Cool art; the blog

“The Roses of Heliogabalus” - 1888, Lawrence Alma-Tadema.

“The Birth of Venus” - 1863, Alexandre Cabanel (same guy who painted “Fallen Angel”). Painting was bought by Napoleon III and is currently in Musee d’Orsay where I had the pleasure of seeing it in person last week.

“Strange garden” is very interesting case, when asked about it’s meaning Mehoffer said to ask critics - “They know better what I’m trying to say”. Painting can be read in few ways; first as reference to Garden of Eden where painter’s wife (women in blue dress) plays role of Eve, reaching for apple, flowers that can be seen on both sides of painting resemble a snake. Flowers held by little boy are similar to fire sword held by angel protecting the gates of Eden etc. Another cool detail are similarities between wife and dragon fly - in shape and colour, I’d personally read that as reference to motive of femme fatale, still popular at the time (1903 is when painting was made). So a scene of modern Eden, with modern temptations. Another way to read this painting is medieval motifof hortus conclusus (closed garden) depicting Virgin Mary with baby Jesus and other, mostly female saints in a garden surrounded by walls, it is mostly interpreted as symbol of purity of people in the garden, so that could also work here. Mother Mary is often shown wearing blue. If you want to come up with your own interpretation you may want to know that dragonfly is a symbol of immortality in Europe.

“Between the waves”; “The Burning ship”; “Battle of Cesme at night”; “The wrath of the seas”  - oil paintings made by russian romantic painter Ivan Aivazovsky

Here’s link to his website with more amazing pieces : http://www.jessekanda.com/

“Man kneeling in the grass” 1952; “Landscape” 1952; “Man with dog” 1953; “Two figures” 1953 - all are oil paintings on canvas made by Francis Bacon.

“The Baptism Of Christ“, high relief casted in bronze and layered with gold, 1427 by Lorenzo Ghiberti. Panel was used to decorate baptismal font in Siena. Ghiberti made 2 panels, the second one being "Arrest of John the Baptist" ( in cooperation with Giuliano di Ser Andrea).

"The Miraculous Draft of Fishes", oil on wood, 1444 by Konrad Witz - German painter active at the end of gothic era. He was known for his very faithful landskapes based on observation of nature, which wasn't a common practice back then.