Do you recognize any of the works in this famous room?

View of the Salon Carré at the Louvre (c. 1880) was painted by the French artist Alexandre Jean-Baptiste Brun (1853–1941).

It shows one of the famous halls in the Louvre. The artist focused on capturing the impression of visiting this place, and he did not render each of the paintings on the wall in the greatest detail. But if you look carefully, you may recognize some works, like The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne (1503) by Leonardo da Vinci on the bottom left. And on the complete left, hard to see, is a small part of The Wedding at Cana (1563) by Paolo Veronese.

Other artists that you may find on the wall are De Champaigne, Guercino, Jordaens, Jourvenet, Poussin, Raphael, and Rigaud.

 Do you recognize any of the works in this famous room? View

Sometimes going forward is no option, you need to choose between going left or right..

The Knight at the Crossroads (1882) by Viktor Vasnetsov shows the knight in an ominous landscape facing this important decision.

The story is based on an old Russian legend, where the hero stumbles on a crossroads, facing a stone inscribed with the following words: “If you go straight ahead, there will be no life; there is no way forward for he who travels past, walks past or flies past.”

And the choice between going left or right is also not easy as another piece of ancient Russian wisdom states: "If you ride to the left, you will lose your horse, if you ride to the right, you will lose your head."

 Sometimes going forward is no option, you need to choose

Renoir loved to paint his family. His favorite model was his youngest son Claude, who is about four years old in this portrait, practicing on the easel. He would later become a ceramic artist.

 Renoir loved to paint his family. His favorite model was

Are these cupids making music with their shells or secretly drinking wine?

These two putti are a detail from The Birth of Venus (1863) by Alexandre Cabanel.

According to mythology, they are announcing Venus' birth to the world.

 Are these cupids making music with their shells or secretly

The Baroque introduced stark contrast between light and dark to increase the drama depicted. Rembrandt could really take this to the extreme is some painting, like he did in this Judith at the Banquet of Holofernes (1634). The painting is part of a series of heroic woman that Rembrandt painted between 1633 and 1635.

 The Baroque introduced stark contrast between light and

Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun (1755-1842) painted exquisite portraits of successful woman all over Europe.

This self-portrait is on display in the National Gallery in London.

 Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun (1755-1842) painted exquisite

Caspar Friedrich's Wanderer above the Sea of Fog (1818) is a wonderful reflective painting.

It is on display in the Kunsthalle Hamburg.

 What will the future bring? Caspar Friedrich's Wanderer

A perfect skin and no wrinkles! Ingres is known for his idealized portraits, like this Portrait of Comtesse d'Haussonville in the Frick Collection.

Ingres followed the Neoclassical style were people and their surroundings were idealized and everything on the canvas looks a bit better than in reality.

 A perfect skin and no wrinkles! Ingres is known for his

Endymion is the most beautiful mortal according to mythology.

The Sleep of Endymion (1791) by Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson (1767-1824) shows how the goddess Diana disguises herself as a moonbeam to look at him every night.

 Endymion is the most beautiful mortal according to

Hudson River Waterfront, N.Y.C (1913-1921) shows the skyline of Manhattan, including the Woolworth Building, the tallest building in the world between 1913 and 1930.

It was painted by the American Impressionist Colin Campbell Cooper (1856-1937).

 Hudson River Waterfront, N.Y.C (1913-1921) shows the

Daniel in the Lions' Den is one of my favorites in the National Gallery of Art. What are some of your favorites?

This painting by Rubens is part of our highlights audio tour in the NGA.

 Daniel in the Lions' Den is one of my favorites in the

Konstantin Makovsky (1839-1915) made colorful paintings of Russian history.

In The Bride Show, Tsar Alexis I can choose his bride from a number of girls that were carefully selected by his advisers.

 Konstantin Makovsky (1839-1915) made colorful paintings of

This painting is a national icon in Norway!

Skiing Birchlegs Crossing the Mountain with the Royal Child by Knud Berglien shows two heroic rebels saving the Norwegian Prince Haakon IV which would lead to the end of the Norwegian civil war in 1240.

 This painting is a national icon in Norway! Skiing

The way Gerrit van Honthorst painted these nightly scenes earned him the nickname Gerard of the Nights.

Adoration of the Christ Child (c. 1620) is an example of his extreme light contrasts.

The scene takes place in the night, and at first it may seem logical than the moon is out providing us a glimpse at what is going on. But looking at the light a bit better, it seem that Baby Jesus is the light source, a symbolic reference to Jesus as the light of the world.

Admiring Baby Jesus are his mother, the Virgin Mary, Joseph, and two angels.

 The way Gerrit van Honthorst painted these nightly scenes

Van Gogh painted 36 self-portraits during his life. And while he saw a somewhat sad person in the mirror, he had found his passion and purpose for painting the rest of his life.

 Van Gogh painted 36 self-portraits during his life. And

Jean Fouquet's Madonna from 1452 is surreal! Look at the fake breasts, small waist, and the bright blue and red angels representing day and night.

And this painting was commissioned for and hung in a French church.

 Jean Fouquet's Madonna from 1452 is surreal! Look at the

Not sure if this is the ideal outfit for badminton, but the soft colors and textures are wonderful!

