Saturday, February 27, 2010

Pharaoh's Favorite

Pharaoh's favorite by the Croatian art nouveau painter Blaise Vlaho Bukovac (1855-1922). Bukovac was a student of Alexandre Cabanel in Paris and shows here a strange mixture of orientalistic and historical subjects. Nevertheless looks the girl with her headdress quite modern.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Psyche and Cupido

Psyche and her lover Cupido. A sweet love story with rosy little angels, kitsch as kitsch can.
The painting is by the French academic and history painter Lionel-Noël Royer (1852-1926), who was a student of Cabanel et de Bouguereau which could easily be detected.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

One more Water Nymph

Another one of the perfectly painted nudes by the British painter Herbert James Draper (1863 – 1920). As a "water nymph" it could be exposed and sold.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Bacchante

A bacchante by the French Neoclassical painter Marie Louise Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun (1755-1842). Vigée-Lebrun was very successful with portraits of European nobles. Here she painted a nude as a historical Greek/Roman bacchante.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Picking the Favourite

Picking the Favourite by the Italian orientalist painter Giulio Rosati (1858-1917). A typical male dream so beloved by the Orientalists. Three nude female slaves were presented to the buyer. It’s also a kind of orientalist judgement of Paris.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

One more Venus

The Birth of Venus (1862) by the French academic painter Eugène-Emmanuel Amaury-Duval (1808-1885). Maybe it’s a nice nude but else it’s a boring repetition of countless paintings with the same subject.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Gorgeous Birds

Imperia by the great Australian painter Norman Lindsay (1879-1969). With his characteristic irony Lindsay confronts here to gorgeous narcissistic birds.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Morning Allegory

Songs of the Morning is a typical Victorian nude painting, this time a kind of allegory. It’s by the British painter Henrietta Rae (1859 - 1928 ) who was a friend of Sir Frederic Leighton who became also her mentor.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Manierist Nude

Many of these 19th century nudes and odalisques are inspired by the perfect Venus by the Flemish manierist painter Jan Massys (1509-1575). One of the best nudes in art history.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Reclined Odalisque

A reclined odalisque waiting for her sheik by the French painter Léon-François Comerre (1850-1916).

Monday, December 28, 2009

Water Nymph

Another water nymph by the French painter Gaston Bussière (1862-1929).

Saturday, December 19, 2009

The Tomb of the Poet

The Tomb of the Poet (1900) by the Spanish painter Pedro Sáenz Sáenz (1863-1927).