Art History, LOL

Children Throwing Snowballs

2009-07-10T07:38:00.000-07:00

I love doing these mezzotints with multiple speakers (the last one was the Shakespeare scene with da sord). Note the Biblical reference!

(William Ward, Children Throwing Snowballs, 1785)

The Hungry Lion Throws Itself upon the Antelope

2009-07-09T07:15:00.000-07:00

Haven't done a nom nom one in a while. Remedied!

(Henri Rousseau, The Hungry Lion Throws Itself upon the Antelope, 1905)

Sunday

2009-07-08T07:41:00.000-07:00

O SHIT

(Paul Signac, Sunday, 1888-1890)

Love's Shadow

2009-07-07T06:57:00.000-07:00

(Anthony Frederick Augustus Sandys, Love's Shadow, 1867)

Ecstasy of St. Francis

2009-07-06T07:56:00.001-07:00

Did you guys miss me? I hope my sudden decision to peace out for a week didn't offend anybody. Anyway, here is something fresh for your Monday morning...looking at the fresco cycle this is from (the Renunciation of Worldly Goods probably being the most famous), I could probably spend all week with Giotto, but, eh. One is probably enough. Here is St. Francis upstaging his own monks at a party for Jesus!

(Giotto di Bondone, Ecstasy of St. Francis, 1297-1300)

Judith Gives Thanks to Jehovah

2009-06-26T08:44:00.000-07:00

Eventually, I had to do a bukkit one. It was inevitable.

What does Judith need a bukkit for?
a) to giv to da lolrus
b) to carry the head of Holofernes
c) unladylike private activities (this was before plumbing, guys)

(Pedro Américo, Judith Gives Thanks to Jehovah, 1880)

The Unknown

2009-06-25T09:07:00.001-07:00

Who needs a big black monolith when you can have some kind of chesty Promethea instead?

(J.C. Dollman, The Unknown, 1912)

At the Grand Prix

2009-06-24T07:42:00.001-07:00

(Childe Hassam, At the Grand Prix, 1887)

Egyptian Chess Players

2009-06-23T07:53:00.000-07:00

It must have been a clever move, because clearly they're playing with all pawns.

(Sidenote: Apparently Alma-Tadema's treatment of marble was so well-known and well-executed that he was referred to as the 'marbelous' painter. Groan. 19th century humor, ladies and gents.)

(Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Egyptian Chess Players, 1865)

Oedipus and the Sphinx

2009-06-22T08:47:00.000-07:00

Return of t3h kitteh laydee!!

(Gustave Moreau, Oedipus and the Sphinx, 1864)

The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah

2009-06-19T07:22:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the past couple days, fellows... had jury duty to attend to, and not much time for the crafting of macros, alas. Anyway, here's your Friday treat; catch you on the flip.

(John Martin, The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, 1852)

And by the way, out of curiosity I scanned through the demographics of artists used thus far on this site, just to see which countries it might be good to focus on, fill in the gaps, etc. The French are the winners by far, with 32 pieces over the second-place Italians, with 20. John Martin brings the English to third place with 17, and after that it's all downhill. I am proud, however, that I managed to sneak in some diverse offerings from places such as Georgia and Sweden... not very common, those.

Leif Ericsson Discovers America

2009-06-16T07:19:00.000-07:00

(Christian Krohg, Leif Ericsson Discovers America, 1893)

Virgin of the Navigators

2009-06-15T07:55:00.000-07:00

I just cribbed this one from the Wikipedia new articles section today. It's a busy Monday, unfortunately. 10 bucks says Freud would get a kick out of this one, what with all the little conquistadors hiding under Mary's skirts.

(Alejo Fernández, Virgin of the Navigators, 1531-1536)

The Stolen Kiss

2009-06-12T06:54:00.000-07:00

I hate rococo. I really, really do. It's all women with ample bosoms swooning into piles of flowers and foppish dandies with silk stockings and floppy hats making stupid faces at them, while cherubs and bunnies and happy pink clouds fill the air, and the whole of it is done with these soft and beautiful brushstrokes that make the people look like wax. It's artpr0n. It's fanciful escapism. And I just can't stand it.

