Ary Scheffer was born on February 10, 1795. Though of Dutch origin, he was a French Romantic painter. He typically painted works of literature from authors such as Dante and Byron, and religious scenes, and he was also a prolific portrait painter.
Egyption art is seemingly always high quality, and that’s because it was created for purposes sacred to the culture. Most of what we still have is from the tombs of kings, buried with them to ensure that they moved on to the afterlife. Because of … Continue readingThe Palette of King Narmer
Guercino was born on February 8, 1591 as Giovanni Francesco Barbieri. He is known as an Italian Baroque painter with a lively nature in his paintings. Guercino received the nickname by which he is best known because he was cross-eyed, and the word is Italian for … Continue readingReturn of the Prodigal Son by Guercino
Today, Sylvester is going to tell us about the Royal Standard of Ur! What is a royal standard, you might ask? Is that the royal way in which Ur is to behave? Sylvester insists that’s not quite it. Actually, Ur is a city in Mesopotamia, … Continue readingThe Royal Standard of Ur
Carl Spitzweg was born on February 5, 1808 in Bavaria. He was an important part of the German Romantic movement in art, and especially in the Biedermeier era in which art grew to appeal to middle class people. Spitzweg was trained as a pharmacist, but ironically … Continue readingThe Butterfly Hunter by Carl Spitzweg
Norman Rockwell was born on February 3, 1894 in New York City. Most people recognize him as the illustrator of The Saturday Evening Post magazine cover, a weekly dispatch to which he contributed for more than fifty years. Rockwell left high school to join the Chase Art … Continue readingCobbler Studying Doll’s Shoe by Norman Rockwell
Welcome to Art History with Sylvester! Sylvester says: Humans have been communicating with art and imagery since the stone ages…and, well, they even used stone. The cave paintings are filled with stories. The Hall of the Bulls is located in the Lascaux Cave in Dordogne, … Continue readingHall of the Bulls
Giovanni Lanfranco was born on January 26, 1582. He was a Baroque Italian painter. Lanfranco was involved in decorating many churches in Rome and is known for his dramatic approach to depicting the Biblical scenes on which he focused. He painted ceilings especially, and his … Continue readingThe Annunciation by Giovanni Lanfranco
Govert Flinck was born on January 25, 1615 in the Dutch Republic. Flinck became associated with Rembrandt when he moved in with the painter’s wife’s relatives’ neighbors (how’s that for association?!). Flinck was secretly interested in art at the time and became one of Rembrandt’s … Continue readingAngels Announcing Christ’s Birth to the Shepherds by Govert Flinck
Konstantin Bogaevsky was born on January 24, 1872 in Russia. He is best known for his symbolic landscapes. Bogaevsky studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts and was dismissed for his supposed “lack of talent,” so he traveled to Italy and France to continue growing … Continue readingShips: Evening Sun by Konstantin Bogaevsky