Thirteen of my favorite paintings

March 4, 2010 on 12:01 am | In Elise, Uncategorized | 12 Comments

This week I thought I might share another of my side interests. Its an interest, not a hobby or a passion, just an interest. I like art – a lot. I appreciate it. But I’m not, by any means, expert. A couple of art history courses, you know. And absolutely no artistic talent. At. All.

But I like art, so here I am going to share thirteen of my favorite paintings. I hope you like them too. Be aware that some paintings include nudity (it’s ART, after all).

1. Slave Ship: Slavers Throwing Overboard the Dead and Dying — Typhoon Coming On by JMW Turner. Aside from the fabulously long and evocative title, I love the clash of angles in the painting, the intensity of the color and the way the sea and sky merge, and the sheer power Turner evokes.

2. Raft of the Medusa by Theodore Gericault (a zoom-able pic here). Here it’s the overblown Romantic figural details I love. The exaggerated musculature, the dramatic poses. Good stuff.

3. The Swing by Jean-Honore Fragonard. This bit of Rococo loveliness makes me happy. The swirls, the sheer froth of it just makes me smile.

4. Napoleon Crossing the Alps by Jacques-Louis David. The quintessential horseback portrait. The colors, the form, the amazing way he renders skin. This close up of the face just astounds me.

5. Interior Court of the Doge’s Palace by Giovanni Canal (Canaletto).  The architectural detail is astounding – the nearly photographic quality of the lighting on the stone is just amazing.

6. Laocoon by El Greco. El Greco’s signature elongation of the bodies and the distortion of the musculature that requires works really well with the serpents.  Plus, if you look closely, there’s a totally random horse in the middle of the painting that must have some symbolism, but really just baffles me.

8. Self Portrait as a Mature Man by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. I admit to being a Bernini fan-girl. I think his version of David is ridiculously underrated (not to mention a self-portrait), and there isn’t a piece of sculpture or architecture he did I don’t think is gorgeous. But in this case, it’s the man himself who is compelling. Such beautiful bones. You just know he was a rock star.

9. Annunciation by Fra Angelico (1450). The otherworldly beauty of the subjects combined with the wonderful wings make this a favorite of mine.

10. St. Matthew and the Angel by Caravaggio. I love the expression on St. Matthew’s face. The total OMG!WTF! that you know you’d be wearing too, if an Angel of the Lord popped in on you. Plus, the lighting is beyond fabulous.

11. Sleepy Baby by Mary Cassatt. I’m generally not a huge fan of Impressionism (yes, I know, shoot me), but Cassatt’s work is just gorgeous. In this one, the expression on the mother’s face is everything.

12. Bocca Baciata by Dante Gabriel Rossetti. I enjoy the pre-Raphaelites, particularly Rossetti, and I love this one for the lighting on the face and the abundance of fab hair.

13. As I Opened Fire by Roy Lichtenstein. I like Lichtenstein – the enforced melodrama and the odd comic book pop-art thing. I actually own the three prints for this one, and though they are matted, I haven’t yet framed them. I keep saying I’m going to frame them and have them along the stairs. It seems just the place for the panels.

So, there you have several of my favorite paintings. What are some of yours?