That being said, sometimes I look at paintings like this and think, "hey it looks like he's trying to suck her in... quantum singularity!" She looks a little panicked and is grabbing for that... uh, beach towel? because in a few moments she will pass the event horizon and be GONE FOREVER. Unless she somehow can travel faster than the speed of light, her quantum information is BREAKING DOWN. O shit.

I've been at this too long. I need the weekend.

(Jean-Honoré Fragonard, The Stolen Kiss, c. 1788)

Vitruvian Man

2009-06-11T06:59:00.000-07:00

jazzerciiiiiiize

(Leonardo da Vinci, Vitruvian Man, c. 1487)

The Accolade

2009-06-10T08:59:00.000-07:00

Edmund Leighton, not to be confused with his fellow countryman and contemporary Frederic Leighton (featured a couple weeks ago), is the latest Pre-Raphaelite target of my jibes. Though, I feel like I could've done something better for this... his hair really isn't that bad. Oh well. There's plenty more where this came from.

(Edmund Blair Leighton, The Accolade, 1901)

Self-Portrait in a Cap

2009-06-09T07:38:00.000-07:00

(Rembrandt, Self-portrait in a Cap with Eyes Wide Open, 1630)

Washington Crossing the Delaware

2009-06-08T08:35:00.000-07:00

jorj wantz um KRAVE KASE LOL

(Emanuel Leutze, Washington Crossing the Delaware, 1851)

The Blessing Christ

2009-06-05T07:28:00.000-07:00

(Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, The Blessing Christ, 1834)

The Concert; The Happy Couple; The Merry Trio; Young Flautist

2009-06-04T09:33:00.000-07:00

Guys, I was just going to do one, but instead it's time for a... BATTLE OF THE BANDS.

First we have: Ace of Base!

(Judith Leyster, The Concert, 1631-33)

And here's Owen Pallett and Régine Chassagne from Arcade Fire!

(Judith Leyster, The Happy Couple, 1630)

Next on the list: a washed-up Blink 182!

(Judith Leyster, The Merry Trio, 1629-31)

Grand finale... Ian Anderson, circa 1959!

(Judith Leyster, Young Flautist, c. 1630)

This is mostly a way for me to illustrate the fact that every single one of Judith Leyster's paintings ever has somebody drinking and/or playing music with the exact same really creepy smile. There are more, I just figured four would be enough for a Thursday. So who would win? You decide!!

The Cradle

2009-06-03T14:05:00.000-07:00

(Berthe Morisot, The Cradle, 1872)

Divine Comedy, Paradiso: Canto XXXI

2009-06-02T10:05:00.000-07:00

Dante Alighieri = Twitter asshole.

(Gustave Doré, Divine Comedy, Paradiso: Canto XXXI, Dante and Beatrice gaze upon the Empyrean, 1867)

The Remorse of Orestes

2009-06-01T08:56:00.000-07:00

I never thought Orestes looked particularly remorseful in this one. It's more like "omg shudup an get ur boobz outta mah fays, ai r lukkin 4 pantz".

(William-Adolphe Bouguereau, The Remorse of Orestes, 1862)

Portrait of Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler

2009-05-29T06:31:00.000-07:00

You know what, it's been an utterly exhausting week, and if anything was going to get up today, it was going to be a throwaway like this. So deal with it. :D

(Pablo Picasso, Portrait of Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, 1910)

Allegory of Wisdom and Strength

2009-05-28T08:55:00.001-07:00

I love when in old texts they say things like "fa!" and "la!" and "zo!" Little two-word exclamations of... shock? Dismay? Joy? I'm not really sure.

(Paolo Veronese, Allegory of Wisdom and Strength, c. 1580)

The Forge of Vulcan

2009-05-27T13:23:00.000-07:00

Don't worry, I'm not getting topical or relevant to current events. Just this once.

(Diego Velázquez, The Forge of Vulcan, 1630)

Orpheus and Euridice

2009-05-26T13:18:00.000-07:00

Sorry I didn't post yesterday, but I was off from work and feeling laaaazyyyy! I hope for you all what did same things.

