The Starry Night
The Starry Night was painted by the genius and world-famous artist Vincent Van Gogh. He completed the painting on 18th June 1889 in a small mental asylum in Provence. The last few years were difficult for the artist. Vincent Van Gogh was a rational and articulate man who spoke about four languages. He had good friends and a normal lifestyle. But he struggled with an identity crisis and his place in this world. After having some problems while living with his friend Paul Gauguin, the artist started to suffer from acute mania and hallucinations. It seemed as if the artist always heard voices and noises, and out of paranoia, Van Gogh cut his ear off. The doctors in the asylum concluded the artist might be bipolar and showed symptoms of syphilis. Van Gogh received his treatment in the small asylum and painted over 150 works during his stay. The Starry Night was one of the famous paintings he painted in the asylum while he was treated. The Starry Night is a symbol of Van Gogh's time in the asylum. The night sky resembles the landscape he could see from his room. The painting expresses his feelings about freedom and confinement.
Girl with a Pearl Earring
The Painting of a Girl with a Pear Earring is often called the Mona Lisa of the North. A famous Dutch artist painted it Mauritshuis named Johannes Vermeer. The painting was completed in 1665 with an anonymous model who was a maid. The work is different from the usual paintings by Vermeer. The artist's treatment of light and shadow and the use of flat background spotlight the three-dimensionality of the girl. She changes from being an object in a dramatic narrative situation to a psychological subject. The eye contact and the slightly parted lips as if she was going to say something in a mysterious gaze. In the painting, the pearl seems as if very big and heavy, but a detailed view shows an illusion of paint. The model of the painting is still mysterious, but the portrait is stored in the Mauritshuis Museum in Hague.
The Kiss
The Kiss was pained by an Austrian, Gustav Klimt, between the years 1907 to 1708. By the end of the 19th century, Vienna's conservative and uptight society was changing into a more developed and progressive town. New experiments in arts, architecture, and music were in practice. The period is known as the Golden Age of Vienna. Gustav Klimt was known for his explorative experiments with intimate themes. The painting frame is big enough to be almost life-size. The painting is self-contained and deceptively simple. The bodies are painted with a cool contemporary sensuality. They are encased like Egyptian Mummies with gold ornaments and abstract patterns. The background, however, seems in-between space and time with the golden cosmos. A golden layer covering the couple indicates a halo, which indicates pure relationship and love.
The Night Watch
Rembrandt's painting, The Night Watch, might be the most famous art piece of the painter and the Golden Dutch Age. It depicts the District Two Militia Company, which is commanded by Captain Frans Bannick Cocq. The moniker "The Night Watch" for the artwork stayed after a while. The painting is an eruption of action, shadow, and light. The artist created a balance between chaos and unity between the soldiers. With the captain and his lieutenant at the center, the rest of the militia was doing their own thing. It was a challenge for Rembrandt to portray the actions on one single canvas. The painting is situated in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Las Meninas
Les Meninas was painted by one of the leading artists of the Spanish Golden Age named, Diego Velázquez. The piece was created in the year 1656 in Prado, Madrid. Velazquez was a court painter for Spanish King Philip IV for more than 30 years. In the Painting of Las Meninas, the artist compiled a lot of his paintings and characters for a reason. The first thing that can be noticed is the little girl in the center. The little girl was the only daughter of King Philip, known as Margaret Theresa. The painting was marvelously done as if it was a snapshot. Velazquez captures the moment just when several of the figures are looking at something around the little girl. The figures seem to be there only for the Princess, and in the background, King and Queen's reflections can be seen. The figures are The Princess with her two maids, her dog, two Palace officials, and two dwarfs. The three-dimensional painting is located in Madrid's National Art Museum of Spain.
Whistler's Mother
The grey and famous black painting commonly known as The Whistler's Mother is one of the famous works of the American artist named James Abbott McNeill Whistler. The art was completed in the year 1871 and became the Number 1 art piece for two-dimensional colored paint. In 1891 the painting became the first artwork to be bought by the French State and showcased in a gallery. Whistler's Mother remains to be the most important American art residing outside the United States. The painting is now worth more than 36 million U.S dollars. James Abbott Whistler painted his Mother in a monotone to express his unchanged love and devotion for his Mother.
Bai de Moulin de la Galette
The Painting also is commonly known as the Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette. It was painted by the French artist named Pierre-Auguste Renoir. The artwork was completed in 1876. The painting represents leisure time and socializing on the streets of Paris. People are dancing, walking, and talking. People are wearing modern-day clothes and hats. The painting is a kaleidoscope of pinks, yellows, blues, and greens. Renoir's loose brushwork and fleeting color represent the momentary movement in the time. The painting was far different from traditional paintings and done realistically. The art lies as if it was a photograph taken with a camera. The vague figures with blurred colors show how the painting is taken from the real moment. The Modern Day painting is hanging in the Musée d'Orsay museum in Paris.
