The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa is a marble and gilded bronze sculpture created by Gian Lorenzo Bernini between 1645 and 1652. It is located in the Cornaro Chapel at the Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome. The sculpture depicts Teresa of Ávila, a Spanish Carmelite nun and saint, in a moment of religious …
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Madonna Enthroned with Child and Saints is an oil-on-panel painting by the Venetian Renaissance master Giovanni Bellini (1427-1516). It was executed in 1505, as attested by the signature and date on the cartouche at the foot of Madonna’s throne (IOANNE BELLINVS MCCCCCV). The artwork is also known as San Zaccaria Altarpiece, from the name of the …
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Mona Lisa (in Italian La Gioconda) is an oil painting on a poplar wood panel realized by Leonardo da Vinci between 1503 and 1506, preserved in the Louvre Museum of Paris. This half-length portrait is a symbol of Renaissance painting and one of the most famous portraits in art history. The subject, characterized by a mysterious …
The Triumph of Death is an oil panel painting realized by the Dutch artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder in 1562 ca. It depicts a scene populated by numerous figures with moralizing intentions, which is marked by the influence of Hieronymus Bosch. The artwork is a pivotal example of the Northern Renaissance style. It is now preserved …
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The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living is a conceptual installationby British artist Damien Hirst (Bristol, 1965), colloquially known as “the shark”. It consists of a large tiger shark preserved in a tank of formaldehyde. Created in 1991 on commission by Charles Saatchi, it reflects on the decay of the …
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The Scream is a proto-expressionist artwork realized by Norwegian painter Edvard Munch in 1893. It depicts a deformed human figure disturbingly screaming in a landscape with unnatural colors. Representing a universal symbol of anxiety, Munch’s iconic Scream is preserved in the National Gallery of Oslo. What is Depicted in the Artwork? Edvard Munch (1863- 1944) painted The Scream …
The Angelus is an oil painting on canvas realized by French painter Jean-François Millet between 1857 and 1859. It depicts two peasants in a potato field while reciting a prayer. The painting is an example of realist style and is currently in the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. What is Depicted in the Artwork? Jean-François …
The Raft of the Medusa is an oil painting by French painter and lithographer Théodore Géricault realized between 1818 and 1819. It depicts a tragic event: the wreck of the naval frigate Medusa (Méduse), off the coast of Mauritania, happened in 1816. Because of its dramatic and emotional impact, the painting has become an iconic …
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The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters is an aquatint by the Spanish painter and printmaker Francisco Goya. Created between 1797 and 1799, the artwork is part of the satirical series Los Caprichos (The Caprices), dedicated to the follies of Spanish society at the end of the 18th century. As the title states, the print shows the terrible …
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The Birth of Venus is a tempera on linen canvas painting by Florentine painter Sandro Botticelli. Realized in the mid-1480s for the Villa Medici at Castello, the artwork is currently preserved in the Uffizi Galleries in Florence. It is one of the most symbolic works of the Italian Renaissance and the culture of Humanism. …
