"Evening atmosphere in front of the Park" (1881). By Ferdinand Knab (German, 1834 - 1902), Oil on canvas, 48,5 x 38,2 cm. 📍Private collection.

 "Evening atmosphere in front of the Park" (1881). By

Phosphorus and Hesperus,(1881). By Evelyn De Morgan, (1855–1919).

_Art . Oil on canvas, 59 cm x 75 cm. 📍De Morgan Centre

This painting inspired by Greek Mythology depicts the Morning star (Phosphorus) and the Evening star (Hesperus) and alludes to the circle of life. Phosphorus is rising, his torch held erect, heralding the morning which is lightening the sky behind him. In comparison Hesperus's evening starlight is fading, as his flame in its dark torch droops and gutters, his eyes are closing, his dark head anticipating the relaxation of sleep. The stylistically flattened figures and marble tones of the young men in the painting reference Evelyn's interest in classical sculpture and the unusual representation of two nude male figures with their phallic torches caused controversy when first exhibited. However, the female hand is apparent in the painting as the seashore backdrop allowed Evelyn to imbue the image with potent female symbolism in the form of sea shells which represent female fertility and sexual potency.

 Phosphorus and Hesperus,(1881). By Evelyn De Morgan

The Musician, (1884). By Rudolf Ernst, (1932 - 1854) . Oil on panel, 42 x 32 cm.

was an Austro-French painter, printmaker and ceramics painter who is best known for his orientalist motifs. He exhibited in Paris under the name "Rodolphe Ernst"

A Nubian or Sudanese street musician strums wistfully at his kissar, a type of Nubian plucked lyre. The rich layering of his robe and gown exhibit Ernst’s mastery at conveying textiles of different weights and textures. Indeed, the whole composition is a feast for the senses, convincingly conveying multiple tactile surfaces, from the player's gleaming skin and the geometric wood carving in the door panel on the left, to the mashrabiye lattice window overhanging the street, to the carved stonework. In fact, the musician's expression of concentration and unity with his instrument are so compelling that the tune he plays is almost audible.

 The Musician, (1884). By Rudolf Ernst, (1932 - 1854) . Oil

“Woman Walking down the Road through the Tree ” (1887), By Julius Sergius von Klever, (Russian,)

 “Woman Walking down the Road through the Tree ” (1887), By

The New Governess,(1894). By Edmund Blair Leighton, (English, 1852-1922).

_art . Oil on canvas, 57.7 cm x 39.6 cm. 📍Private Collection .

 The New Governess,(1894). By Edmund Blair Leighton

The Agony in the Garden, (1819). By Francisco Goya, (1746 - 1828). Oil on panel, 47 x 35 cm.

_art 📍Escuelas Pías de San Antón, Madrid.

As recorded in Luke 22:39-43: Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation." He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.

This dramatic painting is a pendant to the large altarpiece ‘The Last Communion of St Joseph of Calasanz’, a commission the artist received May 1819. When the altarpiece was finished Goya wrote to the Rector returning most of the payment he had received saying: 'D. Francisco Goya has to do something in homage to his countryman.” And a few days later presented the Pious School with a gift of ‘The Agony in the Garden’ depicting Christ alone and wracked with doubt shortly before his arrest. Both this small panel and the altarpiece are outstanding in Goya's oeuvre for the intensity of the religious devotion they reflect. Goya may well have felt a personal involvement with the saint who was the founder of the religious schools that are said to have given him his education in Saragossa.

 The Agony in the Garden, (1819). By Francisco Goya, (1746 -

Love's Messenger, (1885). By Marie Spartali Stillman, (1844–1927).

_art. watercolor basic, 81.3 cm × 66 cm. 📍Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, Delaware.

Look closely at this painting, it's simple but delightfully detailed!

in which a dove has just carried a love letter to a woman standing in front of an open window. She wears a red rose, and has just put down her embroidery of a blind-folded

 Love's Messenger, (1885). By Marie Spartali Stillman

Vale (farewell), (1913). By Arthur Hacker, (1858 - 1919), Oil on canvas,153 cm x 122.2 cm.

