Blog posts about old masters
Art Quote by Eugène Delacroix
“The artist who aims at perfection in everything, achieves it in nothing.” Eugène Delacroix
The so-called Munich School, and the Greek painting of the 19th century
The so-called Munich School, and the personal bonds between Greek painters and Munich artistry during the 19th century...
The Young Ladies of Avignon
Did you know that Picasso’s abstract depiction of five Barcelona prostitutes was deemed immoral when it debuted at the artist’s studio in 1907?
Interesting models
Another famous painting with interesting models is Grant Wood’s American Gothic.
The Scream
The Scream 'an icon of modern art ... a Mona Lisa for our time' according to Arthur Lubow.
Vision, the ultimate “tool” of a painter
Claude Monet had been suffering from cataracts since 1912. After the operations which cured his cataracts, he was so excited!
Who Mona Lisa actually was?
While some claim that Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous painting is a self-portrait of the artist in drag...
USEUM Joins the Open Data Movement: Old Masters Paintings Available to Download
Access to images of paintings has always been a complex matter, however with constantly more museums releasing their collections to the Public Domain, we were able to simplify access to all these works of art. For the first time, USEUM makes it easy to search, browse and obtain Public Domain paintings, all in one platform.
Happy birthday John William Waterhouse!
Born on this day in 1849, John William Waterhouse was one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, that often sought inspiration in the work of William Shakespeare.
Girl with a Pearl Earring
There is an air of mystery surrounding the identity of the girl. Α theory wants the girl to be Vermeer’s eldest daughter Maria, and another wide spread conjecture claims that she was his maid. The second scenario inspired both a novel and a movie, in which the girl was a servant with whom Vermeer had a relationship. She was painted wearing one of his wife‘s pearl earrings...
Illustrated Quote featuring Bacchus
Need a bit of cheering up today? Perhaps a cookbook author and the Greek god of wine and theatre (among other things) have some advice for you...
Art Meme: The Judgement of Solomon
Click READ MORE and volume up this painting :D We did!
Art Meme: The Repentant Magdalen
Can you imagine what this meme could be about? Have a guess and then have a look...
Art Meme: Samson and Delilah
What could Samson be saying to Delilah...? Have a guess?
Jacques Louis David: The Robespierre of the brush
Portrait of Madame Jose-Maria de Heredia by Emile Lévy
The soft colored Louis XVI style room, the elegant light pink evening gown and the classic pose add to the graceful result. Although the painting seems still and the pose conventional, the lady is actually moving while trying to fit one of her gloves, giving the impression that Lévy was there only to capture this moment.
Putting things into bold perspective
Gustave Caillebotte (19 August 1848 – 21 February 1894): Putting things into bold perspective. Inspired by urban scenes in Paris of the late 19th century and the emerging art of photography, Caillebotte plays with bold perspective presented through unusual viewing angles.
The neo-classical painter with the flawless line
Flaming June on flame
The Impressions of Mary Cassatt
There are very few female artists from before the 20th century that have survived in books of art and Mary Cassatt is one of them. Since women were not accepted at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris at the time, she took private lessons and later exhibited with the Impressionists, to whom she was introduced by her friend Edgar Degas.