A brief overview of the legendary and mythical history of the city and its empire, with links to all the articles in this series, and some of the finest paintings.
Rochegrosse
Emperors Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and finally Vespasian before stability was restored. Painted stories of the Batavians, final minutes of Vitellius, and the destruction of Pompeii.
A battle in which the Romans were overwhelmingly defeated, used later as an icon of German nationalism. And the vicious murder of the wife of the emperor Claudius.
Carpets in paintings by Gérôme, his former pupil Osman Hamdi Bey, Georges Rochegrosse, Pierre Bonnard and Paul Nash.
From Mantegna and dancing Muses, through Rubens and Rochegrosse with the legend of Perseus, to a portrait by Odilon Redon.
He won two gold medals at Expositions Universelles. Includes an 11 metre long work with 7 panels, showing scenes from Heaven and Hell.
A story of horrific brutality set in Carthage after the First Punic War may not seem ideal for paintings. But at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, it was.
Although known for his paintings of nudes, many of his subjects were fully-clothed, and most were powerful women who overcame adversity.
The very large Paris Salon of 1883 introduced the public and critics to a new and growing movement in painting. It wasn’t Impressionism or Post-Impressionism, though.
One of the first international superstars, she was an accomplished painter and sculptor herself. Here’s her life in portraits by her friends.
The Eclectic Light Company 