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
Édouard Manet was a French Impressionist painter born on January 23, 1832. He was one of Impressionism’s most influential artists. Manet’s father and mother were a judge and a daughter of a diplomat, respectively. Great achievements in law were expected of Édouard, but when his uncle … Continue readingIn the Conservatory by Édouard Manet
William Powell Frith was born on January 19, 1819 in North Yorkshire. He began his career by painting portraits, including those of notable people like Charles Dickens. He later got into painting the various Victorian classes, bringing the poor and the rich together in public … Continue readingThe Crossing Sweeper by William Powell Frith