(Frederic Leighton, Orpheus and Euridice, 1864)

The Child's Caress

2009-05-22T08:19:00.000-07:00

Google informed me that today is Mary Cassatt's birthday, so I thought this one to be only fitting. Happy 165th, Mary C!

(Mary Cassatt, The Child's Caress, c. 1890)

Feast with Organ Grinder

2009-05-21T10:04:00.000-07:00

(Niko Pirosmani, Feast with Organ Grinder, 1906)

Otani Oniji II

2009-05-20T07:38:00.000-07:00

(Tōshūsai Sharaku, Otani Oniji II, 1794)

Cherry Ripe

2009-05-19T09:30:00.000-07:00

This girl is mega-creepy and you know it.

(John Everett Millais, Cherry Ripe, 1879)

Wheat Field with Crows

2009-05-18T08:29:00.000-07:00

Trivia: this is not actually Van Gogh's last painting. But the more likely candidate, Daubigny's Garden, isn't nearly as cool, and looks like an eight-year-old's coloring book.

(Vincent Van Gogh, Wheat Field with Crows, 1890)

Sirin and Alkonost, Birds of Joy and Sorrow

2009-05-15T09:18:00.001-07:00

Holy crap it's FRIDAY YOU GUYS. I am outta here.

(Viktor Vasnetsov, Sirin and Alkonost, Birds of Joy and Sorrow, 1896)

St. Sebastian Attended by St. Irene and Her Maid

2009-05-14T08:50:00.001-07:00

This is kinda how I feel this morning.

(Dirck van Baburen, St. Sebastian Attended by St. Irene and Her Maid, c. 1615)

The Visitation with Two Saints (detail)

2009-05-13T09:01:00.000-07:00

(Piero di Cosimo, The Visitation with Two Saints, detail: St. Anthony, 1489-1490)

Charles Macklin as Shylock

2009-05-12T08:16:00.000-07:00

1, 2, 3... zomgSH00T

(Johann Zoffany, Charles Macklin as Shylock, 1767-68)

La mort du fossoyeur

2009-05-11T07:38:00.000-07:00

So, a few weeks ago we had a contest for Carlos Schwabe's La mort du fossoyeur, or, The Death of the Grave-Digger. Although it seems Wikipedia took down the original picture I linked to, this didn't stop Klaus from creating an excellent entry:

(Carlos Schwabe, La mort du fossoyeur, 1895)

Many congratulations and supreme kudos! Bragging rights and commendations are in order!

P.S. did you know Schwabe painted this thing, for which his first wife modeled the angel, when he was 17-18? Dude was married and doing paintings like this, while I was worrying about prom and statistics class.

The Dutch Housewife

2009-05-08T08:53:00.000-07:00

The inner workings of a 17th-century homemaker's mind...

(Gerrit Dou, The Dutch Housewife, 1650)

I had a piece each from the 16th, 18th, 19th, and 20th century this week, so I wanted to fill the gap, but this is the best I could find. It kind of fits with my theme, though I don't know about you guys, but this one doesn't really trompe my oeil very much. Oh well. Look at her face, though! She is so sick of making chicken, you guys.

Thus concludes the week of illusions, anamorphoses, trompes l'œil, and so forth. Next week: a surprise! And, please note that you can now follow this blog with the convenient little follow button on the sidebar. I hope that you will consider. My blog is always welcome to you.

The Librarian

2009-05-07T07:48:00.001-07:00

This one is for The Sassy Spinster! dooey dessimul sistum LOL

(Giuseppe Arcimboldo, The Librarian, 1556)

Relativity

2009-05-06T09:47:00.000-07:00

Dammit, I worked on this for a good half hour and it still didn't turn out quite the way I wanted. Really, I should just pirate a version of PhotoShop and install it here on my work compy, but that's so much hassle, and they'd yell at me. Ugh. Just... just try to imagine it, okay? Someday I'll go back through and fix the ones that need some serious fixing...

