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The Enigmatic Genius of Johannes Vermeer: Unlocking the Secrets of a Master Painter
Vermeer revolutionised the way in which we use and make paint and his colour application techniques predate some of those used by the impressionists nearly two centuries later. Girl with a Pearl Earring remains to this day his greatest masterpiece.
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The Temple of Venus: The Sex Museum, Amsterdam
The text below is the excerpt of the book Sex in the Cities – Amsterdam, written by Hans-Jürgen Döpp, published by Parkstone International. Nobody thought it would make any money when the Sex Museum opened its doors in 1985. For the first few weeks, admission was actually free. Today, however, over 500,000 visitors to Amsterdam enter the museum every year. Perhaps it was a good omen when two ancient objects of an erotic nature turned up in the soil during excavation for the building of the museum. One of them was a cracked tile on which a card-playing man was depicted sporting an evident erection – maybe betraying the excitement of…
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A Little Lesson in Art…
Even the most ardent art lovers will admit that the subject can be a little… overwhelming. Take a stroll through the halls of the Louvre and though it is incredible, sometimes it is a little TOO incredible – after a while you just need to sit down. It’s estimated that to see everything that is on display in the Louvre you would need to be there for about three weeks. Solidly. Seeing masterpiece after masterpiece can get a little confusing, and after a while they might start to blur together… Just be thankful that galleries don’t tend to look like this anymore: Even so, sometimes it’s good to simplify things…
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Sunny Side Up
Ear-chopping episode aside, sunflowers are probably one of the most iconic images associated with Vincent van Gogh. Beloved for their sunny, cheerful appearance and bold shapes, it has been estimated that around 5 million people see the artist’s paintings of these flowers every year. Van Gogh had previously painted pictures of dying sunflower heads during his time in Paris, in 1886-1888. Increasingly concerned with symbolism, he returned to colourful flowers when preparing for his fellow artist, Paul Gauguin, to come and stay with him in Arles. Excited for his friend’s visit, Van Gogh wanted to offer him a warm welcome and seized upon paintings of sunflowers as the ideal decorative…
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Frau Antje lädt zum Kunstgenuss
„So viele Länder, so wenig Zeit!“ Auch Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) trug scheinbar jenes Virus in sich, das alljährlich – spätestens zu Beginn der Sommermonate – breitenwirksam um sich greift und dabei ganze Stadtbezirkeleer zu fegen scheint: das gemeine“febris itineris“, besser auch als „Reisefieber“ bekannt. Bricht wegen des Hitzestaus im Büro unter den Kollegen ein erbitterter Kampf um den Platz am Ventilator aus? Und bleibt betriebsurlaubsbedingtnicht einmal mehr der Lieblingsbiergarten als Fluchtmöglichkeit? Spätestens dann ist es wohl an der Zeit, die Koffer zu packen und die Reise in Richtung Süden anzutreten. Doch nur allzu oft ist es ein langer, mühsamer Weg, bevor der erste wohlverdiente Sommercocktail am bevorzugten Sandstrand genossen werden…
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Vous avez dit typique
Sans avoir jamais mis les pieds à Amsterdam, l’idée d’aller visiter une antenne de musée placée installée la douane d’un aéroport constitue un argument suffisant a un week-end néerlandais – plus que les canaux, les coffee shops et le quartier rouge – et tout de même pas plus que les chefs d’œuvre du bâtiment principal du Rijksmuseum et le musée Van Gogh. Typically Dutch : c’est sous cette simplissime accroche que l’aéroport double du musée invite à venir tacher d’appréhender un peu mieux a travers les yeux de ses peintres ce qui a fait les Pays-Bas, en passant par les Provinces-Unies et la République Batave. «Typique», le mot me semble…
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Going Dutch
“Going Dutch”: a phrase which is most commonly associated with splitting the bill when going out to dinner. Personally, I find that this is one of those phrases which we all use, and don’t really think about why we use it. I have merrily used these two simple words for many years – and yet it is only recently that it occurred to me to question where such a notion comes from. Before I started doing some research into this, I have to admit that I did spend more time than I probably should have trying to puzzle this scenario out. I did, however, cross out the possibility that it…
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Bonjour Tristesse ?
En regardant les trois tableaux ci-dessous, le lien qui les unit est difficile à envisager au premier coup d’œil. En matière de peinture de paysage, Van Gogh et Böcklin pourraient-ils être plus éloignés l’un de l’autre ? Des courbes douces à la rigueur stérile… Que s’est-il passé entre temps ? Le symbolisme est passé par là. Mouvement de l’imagination, de la poésie, de l’émotion. Mais je dirais aussi de l’isolement, des couleurs tristes et un peu morbides. Qui, étant d’humeur normale, voudrait se promener dans les paysages d’Odilon Redon ou d’Arnold Böcklin, paysages ternes dans lesquels les personnages ont toujours l’air mélancoliques. Il est difficile de s’identifier au travail des…
This is an interactive art blog in multi languages, you will find new articles on artists, art history, exhibitions, etc. Contributions welcome.
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