 Vale (farewell), (1913). By Arthur Hacker, (1858 - 1919)

The early work of the painter and graphic artist Maxmilian Švabinský shows distinctive relations with symbolism. The type of a femme fatale who does not attract a man by her pride and cruelty but rather by refined delicacy and non-real dreaminess was an important motif of his paintings. Fairies in an ideal landscape of paradise appear in his triptych Feeling of Bliss of 1896. This painting also indicates his possible inspiration by French artist Pierre Puvis de Chavannes whose oeuvre was abundantly discussed, especially by artists. Švabinský’s essential oil painting Union of Souls was created in the same year. At first sight, the painting gives a calm and balanced impression, with a precisely thought-out composition, though its details show surprisingly strong dynamics.

 The early work of the painter and graphic artist Maxmilian

Apolo and Daphne, sculpture by Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini, executed between 1622 and 1625. Housed in the Galleria Borghese in Rome, the work depicts the climax of the story of Apollo and Daphne (Phoebus and Daphne) in Ovid's Metamorphoses.

In this sculpture, Bernini depicts the mythological drama that occurs between Apollo, god of music and poetry, and Daphne, a virginal nymph. The artist was likely inspired by the classical sculpture Apollo Belvedere (circa 2nd century CE) as well as the ancient Roman poet Ovid’s rendition of the myth.

In Ovid’s telling, the story begins with a pissing contest between two male gods: After Apollo insults Eros (or Cupid), Eros takes revenge by orchestrating a scene of unrequited passion and possession. He shoots a golden arrow into Apollo, which makes him fall desperately in love with Daphne, then embeds a leaden arrow in her, enhancing the repulsion she feels towards her pursuer.

 Apolo and Daphne, sculpture by Italian artist Gian Lorenzo

The present painting depicts a Brahmin household in casual repose within their own dwelling. Using the courtyard to add tranquility to the setting, Horace van Ruith brilliantly captures the character of each family member within the rustic decor of the space. Brahmin families are from the highest Hindu priestly caste and were traditionally responsible for teaching and maintaining sacred knowledge and for conducting religious rituals and ceremonies in temples in the community. As a result, they were often well respected and their lives were of significant interest.

Here, van Ruith is portraying an intimate family moment, where amidst the serenity of one's home, everyday life is exposed; the mother ushering her child along with ornaments for worship, the young boy leaning against the pillar in a moment of contemplation, the seated men in relaxed chatter and a priest quietly meditating. Moreover, the scene is strewn with interesting objects such as food platters, copper vessels, literature scripts and metallic bells giving the painting a tangible presence.

Van Ruith specialized in landscapes, genre scenes and portraiture in both oil and watercolor. Although he was born in Capri, he subsequently settled in England, after spending several years working in Italy. He visited Bombay during the early 1880s and established a studio there, where this work was made. His paintings on India mostly portrayed the local people and captured their daily lives, from leisure activities to various trades.

Untitled (A Brahmin Household) by Horace van Ruith.

 The present painting depicts a Brahmin household in casual

Anguish,(1876-1878). By August Friedrich Schenk ,German-French painter, (1828–1901).

_art.  Oil on canvas, 1,510 mm × 2,512 mm.📍 National Gallery of Victoria .

In this painting, Schenck has given his distraught ewe an expression suggestive of despair mingled with stoic determination. Recognising these decidedly human responses, the viewer might be expected to identify immediately with the animal's grim predicament. The ewe's bravery in the face of the threat posed by the murderous circle of crows is perhaps, however, somewhat overstated in her defiant stance above the bleeding lamb. There is little subtlety evident in this work.

 Anguish,(1876-1878). By August Friedrich

The Flood, By Paul Merwart ,(1855-1902). 📍Lviv National Art Gallery

 The Flood, By Paul Merwart ,(1855-1902). 📍Lviv National Art

Portrait of a woman with guitar . By Petrus van Schendel,(1806 -1870).

 Portrait of a woman with guitar . By Petrus van

The Blind Leading the Blind. By Pieter Brueghel the Elder. Oil on canvas.

The Blind Leading the Blind reveals Pieter Bruegel the Elder as a master of observation. Each figure has a different eye affliction, including corneal leukaemia, atrophy of globe and removed eyes. The figures hold their heads up so as to make better use of their other senses. The diagonal composition reinforces the off-kilter motion of the six figures falling in progression, a concern with motion that has been seen as prefiguring the advent of film. The Blind Leading the Blind is considered one of the masterworks of painting for its fine, accurate detail and dynamic composition. Copies include a larger version by Bruegel's son Pieter Brueghel the Younger.

 The Blind Leading the Blind. By Pieter Brueghel the Elder

A Turkish Beauty (1868) By Hugues Merle (1822–1881) Oil on canvas 100.9 x 77.7 cm.