(M.C. Escher, Relativity, 1953)

Trompe l'œil

2009-05-05T07:49:00.000-07:00

(Henry Fuseli, Trompe l'œil, 1750)

Escaping Criticism

2009-05-04T08:56:00.001-07:00

I'm feeling really into trompe l'œil, anamorphosis, illusions, and the like this week. We'll see how many more good ones I can actually dig up, though.

(Pere Borrell del Caso, Escaping Criticism, 1874)

Vanitas

2009-05-01T14:28:00.000-07:00

(Pieter Claesz, Vanitas, 1630)

Jacob's Dream

2009-04-30T07:05:00.000-07:00

Cheap? Maybe.

(Jusepe de Ribera, Jacob's Dream, 1639)

The Son of Man

2009-04-29T07:50:00.001-07:00

(René Magritte, The Son of Man, 1964)

Pallas Athena

2009-04-28T13:16:00.000-07:00

I guess I'm not as up on my Greek mythology as I should be. Why is this (extremely creepy) Athena holding a small model of, perhaps, herself? And why is that dude's face between her boozums, stickin its tung owt? Those Greeks, man. I just don't know.

(Gustav Klimt, Pallas Athena, 1898)

Winter's Tale, Act II, Scene iii

2009-04-27T07:34:00.000-07:00

(John Opie, Winter's Tale, Act II, Scene iii, 1793)

The Raising of Lazarus; Death of Orpheus

2009-04-24T08:47:00.001-07:00

Apologies for the lack of posting yesterday, I was sans Intarwebz! Here's two.

(Juan de Flandes, The Raising of Lazarus, c. 1500-1510)

I have decided that resurrections should make a *ding* noise from now on.

(Albrecht Dürer, Death of Orpheus, 1494)

...I'm not quite sure why there's a random babeh as the Bacchante beat Orpheus to death. And I'm not sure why he had to take his pants off before they kill him. But it forms a nice frame tale with the blossoming of life earlier in this post. Happy weekend!

Jupiter and Thetis

2009-04-22T09:24:00.000-07:00

I must admit, I'm running a bit short on ideas at the moment...

(Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, Jupiter and Thetis, 1811)

Macbeth and Banquo Meeting the Witches

2009-04-21T06:52:00.000-07:00

(Théodore Chassériau, Macbeth and Banquo Meeting the Witches on the Heath, 1855)

Bonjour Monsieur Courbet

2009-04-20T08:39:00.000-07:00

Beard duels were surprisingly common in the mid-19th century, peaking in the 1868 throwdown between politicos Rutherford B. Hayes and Friedrich Engels that catapulted them both to stardom on the Transatlantic Bearding Circuit. Despite their popularity, the violent nature of these duels led to their depiction being censored by Christian family groups and stuffy Paris Salon judges until the 1880s, by which time the craze had waned. Courbet cleverly sidestepped the strict anti-beard statutes by portraying the initial challenge which led to the infamous Normandie Bearding of 1852 that left three Frenchmen dead and a Belgian fishwife four months pregnant.

(Gustave Courbet, Bonjour Monsieur Corbet, 1854)

Girl with a Wine Glass

2009-04-17T06:53:00.000-07:00

That guy in the back looks so bored. Haz no boozims fur inspekshun.

(Johannes Vermeer, Girl with a Wine Glass, c. 1660)

Green Stripe (Madame Matisse)

2009-04-16T08:50:00.000-07:00

(Henri Matisse, Green Stripe, also called Madame Matisse, 1905)

Christ in the Desert

2009-04-15T08:45:00.000-07:00

In forty days, he must have thought this at least once.

(Ivan Kramskoi, Christ in the Desert, 1872)

Satyr and Maid with Fruit Basket

2009-04-14T07:42:00.000-07:00

Regina sends us some fancy frootwork!

(Peter Paul Rubens, Satyr and Maid with Fruit Basket, 1615)

The Premature Burial

2009-04-13T09:31:00.000-07:00

The fact that yesterday was Easter has absolutely nothing to do this one. Nothing at all.

(Antoine Wiertz, The Premature Burial, 1854)

The Raven

2009-04-10T07:52:00.000-07:00

(Odilon Redon, The Raven, 1882)

Gold Marilyn

2009-04-09T08:45:00.000-07:00

Happy 100th installment of mah blog!

