Four masterly paintings telling stories. Painted by 3 different hands, each works in 4 dimensions thanks to narrative devices, as explained here.
Masaccio
Easily told in words, stories are harder to paint. Here are five main methods used, explained and shown in examples from the masters.
It’s sometimes hard to read a painting without understanding an inscription. Masaccio, Rossetti, Moreau, Corinth and Botticelli gives us some clues.
A six metre (21 feet) high fresco is a major undertaking, particularly when it’s one of the first paintings to use accurate linear perspective. How was it done?
In the Renaissance, while oil painting was still catching on, many of the greatest masterpieces were painted in egg tempera. How, and to what effect?
Many of the greatest and most important European works of art are painted on walls or ceilings. Explains secco, fresco, and how they influence the result.
Showing two or more scenes from the same story in a single painting (multiplex narrative) is common, effective, and good art. Examples from Masaccio, Memling, Bosch, and more.
We love surprise twists in the plot of novels and movies. How can painters achieve the effect of surprise in their narrative images? Masaccio, Rembrandt, Poussin, and more.
Used since Roman times, it was common in the dress of saints. Highly toxic, it was progressively replaced by cadmium red in the late 19th century.
An illustrated timeline and overview of how the human visual environment, and perception of it, has changed from ancient times to virtual reality.
