To enable Theseus to retrace his steps out of the Labyrinth, Ariadne gives him a ball of thread, in return for which he promises to marry her. Once the couple escape to the island of Naxos, Theseus abandons her and sails back to Athens.
history of painting
A painting commissioned by the Grand Duke of Tuscany towards the end of the 30 Years’ War in Europe, details with its figures the suffering resulting from war, rather than the triumph of victory.
A painting for England’s King Charles I to encourage him to make peace with Spain, left by Rubens in 1630. Its figures make clear the meaning of war, as explained here.
Do you know the difference between a caduceus and the rod of Asclepius, what each means? Paintings by William Blake, Renoir, and others explain.
Contents of this series, together with a list of major Naturalist painters and links to fuller accounts of their paintings.
Little used for 400 years, in the 19th century painters extended their scenes by including reflections seen in a mirror. Here are some significant examples.
From red-figure paintings on Greek pottery, through tin-glazed maiolica, to painted porcelain and enamelled earthenware, more painting in three dimensions.
Born son of the King of Athens, the god Poseidon, and Princess Aethra, his first task was to find his father’s sandals and sword, and take them to Athens, where Medea tried to poison him.
The botanical painter Marianne North, Val Prinsep who was born in Kolkata and painting for Queen Victoria, Colin Campbell Cooper, and Nicholas Roerich, who died there in 1947.
From William Hodges in around 1780, Edward Lear nearly a century later, and Vasily Vereshchagin at about the same time, views of the Taj Mahal and the Himalayan mountains.
The Eclectic Light Company 