(Andy Warhol, Gold Marilyn, 1962)

So, frequent contributor Regina and I both made versions of Carlos Schwabe's La mort du fossoyeur, and I can't decide which one I want to post. Then it occurred to me that as the Symbolists are so much fun to mess around with, maybe this would be an excellent opportunity for a contest? I really have no idea how many people read this blog, nor how many more would want to do such a thing, but let's give it a few weeks and see what happens. The picture is thus:

(Click for a larger version.) A couple suggestions: I use Impact font for all of mine, as that seems to be kind of a standard, at least for those that make these on PCs. Some creative use of word processing programs and judicious cut-and-paste suffices for almost all of the ones you see on this site. And you can send your submissions to stoptouchtell at gmail dot com. I'll keep reminding people for a while about it, and I'm curious to see what happens. Happy macroing!

Tilla Durieux as Circe

2009-04-08T08:25:00.000-07:00

Maybe Regina's right... the Symbolists and Pre-Raphaelites (and most of the early Renaissance/Mannerists) are just too easy. It takes considerably more thought to do a Rothko or Mondrian for these, and I think one of these weekends I have to just sit down and work on some from other schools of art. There's only so much 14th/15th/19th century one can do. Tomorrow will be the 100th friggin' picture, which is pretty cool... after that, we may have to make some changes.

In the meantime, you know what soop she's holding? Iz chikum noobulz.

(Franz von Stuck, Tilla Durieux as Circe, 1913)

Penelope and the Suitors

2009-04-07T09:56:00.000-07:00

(John William Waterhouse, Penelope and the Suitors, 1912)

A Dream of a Girl Before Sunrise

2009-04-06T09:19:00.000-07:00

(Karl Briullov, A Dream of a Girl Before Sunrise, 1830-1833)

The Divine Breath

2009-04-03T07:09:00.000-07:00

On da sixf dey da LORD made sum italium quizeen an on da seveumf dey he etted it all up!

(Melchior Broederlam, Altarpiece of Jacques de Baerze, detail "The Divine Breath", 1395)

The Painter's Room

2009-04-02T12:40:00.000-07:00

(Lucian Freud, The Painter's Room, 1944)

Girl in Blue Kimono

2009-04-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

She just looks SO FED UP with those fish. One wonders what they did. Probably they forgot the six-month anniversary or got her a blender for Christmas or something.

(Robert Lewis Reid, Girl in Blue Kimono, 1911)

The Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine

2009-03-31T09:13:00.000-07:00

I'm not big on themes, but somehow it ended up that there's another St. Catherine one today. Maybe we can keep this going all week? Nothing like some midday hagiography to get me going.

(Antonio da Correggio, The Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine, 1526-7)

St. Catherine of Alexandria

2009-03-30T09:08:00.000-07:00

From Regina, with love and kisses.

(Raphael, St. Catherine of Alexandria, 1507)

Venus de Milo; A Young Tiger Playing with its Mother

2009-03-26T09:19:00.000-07:00

Won't be around tomorrow, so here's two! Have a good weekend.

(Alexandros of Antioch, Aphrodite of Milos aka Venus de Milo, c. 120 BC)

This one's phrasing is taken from my roommate, as our cats do this a lot:

(Eugène Delacroix, A Young Tiger Playing with its Mother, 1830)

Me and My Parrots

2009-03-25T07:56:00.000-07:00

(Frida Kahlo, Me and My Parrots, 1941)

The Beguiling of Merlin

2009-03-24T13:34:00.000-07:00

I really, really wanted to make some kind of comment on the fact that it looks like Merlin is having a stroke, but I'm just not that horrible of a person. At least, I'm not today. Just pretend it in your brain that he is a stroke patient and she is not turned on by this.

(Edward Burne-Jones, The Beguiling of Merlin, 1874)

Madonna and Child with St. John the Baptist

2009-03-23T09:14:00.000-07:00

Probably I could fill an entire blog with Madonna + child imagery. Thanks, the Renaissance!

