Simone Martini influential in Gothic style
Simone Martini (1284-1344) was an Italian painter born in Siena. He was a major figure in the development of early Italian painting and greatly influenced the development of the International Gothic style. It is thought that Martini was a pupil of Duccio di Buoninsegna, the leading Sienese painter of his time. According to late Renaissance […]
Does China Prepping for Missile Attacks?
According to USNI News, new satellite images reveal that China is preparing for future missile assaults on U.S. targets. The photographs, released by the satellite imaging firm Maxar, depict imitation targets in the Taklamakan Desert, such as model ships and piers, for large-scale target ranges. According to USNI, two other locations, one around 190 miles […]
“Good Persons” Are the Happiest
Some did evil things in pursuit of their so-called well-being. They think of making a quick buck by deception and fraud, not knowing that those in possession of genuine well-being are the kind-hearted “good persons.” Material wealth is not the only source of happiness. On the contrary, those who are financially weak but mentally positive […]
The Kangxi Emperor’s Southern Inspection Tour – Third Scroll
In 1689 the Kangxi emperor (r. 1662 – 1722), a Manchu whose forebears had conquered China in 1644, made a grand tour to consolidate his authority over southern China. The renowned landscapist Wang Hui was commissioned to record the journey in a series of twelve oversize handscrolls. This scroll, the third in the set, highlights the emperor’s […]
The Qianlong Emperor’s Southern Inspection Tour, Scroll Six
The court painter Xu Yang, a native of Suzhou, was commissioned by the Qianlong emperor (r. 1736–95) to record in twelve monumental handscrolls the emperor’s historic 1751 tour of south China. This scroll, the longest of the twelve, chronicles the lavish pageantry of the emperor’s arrival in Suzhou. The careful attention to detail offers a […]
Baroque Sculpture under Louis XIV
Europe has long been a dream destination for millions of people all over the globe, and it has played a crucial role in the development of art, civilization, and science on an international level. The key events of Western history that have enacted change in our world began in Europe, from the Renaissance to the […]
Kate’s Birthday Portrait Channels Empress of Austria, Sisi
Kensington Palace released three new portrait photos of the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton on Sunday to mark her 40th birthday. The photos, taken by Italian fashion photographer Paolo Roversi, will be displayed at the National Portrait Gallery. The future queen consort is wearing custom-made off-the-shoulder white gowns below her luscious long hair has caused […]
Italian Master Gentile Revived Gothic Painting 600 Years Ago
Gentile da Fabriano, or Gentile di Niccolò di Giovanni di Massio (c. 1370 – c. 1427) was an Italian painter known for his participation in the International Gothic style. Gentile was born in or near Fabriano, near Ancona in the Marche. His mother died when he was 10 years old, and his father, Niccolò di […]
Taddeo Bartoli Painter of the Sienese School
Taddeo di Bartolo (1362 or 1363 – August 26, 1422), also known as Taddeo Bartoli, was an Italian painter of the Sienese School during the early Renaissance. He was active in Pisa, Perugia, San Gimignano, and Volterra, his native city. He is among the artists profiled in Vasari’s Le Vite delle più eccellenti pittori, scultori, […]
The Painting ‘Allegory of Patience’ by Giorgio Vasari
In this video Matthias Wivel, the Aud Jepsen Curator of 16th-Century Italian Paintings at the National Gallery, explains Giorgio Vasari’s ‘Allegory of Patience’. Vasari is often called the “father of art history” due to his work, ‘Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects’, originally published in 1550. Vasari based the composition of this […]