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Four Times of Day - Midday
Claude-Joseph Vernet - A Ship Offshore Foundering in a Storm. I'm not a huge fan of Vernet's work, because I find much of it to be excessively dramatic. This piece has drama but it is balanced with fine use of light and a cohesiveness that I think is missing in much of his work. -
Veiled Christ
Giuseppe Sanmartino - The delicacy of the veil texture is fascinating. The veiled anatomy is rendered with near perfection. -
Hesperus as Personification of the Evening Star
Anton Raphael Mengs - Hersperus was the planet Venus to the Greeks. Here he is shown dropping arrows and shedding light while he himself is reflecting the light of the sun. -
Stallion in a Landscape
George Stubbs paints a serene landscape and a very fine depiction of a horse that is bright and alert. -
Orrery
Joseph Wright of Derby - The use of light in this, and many of his works, is truly amazing. The full title says it all: A Philosopher giving a Lecture on the Orrery in which a lamp is put in place of the Sun. -
The Lady With the Veil
Alexander Roslin - The subject is the artist's wife (Marie-Suzanne Giroust). It's interesting that (agreeing with the style of the time) her hair is gray, yet her face is very youthful. -
A View of the Eruption of Mount Vesuvius
Pierre-Jacques Volaire - In my opinion this is the best of his numerous depictions of volcanic eruptions. The ash cloud shows rising and precipitating ash and shines bright from the fire at its source. The contrast between the ash plume and the moonlit sky is stunning. -
The Yawner
Frans Xaver Messerschmidt - He chose facial expression as his specialty and created masterpieces on this theme. The Yawner is believed to be the first time a sculptor captured the underside of the human tongue. It looks like something that belongs in a museum of modern art. -
Self Portrait
Anton Raphael Mengs - The subtleties of tone and texture on his face are fascinating. This is far more than a simple portrait. -
Young Girl Reading
Jean-Honoré Fragonard - A delightful scene - the young woman, clothing, and furniture are beautifully rendered, but take a look at the book... It's definitely an afterthought. -
Nightmare
John Henry Fuseli - His preference for the supernatural is captured in full beauty and fright in this - one of his best from a huge catalog of works. -
Dovedale by Moonlight
Joseph Wright of Derby - This appears to be held by the Allen Memorial Art Museum at Oberlin College. Wright again capture light in a magnificent nocturnal scene. -
The Corinthian Maid
Joseph Wright - The young woman is tracing the outline of her lover who is about the leave on a dangerous journey. The outline is intended to be later memorialized on a piece of pottery. Wright's masterful use of light and shadow is on display in this memorable piece. -
The Fountain of Love
Jean-Honoré Fragonard turns the poetic subject of new love into a captivating illustration. -
The Death of Socrates
Jacques-Louis David - I featured this in another class presentation after seeing it at the Met. This is a rich depiction of Plato's "Trial and Death of Socrates" -
The Tragic Muse
Sir Joshua Reynolds - Mrs. Siddons was a Shakespearean actress and is depicted here as the Melpomene - the Greek and Roman muse of tragedy. Pity and Terror stand behind her. -
Self Portrait
Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun -Painted in Rome in the Rococo style. -
Death of Marat
Jacques-Louis David - Marat was heavily involved in the French Revolution and a friend of David. David was in the room shortly after the murder he depicted in this painting. It is an important and beautiful piece. -
Fishermen at Sea
Joseph Mallord William Turner depicts the perils of a life made at sea in a popular nocturnal style.
