Title: The Battle of Alexander at Issus Artist: Albrecht Altdorfer Year: 1529 Type: oil painting on panel A painting is a static image. It shows things all at once. It cannot represent a sequence of events. But some kinds of prolonged activity it can manage. Among "the fittest subjects for painting" are "such actions whose incidents are all … [Read more...] about The Battle of Alexander at Issus – Albrecht Altdorfer
violence
Shock Troops Advance under Gas – Otto Dix
Artist: Otto Dix Date: 1924 Medium: Etching, aquatint, and drypoint from a portfolio of fifty etching, aquatint and drypoints Dimensions: plate: 19.3 x 28.8 cm.; sheet: 34.8 x 47.3 cm. Appearing ten years after the conflict began, Otto Dix's monumental portfolio Der Krieg (The war) neither glorifies World War I nor heroizes its soldiers but shows, in … [Read more...] about Shock Troops Advance under Gas – Otto Dix
The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist – Caravaggio
Artist: Caravaggio Year: 1608 Type: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 361 cm × 520 cm. Location: St. John's Co-Cathedral, Valletta This is the altar piece of the Oratory and was commissioned by Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt. It is the largest painting produced by the artist and the only one known to be signed. The Beheading of St John the Baptist … [Read more...] about The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist – Caravaggio
Battle of Grunwald – Jan Matejko
Title: Battle of Grunwald Artist: Jan Matejko Year: 1874 Dimensions: 16'7"x9'9" The Battle of Grunwald is a huge painting 10 feet high and almost 17 feet in length. It's full of figures and action and, because of its size, difficult to uniformly illuminate and photograph. Reproductions tend to miniaturize it to the point that only a couple of highlights … [Read more...] about Battle of Grunwald – Jan Matejko
Fruits and Weapons – Igor Ovsyannykov
Igor Ovsyannykov has tweaked the traditional still life format, although in a very subtle way. So subtle, in fact, that a casual observer would probably dismiss Igor Ovsyannykov's work as typical paintings. Nevertheless, it doesn't even take close inspection to all of a sudden notice the bazooka leaning against a basket of fruit or the rifle lying in front of a … [Read more...] about Fruits and Weapons – Igor Ovsyannykov