(Andrea del Sarto, Madonna and Child with St. John, c. 1513)

Rhine Maidens Warn Siegfried

2009-03-20T08:25:00.000-07:00

I just love how she's got that hand up, like "o hai siegfried hows ur mom".

(Arthur Rackham, Rhine Maidens Warn Siegfried, 1912)

Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth

2009-03-19T08:13:00.000-07:00

OWT DAM SPOT. need sum perfyooms of araibeyaa LOL.

(John Singer Sargent, Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth, 1889)

Quince, Cabbage, Melon, and Cucumber

2009-03-18T08:42:00.000-07:00

You guys remember that joke about the muffins in the oven and the talking muffin? No? Oh well.

Also, by popular demand: the email address for this blog (stoptouchtell@gmail.com) is now available for your marvelous questions, comments, ideas, and harassment. Generally I don't like putting it places, along with any other email, but I suppose that if people use it for good rather than evil (e.g. I don't want emails about hormones or Nigerian doctors), that's okay.

(Fra Juan Sánchez Cotán, Quince, Cabbage, Melon, and Cucumber, 1602)

Fishmonger

2009-03-17T12:03:00.000-07:00

Probably I could have done something Irish-themed for St. Patrick's Day, but you know what? I am in the mood for fishes, and you lot can deal with it. (Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig, though.)

(Adriaen van Ostade, Fishmonger, c. 1665)

Un balcon

2009-03-16T08:35:00.001-07:00

(Gustave Caillebotte, Un balcon, 1880)

The Wise & Foolish Virgins

2009-03-13T08:28:00.000-07:00

You know, I paid fairly good attention to my Biblical parables growing up, and I totally don't remember this one at all. You'd think that any parable about a guy marrying ten virgins would be pretty hard to miss...yes, it's about the Second Coming and all, but it also goes to show that Jeezus wuz um laydees man.

(Peter von Cornelius, The Wise & Foolish Virgins, c. 1813)

Jane, Countess of Harrington

2009-03-12T07:53:00.000-07:00

A trifle boring, but what else can one expect from a Thursday morning?

(Joshua Reynolds, Jane, Countess of Harrington, 1778)

Nebuchadnezzar

2009-03-11T09:12:00.000-07:00

(William Blake, Nebuchadnezzar, 1795)

The Singer with the Glove

2009-03-10T09:17:00.000-07:00

Fellahs and laydeez, I'm pretty psyched that we're slowly but surely closing in on the 100-pictures mark. (I think the total is now like... 78? 79? Spread across not-quite-that-many posts.) Stuff I'm contemplating for the near future: having a crash course in Art Historee on the site, adding the ability to search for particular works by their tags, and instituting a contest for best caption, perhaps for the 100th piece. Much excitement!

(Edgar Degas, The Singer with the Glove, 1878)

Flowers of Edo

2009-03-09T09:46:00.001-07:00

(Kitagawa Utamaro, Flowers of Edo, c. 1800)

Malle Babbe

2009-03-06T07:32:00.000-08:00

(Frans Hals, Malle Babbe, c. 1634)

Hay Harvest at Éragny

2009-03-05T13:55:00.000-08:00

Moar pharmwimminz!

(Camille Pissarro, Hay Harvest at Éragny, 1901)

Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry - Juin

2009-03-04T09:37:00.000-08:00

(Barthélemy d'Eyck, Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry - Juin, detail, c. 1410)

Leda and the Swan

2009-03-03T09:00:00.000-08:00

A racy Tuesday offering from Regina!

(CA Holland, Leda and the Swan, c. 1910)

Paysage de Neige, or, Le Grand Hiver

2009-03-02T18:26:00.000-08:00

Marco Polo, gone horribly wrong.

(Cuno Amiet, Paysage de Neige or Le Grand Hiver, 1904)

The Kiss

2009-02-27T12:50:00.000-08:00

(Francesco Hayez, The Kiss, 1859)

Blenda

2009-02-26T09:46:00.000-08:00

Part of a series by Malmström, along with "Toasta" and "Mixa".

