The Renaissance provided the tools of realist painting, but remained largely bound to religious and mythical motifs. Seventy years later, many new genres had appeared.
history of painting
Defines and explains key terms, from the support, through the ground and paint layer with its binder and diluent, to the varnish to protect its surface.
Virgil leads Dante through the gate of Hell, with its inscription ‘Abandon hope all ye who enter here’. Charon is persuaded to carry them across with the souls of the dead to enter Hell.
The first modern synthetic pigment, from 1704. Adopted by Canaletto, Hogarth and many others since, and still offered in many paint ranges.
First imported through Venice by 1300, it became more precious than gold until it could be made synthetically from 1830. The queen of pigments.
In 1579, 7 of the more northerly provinces in the Low Countries formed the Dutch Republic. That soon prospered from its international trade, and saw the creation of millions of paintings that changed European art.
Painting captions give information you’d never get from looking at an image, and that in turn tells you even more. This series looks beyond mere images at the media behind them.
Dante is wandering lost in a dark wood, his way out obstructed by wild animals. He asks a man to help, only to discover he’s the ghost of Virgil and they’re on their way to Hell.
In his later career he returned to rural themes, although his last major work showed Les Halles, the main market in Paris at the time.
In the 20th century, those visiting the south of France claimed nude bathing was traditional, while the rest of Europe and the USA were still developing bathing costumes.
The Eclectic Light Company 