and not only biblical
What secret is hidden by the canvas “Cornflowers” by Igor Grabar
Igor Grabar is known not only as an art critic and restorer, but also as a talented impressionist artist. Under his leadership, the Tretyakov Gallery turned into a world-famous museum complex, and the multivolume History of Russian Art was written by his own efforts. Much is known about the professional activities of Grabar, but the details of his personal life are still shrouded in mystery. The key to its solution can serve as his picture “Cornflowers”.
Art for Igor Grabar has always been the subject of knowledge and creation. As a child, Igor showed a passion for drawing. According to his parents, he harassed piles of paper and enthusiastically painted with paints. When the boy grew up, he began to take painting lessons, spent hours in the workshop. After – he entered the Lyceum of Tsarevich Nikolai in Moscow. Igor’s childhood passed in the Ryazan province, and moving to Moscow opened up new horizons for him. Continue reading
3 curious facts about famous works of art
Different people perceive works of art differently, and the viewer’s point of view can radically differ from what the artist himself put into his work. And many famous paintings have interesting stories that allow you to look at a picture or sculpture from a completely new perspective.
1. Manneken Pis
Those who have ever been to Brussels must have seen one of Belgium’s most notable attractions – the Manneken Pis sculpture. As the name suggests, she portrays a little boy pissing in a fountain. Archival records show that the original sculpture was installed in 1388. Then it was a stone statue that served as a public fountain, but it was either destroyed or stolen at some point. The “Manneken Pis” in its current form was designed and installed by the Flemish sculptor Jerome Duchenoy in 1619. Continue reading
Secrets of self-portraits of famous artists: Reflection in the mirror, portrait-bacon and other oddities
Self-portrait in most cases is an instrument of narcissism, an attempt to leave your image in eternity. But if a genius takes up the matter, his image on canvas can turn into a real masterpiece, which not only perpetuates the appearance of the master, but also puzzles, surprises, fascinates the viewer. For centuries, some of these self-portraits have been knocked out of the familiar notion of this genre, while not losing either their fans or the attention of researchers.
1. Jan van Eyck, “Portrait of the Arnolfini Couple” Continue reading