(August Malmström, Blenda, 1860)

Portrait of Doctor Bouchard

2009-02-25T08:42:00.000-08:00

He looks like kind of a dapper film noir detective doctor guy. but donno y da blud iz oranj?

(Tamara de Lempicka, Portrait of Doctor Bouchard, 1929)

The Blue Cup

2009-02-24T05:28:00.000-08:00

(Joseph DeCamp, The Blue Cup, 1909)

Scrovegni Chapel: the Ascension of Christ

2009-02-23T12:12:00.000-08:00

O hai guyz! I'm back from my vacation in Far-Off Lands... haven't really had time to put one together for today, so I'm using this superb offering from Regina for Monday: Christonaut!

(Giotto di Bondone, Scrovegni Chapel: the Ascension of Christ, c. 1305)

Mme Monet in a Japanese Costume, The Card Players

2009-02-13T07:26:00.001-08:00

Our Internet was down yesterday, so here's two at once. Also, I'm off on vacation as of 5 PM today... won't be back for a week! I hope you guys can do without five days of updates. We'll see if I can make it up all at once next weekend. Hurrah!

(Claude Monet, Mme Monet in a Japanese Costume, 1875)

(Paul Cézanne, The Card Players, 1892-1893)

Boy with a Basket of Fruit

2009-02-11T13:59:00.000-08:00

Da boi wif da fr00tz teik umbrij wif da laydee wut sez she haz all da fr00tz!

(Michelangelo Caravaggio, Boy with a Basket of Fruit, c. 1593)

The Merchant's Wife

2009-02-10T10:19:00.000-08:00

(Boris Kustodiev, The Merchant's Wife, 1918)

The Sistine Madonna (detail)

2009-02-09T09:14:00.000-08:00

Most people know this one, but most people don't know it's part of a larger painting called the Sistine Madonna. The angels look intensely bored, but they're looking at Mary holding the baby Jesus. I guess that by the time of the New Testament they were used to all the big brouhaha about burning bushes and pillars of fire, so here they're like "yeh u gotz babeh kthxbai".

Or maybe they were just thinking about other things. Like getting some wimminz.

(Raphael, The Sistine Madonna: detail, "Angels", 1513-1516)

David Garrick as Richard III

2009-02-06T09:55:00.001-08:00

(William Hogarth, David Garrick as Richard III, 1745)

Portrait of Mme Augustine Roulin and Baby Marcelle

2009-02-05T10:11:00.000-08:00

Babehs just work really well in these. I can't figure it out.

(Vincent Van Gogh, Portrait of Mme Augustine Roulin and Baby Marcelle, 1888-9)

The Frog Asks to be Allowed into the Castle

2009-02-04T08:12:00.000-08:00

It was either this or make him a little Jehovah's Witness.

(Walter Crane, The Frog Asks to be Allowed into the Castle, 1874)

Birthday

2009-02-03T14:49:00.000-08:00

I didn't realize until after making this that Dorothea Tanning is still alive, and may wish to exercise copyright over this piece. In which case, although relevant information is in this entry, should Ms. Tanning ask me to remove it, I will do so; but I would point out that it is merely a comical interpretation of a fascinating piece of art, and I intend no disrespect with my dialogue. The griffum is just too cute.

(Dorothea Tanning, Birthday, 1942)

Cat and Spider

2009-02-02T09:00:00.000-08:00

Guys, I went to the museum this weekend and noted down some excellent fodder for the site... we'll see what I can find on the Interwebs. Today's, though, is from Regina at TILfW:

(Oide Makoto, Cat and Spider, late 19th century)

St. Christopher, Wain Cat

2009-01-30T10:15:00.001-08:00

Thursday's post somehow didn't make it up, so here it is along with today's. The Dürer is a special request from my friend Liz. I feel a little awful using Louis Wain's work, as his life story is a tragic one, but considering that all his illustrations are of kittehs in various psychedelic poses, I just couldn't resist. (Unfortunately, given his history, it's nigh-impossible to assign titles or dates to his later works, so I'll just dredge up what I can. If you have information, please share.)

(Albrecht Dürer, St. Christopher, 1521)

(Louis Wain, Untitled, c. 1925)