born in North China and came to Canada in 1991. Speaking both Chinese and English fluently, Lui Liu possesses superb painterly techniques, his unique language that finds a wide range of audience around the world.

His acquisition of techniques started during China's Cultural Revolution when he was a young boy painting posters on the streets and continued in the most prestigious Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing.

Happy Valentine's Day 💕! Buon San Valentino 💕!

Saint Valentine, officially known as Saint Valentine of Rome, is a third-century Roman saint widely celebrated on February 14 and commonly associated with "courtly love".

At least three different Saint Valentines, all of them martyrs, are mentioned in the early martyrologies under date of 14 February. One is described as a priest at Rome, another as bishop of Interamna (modern Terni), and these two seem both to have suffered in the second half of the third century and to have been buried on the Flaminian Way, but at different distances from the city.

In William of Malmesbury's time what was known to the ancients as the Flaminian Gate of Rome and is now the Porta del Popolo, was called the Gate of St. Valentine.

St. Valentine - Stained glass window at Basilica in Terni, Italy

Titian | Danaë and the Shower of Gold, 1560-1565

"The Danaë and the Shower of Gold") comprises at least five oil-on-canvas paintings by the Venetian master Titian, completed between 1540-1570.

The works are based on the mythological princess Danaë.

According to Ovid she was isolated in a bronze dungeon following a prophecy that her firstborn would eventually kill her father.

Although aware of the consequences, Danaë was seduced and became pregnant by Zeus (in Roman mythology Jupiter), who, inflamed by lust, descended from Mount Olympus to entice her as a shower of gold.

Antonio Tordesillas, 1960 | Figurative painter

Antonio was born in Madrid, Spain. His father wanted him to paint and eventually to continue family tradition and become either a painter or a designer. His father studied in a school of a great Spanish painter, José Arpa Y Perea (Sevilla, 1860-1952), who was well known not only in Europe but also in the United States of America.

After studying with his father, Antonio began in 1975 to attend classes at the Academy Artium Peña, the Plaza Mayor of Madrid. The academy was at that time one of the most important art schools in Europe and trained many currently famous realist and hyperrealist painters of Spain.

Cathrine Edlinger-Kunze | Abstract painter

German-born painter Cathrine Edlinger-Kunze moved to the United States in 1994 where she works as a full time artist. She credits her father for inspiring her love for painting. "Sitting side by side with my father, I learned very early what painting meant to me, and it became a special bond to my father and me".

Mariano Fortuny y Marsal (1838-1874)

Marià Fortuny i Marsal, meglio noto col nome italianizzato Mariano Fortuny, è stato un pittore spagnolo, uno dei più rilevanti del panorama artistico spagnolo del XIX secolo.

Fortuny nacque nel 1838 a Reus, in Catalogna, da una famiglia di modeste origini.

All'età di dodici anni rimase orfano di madre e venne assegnato alla tutela del nonno.

Martin Rico | Impressionist painter

Born on 12 November 1833, at the age of twelve Martín Rico (1833-1908) began studying at the Liceo Artístico y Literario (Lyceum) and later became a pupil of the painter Vicente Camarón, who would introduce him to landscape painting, which shaped his artistic personality in a decisive way.

The brother of the engraver Bernardo Rico, with whom he later collaborated in illustrations for magazines, he also studied at the San Fernando Academy and travelled around Spain with his painter friends Pablo Gonzalvo and Plácido Francés.

Peace quotes / Frasi sulla pace

• "Occhio per occhio e il mondo diventa cieco"!
• "An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind"!

Mahatma Gandhi

• "I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word".

• "Mi rifiuto di accettare il punto di vista secondo cui l’umanità è così tragicamente legata alla mezzanotte senza stelle del razzismo e della guerra e che la luminosa alba della pace e della fratellanza non potrà mai diventare una realtà... credo che la verità disarmata e l’amore avranno l’ultima parola".

Martin Luther King, Jr.

• "The purpose of all wars, is peace".
• "Lo scopo di tutte le guerre è la pace".

Sant'Agostino

• "Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.
• "La pace non può essere mantenuta con la forza; può essere raggiunto solo attraverso la comprensione". 

Albert Einstein

• "While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart".
• "Mentre proclami la pace con le tue labbra, fai attenzione ad averla ancora più pienamente nel tuo cuore".

Francesco d'Assisi

Alberto Guillen, 1951 | Watercolor flowers

Mexican artist Alberto Guillen is well known for his watercolor paintings of flowers.

Alberto Guillen was born in Mexico City. Lives and works in Salem, Oregon.

Artist's education: 2 years of traditional training in the art of painting at the University of Willamette and the study of Photoshop CS4, and Painter 11, Wacom Intuos4 Digital Tablet.

William Turner | Mount Vesuvius in Eruption, 1817

Joseph Mallord William Turner’s dramatic representation of Mount Vesuvius is one of numerous artistic iterations of erupting volcanoes from the late eighteenth to the early nineteenth century.

Turner visited Naples and ascended Vesuvius in 1819; however, he never witnessed an eruption firsthand and this composition likely preceded his Italian sojourn.

Maria Oosthuizen, 1972 | Modern/ Figurative painter | Page 2

Born in Paarl, raised mostly in Gauteng, Maria Magdalena Oosthuizen🎨 currently residing in Mossel Bay.

"I believe my highest calling in life is my relationship with God, my husband, my children and with all people. My friends and family provide a balance in my life and keep me humble. They are all extraordinary people!

I am inspired by God for He is the creator of all beautiful things. He called me for His purpose and in obedience and love of art, I paint with all I am to worship Him".

Jacques-Louis David | Neoclassical painter

Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825) was a highly influential French painter in the neoclassical style, considered to be the preeminent painter of the era.

