The shepherds become more real and tatty from the Renaissance and Giorgione to Murillo and Bastien-Lepage.
Tintoretto
Before the 19th century, most paintings of deserts were imaginary. Then artists started to paint them at first hand. Paintings up to 1864.
Comedy is unusual in paintings, and where it occurs, it’s more usually a visual joke. But there are exceptions in a tale-within-a-tale from Homer.
Blurring for dramatic effect, and to mimic photographic depth of field effects, were used in the 19th century, but motion blur came later.
From about 1530, painting started to change. Brushstrokes became visible, anatomy exaggerated, composition less balanced and ideal. First Mannerism, then came the Baroque.
Bishop’s crosier, monarch’s sceptre, field-marshal’s baton, or just another fashion accessory?
How rendering of the surface texture of fabrics changed during the southern Renaissance, and new techniques were exported to the north.
Unlike the face and hands, feet are usually covered in paintings. There are plenty of exceptions, but even the naked Phryné wore a pair of sandals.
Rome’s central and most enduring institution, it was the setting for the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BCE. What did it really look like though?
Aglaea (representing splendor), Euphrosyne (mirth), and Thalia (good cheer), who together represent the better aspects of human nature, bit got Burne-Jones into trouble.
The Eclectic Light Company 