"The Last Supper": the story of the famous fresco by Leonardo da Vinci
The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most famous images of the last meal of Jesus Christ with his disciples. He began work on it in…

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How photography completely changed the visual arts
Both painting and photography are forms of visual art that are designed to create images and visual symbols. The difference in the method of manufacture and creates some features. Painting…

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“Maha dressed” and “Maha nude”: How passion flared up around the scandalous paintings of Francisco Goya
Surprisingly, the paintings of the famous Spanish artist, painted at the turn of the enlightened XVIII and XIX century gold, became the causes of scandals until the liberated XX. Despite…

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"The Last Day of Pompeii" - mysteries, secrets, facts masterwork K. Bryullov
In the first century of our era there was a series of eruptions of the volcano Vesuvius, which were accompanied by an earthquake. They destroyed several flowering cities, which were…

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sewed fig leaves

“Great castration”: As covered up the shame in paintings and sculptures at different times

The history of art knows many examples when, at a change in cultural epochs, works created by predecessors begin to be perceived not quite rightly. Probably the most significant in this case is an example of the appearance of fig leaves on antique statues. For the sake of moral preservation in the Middle Ages, thousands of ancient masterpieces were subjected to “great castration.” Interestingly, this tradition today takes on a “second wind”.
The subject of nude in art often becomes a stumbling block and is still a heated debate – does the artist have the right to reveal his model, is this really an artistic device or just a way to get unhealthy attention? Continue reading

Nudity in the history of art: How to change the attitude to nu from Venus Paleolithic to classical painting
Thanks to Ivan Efremov and his "Tais of Athens", the general public became aware of the notions of "hymnophiles" - that is, those who sing nudity - and "hymnophobes" -…

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interesting facts about the masterpieces of painting
Rafael Sistine Madonna 1512 Stored in the Old Masters Gallery in Dresden. The picture has a little secret: the background, seen from a distance, appears to be clouds, upon careful…

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