In myth and legend, apples have determined the future of civilisation twice. They’re also some of the most enduring objects to be seen in still life paintings.
Caravaggio
A timeline of milestone paintings, first surviving examples of the achievements of the Italian Renaissance, from 1320-1596.
From about 1530, painting started to change. Brushstrokes became visible, anatomy exaggerated, composition less balanced and ideal. First Mannerism, then came the Baroque.
Between about 1607-21 she painted exclusively still lifes. Highly innovative, she led the way for the many painters who succeeded her.
Until the seventeenth century, still life paintings were occasional curiosities, From the Romans and Hans Memling to the early Dutch Golden Age the genre developed steadily.
From Aphrodite to Vesta, a reference summary of all the major Classical goddesses, with links to individual accounts.
A nymph cursed by Hera to repeat the words just spoken to her, and a youth who falls in love with his own image. Together the result in some of the finest narrative paintings.
Seen with his three-headed dog Cerberus, the god of the Underworld. Paintings by Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Rubens and others.
Sisters at the heart of the myth of Perseus, Medusa and Andromeda. In painting by Burne-Jones, Caravaggio, Malczewski, Klimt and others.
Look at statues of the Virgin Mary, and they often show her with a foot on a snake. What has that to do with the Immaculate Conception? Rubens, Tiepolo and Caravaggio have the answer.
