Until the 19th century, narrative paintings showed stories which the viewer already knew, ideally at the moment of change or transformation.
history of painting
Don Quixote agrees to fly on a magic wooden horse on a mission to rid the duennas of their beards, but his squire is more reluctant. All most amusing for the Duke and Duchess.
A series of motifs telling stories from classical mythology was completed with a breathtaking ceiling in the Sun King’s Royal Chapel at Versailles.
For the 200th anniversary of his death, a look back at paintings by this artist, a favourite of the Sun King. Here are mainly religious images.
A few artists made science and technology significant themes in their paintings. Joseph Wright of Derby was among them, thanks to his friend Peter Burdett.
Table of contents and a full index to all the artists whose paintings are discussed in this series.
The Dolorous Duenna tells the story of how she and her accompanying duennas sprouted beards as the result of the marriage of a knight and princess.
Among the 2022 anniversaries are the 500th of the death of Piero di Cosimo, the centenary of the death of Léon Bonnat who taught Sargent and Munch, and the birth of animal painter Rosa Bonheur.
Back in the castle, the next trick is in hand. Sancho shows the Duchess a letter to his wife, and they’re about get involved with the Dolorous Duenna.
They go with the Duke and Duchess on a hunt, where Sancho panics and falls out of a tree. In the night Sancho has to agree to lash himself 3,300 times.
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