Something Beautiful

Serving the Guest

I discovered this cookbook with art-gallery in my earliest days on the Internet. So glad to see it is still here -- Serving the Guest.

Branchini Madonna

Surely the only word that even begins to describe the Branchini Madonna is "exquisite"?

Wilton Diptych

It's taken me a while to realize what an extraordinary, truly beautiful work the Wilton Diptych is. If you aren't yet well acquainted with it -- highly recommended.

Why We Think Nature Beautiful

This lecture-exhibit, titled Why We Think Nature Beautiful, has been on the Web for years. During all that time, I've been intending to read it. I haven't done so yet, but I'm still hoping to. In the meantime, I'm glad it's still here.

An Old Woman Sewing

This painting is "homely," but still quite a lovely work -- An Old Woman Sewing, 1655, by Johannes van der Aack. 

The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp (Rembrandt)

While pursuing another subject entirely, I came across a reference to this extraordinary work -- The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp, 1623, by Rembrandt. It's housed in the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague, the Netherlands.

Piccolomini altar (Michelangelo)

Attention, Agony and Ecstasy fans! Remember the Piccolomini altar that Michelangelo undertook as a young man, despite his deep misgivings?

Here are photos of the resulting work, much scaled-down from the original plan -- Piccolomini altar, Siena.

Impressionists

Here is a set of related sites that I've known about and liked for a long time. Each has a neat feature by which you can search for different categories of painting --

Cezanne (1839-1906)
Degas (1834-1917)
Gauguin (1848-1903)

Monet (1840-1926)
Renoir (1841-1919)
Van Gogh (1853-1890) 

St Jerome (El Greco)

Please take a look at this St Jerome, ca. 1595, by El Greco.   Note: the zoom is amazing. 

Wedding Dance (Brueghel)

At the Detroit Institute of Art site, you can use their zoom feature to get quite close to the Wedding Dance, 1566, by Pieter Brueghel. Getting up close makes all the difference!