Although unusual in paintings, tortoises can have several different readings, from love to slow and faltering political reforms.
Rops
More paintings with strange incongruities, this time from Arnold Böcklin’s Sirens to the Surrealism of Paul Nash.
Stories of Odysseus and Circe, the prodigal son, the miracle of the Gadarene swine, and St Anthony. And Félicien Rops’ ‘Pornocrates’?
Paintings from Watteauto George Bellows showing this popular fashion accessory, sometimes used for surreptitious communication between lovers.
Pre-Raphaelites painted Morgan le Fay from Arthurian legend, and the Nabi Paul Ranson seemed fascinated by witches.
Well known from language, the scarlet woman should be easy to read in paintings. But all that is scarlet isn’t who you’d expect.
Like eyes and the rest of the face, hands are most usually seen uncovered in figurative paintings. These paintings show gloved hands which have special purposes and meaning.
Ever noticed how stern everyone looks in paintings? Here are some exceptions from Frans Hals, Murillo, Vermeer and others.
Mainly concentrating on the occult and erotic, his works can be hard to read, but never disappoint in originality or execution.
A close friend of Charles Baudelaire during his final years, Rops was an early adopter of mixed media and always original.
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