Madonna Litta. A loving mother holds her child. He sucks a breast. Virgin Mary is beautiful. The baby is strikingly like a mother. He looks at us with a serious look. The small picture is 42 x 33 cm (1.4 x 1.1 ft). But it is monumental. The capacious space of the canvas contains something …
“Madonna Litta” by Leonardo da Vinci. Unusual details of the masterpiece Read More »
Bronzino’s painting “Allegory with Venus and Cupid” is one of the most mysterious and erotic paintings of Renaissance era. The artist put in it a secret message, which was intended to the king of France. What did the artist, or rather the customer of the painting, Cosimo I of Medici, the ruler of Tuscany, want …
Agnolo Bronzino “Allegory with Venus and Cupid”. Secret Message to the King Read More »
⠀⠀ The Renaissance. Italy. XV-XVI centuries. Early capitalism. The country is ruled by rich bankers. They are interested in art and science. The rich and powerful surround themselves with the talented and wise. Poets, philosophers, artists, and sculptors dialogize with their patrons every day. For a moment, it may seem that wise men really rule people, just as Plato wanted. The ancient Romans and Greeks weren’t forgotten either. They also built a society …
The Renaissance era artists. 6 great Italian masters. Read More »
Only few people knew about Botticelli’s “Spring” for as long as… 450 years! At first, it was housed by Medici descendants. Later, it was moved to the Uffizi Gallery. However… You won’t believe it – it had been stored in repository for 100 years! And only in the early 20th century it was introduced to …
“Spring” by Botticelli. The main characters and symbols Read More »
In late 2017, the art society was shocked twice. A work by none other than Leonardo da Vinci* was offered for sale. And this may happen only once in 1000 years. Moreover, it was sold for almost half a billion dollars! This is likely to never happen again. But for many people this news outshined …