Miniature landscape views embedded in more conventional paintings were not uncommon during the Renaissance, before landscape was established as a genre.
van Eyck
From the earliest still life paintings, many were designed not just to look realistic, but to deceive the viewer. Examples from van Eyck to the 20th century.
Although painting and sculpture are closely allied, it’s curious to depict sculpture in painting. Examples range from early grisailles to ribald depictions of the Roman god Priapus.
Beyond his most famous painting ‘American Gothic’, Wood shows life in the rural Midwest, and tells stories of Paul Revere and George Washington.
From Byron’s Faustian play ‘Manfred’ to the effects on family of the Crimean War, his paintings were often richly narrative, and only gently Pre-Raphaelite.
Controversial and an ardent anti-unionist, Frick was an eclectic collector of art. Three Vermeers, Rembrandt, Goya, Renoir, and Whistler are among its treasures.
The use of symbols in paintings from the Renaissance to the start of the nineteenth century, with van Eyck, Rubens, Girodet, and others.
Crowded streets in town and cities, from Jan van Eyck in 1435 to Pasini’s market in Constantinople in 1877.
If you thought glassware was tough, try painting gems and jewellery. Here are a few paintings where this has worked, including two of Rembrandt’s.
One of the most important works of art in Europe, it was started by Hubert van Eyck, but completed by his younger brother Jan. Here’s its story.
