Haley's Blog

    Claude Monet,  Nymphéas , 1916-19. Fondation Beyeler. Claude Monet contributed to the establishment of the Impressionist style in late 1800s France, and his lush, light-dappled plein-air paintings reflect its aesthetics. The botanical name for a water lily is "Nymphaea." In 1893, he planted a water garden at Giverny, where he raised white water lilies. This painting is so pastel and aesthetic. The extraordinary detail with which he painted the shadows and shimmering light in this painting sets it apart from the rest of his works. The square structure of the painting supports its neutral tone. The lack of a structure gives the portion a limitless quality. He focused his attention just on the pond's surface, discarding standard perspective. The constant reflecting qualities of light in nature were recreated with small, flowing color brushstrokes. The final outcome was an idea that was truly adventurous for its time. Pierre-Auguste Renoir,  Sunset , 1879 or 1881, Clark

  Jean-Honoré Fragonard,  The Swing , 1767 (Wallace Collection, London) Among aesthetic designs, Rococo was arguably the most rebellious. It was incredibly visually appealing and dramatic, a style free of customs, and was frequently referred to as the Baroque movement's greatest manifestation. A portion of the Rococo period's artistic output was a response to the Baroque Era's strict regulations and wealth. The nobility, who were a rather frivolous group, served as primary supporters of the arts throughout this time. The aristocracy was a class of people who valued luxury and the pursuit of pleasure in addition to their money and influence in politics.  The painting's radiant pastel colors, soft lighting, and the way the girl's dress ruffles mimic the pattern of the surrounding greenery all serve to highlight its delightful scene of the French Revolution. A young woman is depicted in the painting swinging. One man is swinging her around, and the other is lounging on

 The Entombment of Christ Caravaggio, Bacchus, 1603-04,  The Entombment of Christ ,  Pinacoteca Vaticana, Vatican City. Italian painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, also known as Caravaggio, spent the majority of his career in Rome. During his lifetime, his violent actions brought him more fame than his works of art. Like his paintings, he had a very dramatic life and is thought of committing serious crimes more than once during his life. He passed away at the age of 38 in Tuscany, under unknown circumstances.  His most well-known pieces of art include Sick Bacchus, The Musicians, The Conversion of St. Paul, The Entombment of Christ, and The Beheading of St. John. Caravaggio committed to painting two major paintings for the side walls of the Contarelli Chapel of San Luigi dei Francesi, the French church in Rome, on July 23, 1599. His sponsor Cardinal del Monte, whose connections to the Medici meant that he had intimate ties to the French society in Rome, was able to get the comm

 School of Athens Raphael, School of Athens , 1508–11; in the Stanza della Segnatura in the Vatican. A room in Pope Julius II's private places at the Vatican contains a painting by artist Raphael named School of Athens. The School of Athens was one of the most important works of art created during the Renaissance and the most well-known of all of Raphael's paintings. Donato Bramante suggested to Julius II and summoned Raphael to Rome at the end of 1508.  Raffaello Santi, who would later become known as Raphael, was born in Urbino in central Italy during the early Renaissance. His father, Duke Federigo da Montefeltro's court painter Giovanni Santi, taught his son his first lessons in painting. His art is praised for its simplicity and ability to visually realize the Neoplatonic ideal of human magnificence. The well-known room, the Stanza della Segnatura, contains murals with the historical explanation of the Roman Catholic Church's dominance through Neoplatonic philosoph