art museum!

 some of my favorite art pieces (as a prospective art historian)

as always, a work in progress ‧₊˚❀༉‧₊

welcome to my mini museum! enjoy your stay!

‧₊˚❀༉‧₊‧₊˚❀༉‧₊‧₊˚❀༉‧₊‧₊˚❀༉‧₊‧₊˚❀༉‧₊‧₊˚❀༉‧₊‧₊˚❀༉‧₊‧₊˚❀༉‧₊‧₊˚❀༉‧₊‧₊˚❀༉‧₊‧₊˚❀༉‧₊

Hellelil and Hildebrand, the meeting on the turret stairs

frederick william burton

1864

watercolor and gouache on paper

‧₊˚❀༉‧₊

it's such a beautiful and delicate piece, getting this kind of color and richness just with watercolor paint, especially during this era, had never been seen before! you can feel the tension in the piece, and the deep emotion, without even knowing the story behind it

the arnolfini portrait

jan van eyck

1434

oil on oak panel

‧₊˚❀༉‧₊

the detail in this painting is insane - see the mirror in the back? the tiny circles around it depict different fully painted scenes of stories from the bible. everything in this piece means something - the shoes on the ground, the folds of the woman's dress, the bowl of fruit, the dog; it tells a whole story!

the execution of lady Jane Grey

paul delaroche

1833

oil on canvas

‧₊˚❀༉‧₊

again, can you tell i love an emotionally compelling painting? this one is so heavy, and in person (although i've yet to see it) it quite large, making its presence all the more impactful. the distress of the ladies in waiting, posed next to the young lady grey, who appears scared, but with an all around blank expression, is so jarring.

joan of arc

jules bastien-lepage

1879

oil on canvas

‧₊˚❀༉‧₊

this one is more unsuspecting - at first glance, it seems to just be a painting of a young peasant girl, but upon closer look, you can see ghost-like figures in the top left, that seem to be speaking to the girl, whose head is tilted up, as if to listen to what the spirits have to say. this painting captures a moment before joan of arc became the historical figure she is acknowledged as today, when she was just a young girl, receiving her first visions and messages from the divine.

the reluctant bride

auguste toulmouche

1866

oil on canvas

‧₊˚❀༉‧₊

the way that toulmouche paints fabric, especially satin and silk, is remarkable! in this painting specifically, the folds and shadows on the bride's dress stand out so beautifully, compared to the velvet and more plain skirts of her friends - and her thousand yard stare alone shifts the tone of the whole piece, making what seems like a joyful moment surrounded by friends before a happy day, seem completely the opposite. at a time when marriage for young women was seen as a crucial part of their lives and an important hallmark in society, any attitude otherwise, especially when expressed outwardly, was jarring, and unheard of. i love this painting because it's a reminder that even back then, women have always held their own, even in a time when individuality and women's opinions were pushed down and ignored.