era of classicism
Fayum portraits: posthumous images of contemporaries of Christ that have come down to our days
Fayum portraits – ancient Roman provincial portraits, named after the Egyptian oasis Fayum, where they were found. The Greeks, who settled in Egypt in the period of 1 century BC. – 3rd century AD, they used such portraits in their funerary cult, placing them on shrouds in approximately the same way as today on the monuments they make photos. In our review, 20 of the 800 portraits known today, which depict contemporaries of Christ.
The first description of the funeral portraits dates back to 1615, when the Italian explorer Pietro della Valle brought two portraits from Saccara-Memphis to Europe from the oasis. Today they are stored in the collection of the State Art Collection of Dresden. Continue reading
Painting “Starry Night”, Vincent Van Gogh
There is no artist in the world who would not be attracted to the starry sky. The author has repeatedly appealed to this romantic and mysterious object.
The master was closely within the real world. He considered that it was his imagination, the game of imagination, which was necessary for a fuller image. It is known that by the time the picture was created, the author was undergoing another course of treatment, he was allowed to work only if his condition improved. The artist was deprived of the opportunity to create in kind. He created many works during this period (including “Starry Night”) from memory.
Powerful, expressive strokes, thick colors, difficult composition – everything in this picture is designed for perception from a long distance. Continue reading
The painting and its role in the art market
Inevitably come to mind the prophetic words of Andy Warhol, who recognized business in art and art in business. By this, the existence of the same motive, both in profit and in the creation of paintings.
Purchase of art can be compared only with a tape measure. In fact, the risk is not significant, the more valuable the picture, the greater the chance that in the future it will bring profit to its owner.
The art market is a very complex system. How to understand for example, when one billionaire sells another billionaire a picture for a hundred million or more. (In November 2006, David Geffen, a magnate from Hollywood, sold the picture of Woman III, artist William Koening, to billionaire Stephen A. Cohen for $ 137.5 million.) What is the point? Or when the same David Geffen, artist Jackson Pollock, for 140 million dollars .. Continue reading