Girl with Shuttlecock (1740) by Jean-Simeon Chardin is in the Uffizi Museum.

 Not sure if this is the ideal outfit for badminton, but the

Lovers in a Park by François Boucher is typical Rococo: a celebration of fantasy, luxury and pleasure! This painting shows a relaxing couple, the man flirting with the passing milkmaid, and lots of flowers and garlands.

It is on display in the Timken Museum of Art in San Diego.

 Lovers in a Park by François Boucher is typical Rococo: a

Paintings become not much more dreamlike than those by Claude Lorrain. Seaport at Sunset (1639) shows an idyllic scene in the port, surrounded by classical architecture and a mesmerizing sunset.

This painting is on display in the Louvre, but comparable seascapes and landscapes can be found in other museums around the world.

 Paintings become not much more dreamlike than those by

Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1527-1593) was a painter with some bizarre ideas, but his work was highly valued and a welcome distraction at the court of the Holy Roman Emperor.

One painting shows The Vegetable Gardener, and if you turn it around, it is Vegetables in a Bowl.

 Same painting, one is upside down. Giuseppe Arcimboldo

Ramon Casas (1866-1932) was a Catalan artist representing an art movement called Modernisme, which brought Catalan art on par with the rest of Europe. His Ballerinas (1901-1902) reminds me of the Degas' beautiful dancers.

 Ramon Casas (1866-1932) was a Catalan artist representing

TIL that the history of the unicorns goes back thousands of years.

This Young Woman with Unicorn by Raphael was inspired by the Mona Lisa. And the unicorn was a symbol of chastity.

 TIL that the history of the unicorns goes back thousands of

Vincent van Gogh was deeply interested in how colors changed under different circumstances.

The Night Café is his study of how colors are distorted by artificial light during the night.

For example, he wrote that “the white clothing of the café owner, keeping watch in a corner of this furnace, becomes lemon yellow, pale and luminous green.”

 Vincent van Gogh was deeply interested in how colors

As with many of Da Vinci's paintings, there are many unanswered questions about La Belle Ferronnière. The main one: who is she? Is she the wife or a mistress of the Da Vinci's boss? Or someone else completely?

The title of the painting refers to the jewel she has around her head, a headband with a small jewel in it is called a ferronnière.

 As with many of Da Vinci's paintings, there are many

Doni Tondo is the only finished panel painting by Michelangelo. It is so colorful and splendid that you can’t miss it on your tour of the Uffizi Museum.

The free audio tour of the Uffizi in the Amuze app tells you all about it: www.amuzeapp.com

 Doni Tondo is the only finished panel painting by

Look at these incredible brush strokes that Vincent van Gogh used for his self-portrait.

He applied here the revolutionary Pointillist technique (with small dots of paint) introduced by Seurat to create a magical self-portrait in 1887.

 Look at these incredible brush strokes that Vincent van

Which paintings were very controversial when they were completed?

The Luncheon on the Grass by Manet was very controversial when completed. It was considered a vulgar painting about prostitution that was painted with a flabby painting technique and a lack of perspective.

 Which paintings were very controversial when they were

Rembrandt painted characters from all walks of life! This Polish Nobleman in the National Gallery of Art is one of the more exotic ones.

There has been extensive debate who Rembrandt depicted here, with suggestions ranging from the Polish King to it being a self-portrait.

 Rembrandt painted characters from all walks of life! This

Girl in the Kokoshnik was painted by Sophia Kramskaya (1866-1933).

A kokoshnik is a traditional Russian headdress that already existed a 1000 years ago. They come in many variations, but they are often adorned with pearls, gemstones, embroidery or gold decorations.

The kokoshnik was worn by members from all different classes, ranging from a princess to a peasant. However, there would obviously be a difference in the quality and fashion of the headdress among these groups. And while we don't know the identity of the woman here, we can safely conclude that she is part of a wealthy family by looking at her headdress and matching outfit.

Sophia Kramskaya was the daughter of the successful Russian artist Ivan Kramskoi (1837-1887), a brilliant portraitist.

 Russian fashion. Girl in the Kokoshnik was painted by

The Wedding Register (1920) hopefully marks the beginning of a happy life for the couple.

But with Edmund Leighton (1853-1922) as the painter, you never know, as he loved to paint the mystery and romance of women. Maybe she's signing her life away..

 The Wedding Register (1920) hopefully marks the beginning

Les Demoiselles d'Avignon by Picasso is one the most revolutionary paintings ever!

A brothel, cubist shapes, no vanishing point, African masks, and no narrative are just some examples of how this work broke with many artistic conventions.

Many of his colleagues did not like the work at first. George Braque apparently said that looking at the painting made him feel like drinking petrol or eating old rope..

 Les Demoiselles d'Avignon by Picasso is one the most

The synchrony between these lovers running for shelter in a rainstorm is beautiful!

They are using her overskirt to protect them from the rain while holding each other like people who just fell in love do.

The Storm (1880) was painted by Pierre Auguste Cot (1837-1883). It is a follow-up on a painting of the same two lovers Cot painted 10 years earlier, entitled Springtime.

There has been much speculation who these two figures are, looking back at mythology and other fiction stories, but there have been no definitive answers.