Something Beautiful

Christmas (Ghirlandaio)

Here is a longtime Christmas favorite -- Domenico Ghirlandaio's Adoration of the Magi, 1488.   I especially like the angels, and the musical notes, near the top.  -- Adoration of the Magi.

(Here's a close-up  of the angels.)

(And here are many more details from the painting.)

Note: This painting is more than nine feet tall!  and approximately 8 feet wide. 

Spinola Hours

You can see 36 sides from the Spinola Hours, c. 1510, illustrated by the Master of James IV of Scotland at the Google Art site. 

L. A. Ring

Laurits Andersen Ring (1854-1933) was a Danish artist whose work I like very much.   Google Art has 8 paintings by him.  

Willem Vrelant

Google Art has 90 illuminations by Willem Vrelant.  Viewed as a whole, on a single screen, they are truly handsome and lovely. 

Archbishop Elder (Eakins)

I like this portrait of Archbishop William Henry Elder, by American artist Thomas Eakins.  He has captured, it seems, a distinctive face and attitude.  

Holbein the Younger

Google Art Project currently has 20 or so paintings by Hans Holbein the Younger on display. Very handsome works.   Many of these works are quite wonderful but you might need to zoom in to see just how much.   Try the portrait of Jane Seymour, Queen of England and one of Henry VIII's ill-fated wives.  Jane was not a terribly attractive woman but the painting, seen up-close, is simply marvelous.   

Dresden in 1748 (Canaletto)

Canaletto is quite an astonishing painter who has left us a marvelous record of the cityscapes of Europe.   Here is Dresden in 1748.  

The still-impressive Google Art Project has 143 works by Canaletto!  Truly a feast for the eyes.  

Mary Cassatt: Mothers (and Children)

Here is a feast for the eyes on Mother's Day: 25 works by Mary Cassatt (at Google Art Project).  

Eleanora of Toledo, by Bronzino

Feast your eyes on a close-up of the gown in this portrait of Eleanora of Toledo, 1543, by Agnolo Bronzino. 

There's another, slightly later portrait by the same artist -- with equally delectable close-ups -- titled Eleanora of Toledo and Son at the Detroit Museum of the Arts, c. 1550.  

 

Robert Shetterly & "Americans Who Tell the Truth"

Again and again I'm drawn to the idea of the Americans Who Tell the Truth project.   I'm not crazy about the artist's style but something deep within me responds to the basic idea of offering visual and narrative portraits of admirable Americans.   Artist Robert Shetterly began this project after 9/11, in response to all the lies that were being told to the American people at that time.   May we someday be worthy of greatness again.