In the 1780-s his cerebral brand of history painting marked a change in taste away from Rococo frivolity toward a classical austerity and severity, heightened feeling chiming with the moral climate of the final years of the Ancien Régime.

Francis Cadell | Colourist painter

Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell RSA (1883-1937) is one of the four artists known as the Scottish Colourists. He studied in Paris and lived in Munich before settling in his native Edinburgh around 1909.

He is perhaps the most elegant of the Colourists, renowned for his stylish portrayals of Edinburgh New Town interiors and his vibrantly coloured, daringly simplified still lifes.

Cadell grew up in Edinburgh and showed artistic ability from an early age.

Richard E. Miller (1875-1943) Impressionist painter

Richard E. Miller was a native of St. Louis, Missouri, where he first studied at the local School of Fine Arts and served as a staff illustrator for the St. Louis Post Dispatch.

He continued his studies at the Académie Julian from 1898-1901 and remained a resident of France until the outbreak of the Great War in 1914 prompted his return to America.

One of the many Americans who worked at Giverny during these years, he became a familiar of Frederick Frieseke🎨 and together they often met at Monet's home to paint, critique and socialize.

Karl Albert Buehr | Impressionist painter

Karl Albert Buehr (1866-1952) was a painter born in Germany, in Feuerbach - near Stuttgart. He moved to Chicago with his parents and siblings in the 1880s.

In Chicago, young Karl worked at various jobs until he was employed by a lithograph company near the Art Institute of Chicago.

Introduced to art at work, Karl paid regular visits to the Art Institute, where he found part-time employment, enabling him to enroll in night classes.

Abraham Bloemaert | Drawings

Abraham Bloemaert (1564-1651) was a Dutch painter and printmaker in etching and engraving.

He was one of the "Haarlem Mannerists" from about 1585, but in the new century altered his style to fit new Baroque trends.

He mostly painted history subjects and some landscapes. He was an important teacher, who trained most of the Utrecht Caravaggisti, at least for a period.

Mannerism Art History and Sitemap

Giuseppe Arcimboldo | The librarian

Mannerism is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, lasting until about 1580 in Italy, when the Baroque style began to replace it. Northern Mannerism continued into the early 17th century.

Stylistically, Mannerism encompasses a variety of approaches influenced by, and reacting to, the harmonious ideals associated with artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, and early Michelangelo.

Abraham Bloemaert | Mannerist painter

Abraham Bloemaert, (born Dec. 25, 1564, Gorinchem [now in the Netherlands]-died Jan. 27, 1651, Utrecht, Neth.), influential Dutch Mannerist painter and engraver.

Bloemaert studied at Utrecht under eminent painters, spent three years in Paris, and then returned to settle finally at Utrecht, where he became dean of the Guild of St. Luke.

Leonard Cohen / Fabian Perez | The Stranger Song

It's true that all the men you knew were dealers

Who said they were through with dealing

Every time you gave them shelter

I know that kind of man.

It's hard to hold the hand of anyone

Who is reaching for the sky just to surrender.

E’ vero che tutti gli uomini che conoscevi

erano giocatori che dicevano di averne abbastanza

di giocare a carte ogni volta che davi loro un riparo.

Lo conosco, quel genere di uomini.

E’ difficile tenere le mani di qualcuno

che le alza al cielo soltanto per arrendersi.

Pietro da Cortona | Drawings

Pietro da Cortona was an Italian Baroque painter and architect.

Along with his contemporaries and rivals Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini, he was one of the key figures in the emergence of Roman Baroque architecture. He was also an important designer of interior decorations.

Pietro da Cortona | Baroque painter

Pietro da Cortona (1596-1669), original name Pietro Berrettini, Italian architect, painter, and decorator, an outstanding exponent of Baroque style.

Pietro studied in Rome from about 1612 under the minor Florentine painters Andrea Commodi and Baccio Ciarpi and was influenced by antique sculpture and the work of Raphael.

Benjamin West PRA | Neoclassical painter

American-born Benjamin West (1738-1820) was one of the most prominent artists in late eighteenth century London.

President of the Royal Academy (PRA) from 1792 until his death, he received many commissions from George III and other English patrons, and at the same time served as teacher and advisor to three generations of American artists in London.

Michael Ancher | Skagen painter

Michael Peter Ancher (1849-1927) was a Danish realist artist.

He is remembered above all for his paintings of fishermen and other scenes from the Danish fishing community in Skagen.

He achieved his artistic breakthrough in 1879 with the painting "Vil han klare pynten" Will He Round the Point?.

Michael Ancher's works depict Skagen's heroic fishermen and their dramatic experiences at sea, combining realism and with classical composition.

Gaetano Gandolfi | I Disegni

Gaetano Gandolfi (1734-1802) è stato un pittore Italiano del tardo barocco e del primo periodo neoclassico, attivo a Bologna.

Gaetano Gandolfi frequentò l'Accademia Clementina di Bologna, ma su di lui l'influenza determinante fu esercitata dal fratello Ubaldo.

Come studente all'Accademia Clementina ha vinto due medaglie per la scultura e quattro medaglie per i suoi disegni.

Gaetano Gandolfi | Rococò painter

Gaetano Gandolfi (1734-1802) was an Italian painter of the late Baroque and early Neoclassic period, active in Bologna.

Gaetano was born in San Matteo della Decima, near Bologna, to a family of artists.

Ubaldo Gandolfi was his brother, Mauro Gandolfi was his son, and Democrito Gandolfi was his grandson.

Gaetano became a "student" at the Accademia Clementina in Bologna, where he was taught by Felice Torelli and Ercole Lelli.