 A Turkish Beauty (1868) By Hugues Merle (1822–1881) Oil on

By  Marie  Wunsch (Austrian , 1862 - 1898) - Little Girl with Meadow Flower Bouquet. oil on canva (55.5 x 40 cm).

 By  Marie  Wunsch (Austrian , 1862 - 1898) - Little Girl

(1852–1926). Oil on panel. 📍Maison de Victor Hugo.

 Esmeralda, (1889-1902). By Lionel Royer (1852–1926). Oil on

The Village Tailor (1894). By Albert Anker . Oil on canvas, 53.1 x 41.9 cm

 The Village Tailor (1894). By Albert Anker . Oil on canvas

Feeding pigeons, 1887.By Henry Thomas Schafer (British, 1854–1915).

 Feeding pigeons, 1887.By Henry Thomas Schafer (British

Prayer in the Mosque.(1875). By Jean-Léon Gérôme.( French , 1824-1904). Oil on canvas, 40.6 x 33 cm.

 Prayer in the Mosque.(1875). By Jean-Léon Gérôme.( French 

Charity, (1878). By William-Adolphe Bouguereau ,(1825–1905).

_art ,📍Private Collection . Oil on canvas 196 cm × 117 cm.

 Charity, (1878). By William-Adolphe

Portrait of a girl, (1880). By Pierre Auguste Cot, (1837–1883). Oil on canvas, 53 cm x 44 cm.

 Portrait of a girl, (1880). By Pierre Auguste

Venice, the Molo, with the Doge’s Palace, the Piazzetta and the Libreria,looking west.  By Bernardo Bellotto,(Italian,1721–1780).

 Venice, the Molo, with the Doge’s Palace, the Piazzetta and

Samson's youth, (1891). By Léon Bonnat, (1833 –1922), Oil on board, 210.8 x 252.7 cm.

Léon Joseph Florentin Bonnat was born in Bayonne in 1833 and lived for many years in Madrid where his father owned a bookshop. Under the tutelage of Charles Sarvy, the artist's maternal uncle, he developed an appreciation for the Spanish Old Master paintings by Velázquez, Murillo and Zurbarán, making numerous sketches and copies of their work. He attended classes at the Royal Academy of San Fernando in Madrid for a short time before ultimately relocating to Paris to study at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts.

 Samson's youth, (1891). By Léon Bonnat, (1833 –1922), Oil

Pierrot playing the mandolin, (1884). By Léon Comerre,(1850–1916).

_art . Oil on canvas, 205.6 cm x 111.1 cm. 📍Musée museum départemental.

 Pierrot playing the mandolin, (1884). By Léon

Liebesgeflüster, (1883). By Wilhelm Kray,(1828-1889). Oil on canvas 72 cm × 113 cm.

 Liebesgeflüster, (1883). By Wilhelm Kray,(1828-1889). Oil

Eisvergnügen im Abendrot, (1883). By Anders Andersen Lundby, (Danish, 1840–1923).

 Eisvergnügen im Abendrot, (1883). By Anders Andersen

A Congenial Task (1915) - John William Godward (1861-1922)

"Nymphs and Satyr",(1873). By William-Adolphe Bouguereau, (1825–1905). Oil on canvas 260 x 180 cm.

 "Nymphs and Satyr",(1873). By William-Adolphe Bouguereau

A Cockerel, a Turkey, Hens and Chickens in a Farmyard. By Melchior d'Hondecoeter, (1636-1695). Oil on canvas 99.4 cm × 80.3 cm.

 A Cockerel, a Turkey, Hens and Chickens in a Farmyard. By

"Sacrifice of Isaac".1635 , By Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669). Oil on canvas 132.3 cm × 195 cm

God ordered Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac as a test of his faith (Genesis, 22: 1-13). Abraham set out to carry out the command, proving his belief, but God sent an angel to stay his hand just as he was about to sink the knife into his son's body. Rembrandt captures all the the dramatism of the culminating moment in this terrible intended sacrifice. Abraham's amazement as the angel stops him with hand raised is revealed in his expressive gesture and the strong expression of his face, which almost borders on madness. We see a moment of great emotional tension, expressed in dynamic forms and lines. The heightened dramatism, monumental form, turbulent movement, sharp contrasts of light and shade are typical of Rembrandt's works of the 1630s and reflect in this painting the features of the Baroque style.