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Once again, what does the sitter do with his or her hands. Here, it's grasp a shawl. I like the detail in the see-thru collar. I just think this woman, whose beauty blossomed around the time Napoleon I was defeated, would make a delightful dinner companion.
Frederic Remington was as greatly impressed by the Mexican army, which he observed during a six-week visit to Mexico in 1889 in preparation for an article in Harper's Weekly magazine. The Mexican Major is an elaborate, multi-figural composition, designed to convey the professionalism, discipline, and "immensely picturesque" appearance of the officer and his regiment. Remington enjoyed their elaborate costumes, and he emphasized these through the use of rhythmic, flashing colors and the depiction of brilliant light. The line of horsemen stretches off into the far distance - a sign of honor, strength, and dignity.
In Frederic Remington's West, heroes confronted death on a daily basis, as the artist described in stark terms: "Instant and awful death overtakes the punch. . . A horse in a gopher hole, a mad steer, a chill with a knife, a blue hole where the .45 went in, a quicksand closing overhead, and a cross on the hillside are all." The Advance Guard portrays the moment of death for a cavalry scout, shot by the unseen, but ever-present enemy, the Indian. Slumped over his bloodstained horse, the scout has dropped his gun. As the alternate title implies, however, the sacrifice of one man could save the remaining troops, as his companions race off to save themselves and others from the enemy, whose presence has been revealed by the sacrifice of this one man.
I do have one issue, according to the man's body language, I think the rife should be dropping, not already on the ground, is the man has just been shot.
Let me bastardize Jethro Tull: "She's an old man's fancy, and a young man's dream ..." (from "Walking on Velvet Green")
This monumental female angel is one of many that Abbott Handerson Thayer painted during his career. Originally an animal painter, Thayer began to create portraits and then allegorical figures like this example after completing his academic training in Paris.
I never thought about it, but this angel seems to be able to grab some shut-eye by using her wing as a pillow.
"It doesn't pay to paint everybody." With this comment, Cecilia Beaux situated herself within the rarified group of successful late-19th-century portrait painters whose clientele was primarily the upper class. This full-length depiction of two of the daughters of Helena de Kay and Richard Watson Gilder is innovative in its portrayal of spontaneous movement. The Gilders were leaders of an artistic, literary, and musical circle in New York, and they were close friends of Beaux. The girls look down, rather than at the viewer, concentrating on their dance steps. The fluid brushstrokes and use of subtle color accurately convey motion and also give the appearance of a swiftly executed canvas; however, Beaux worked diligently on the picture tor over two months.
Buddhism was a religion that was absorbed and synthesized into local cultures, rather than exporting the culture of its home. For example, while Buddhism brought with it a particular spirituality and philosophy, Buddhism in China became Chinese, rather than China becoming Buddhist and Indian. The result was that the artistic traditions of a given country have strongly influenced Buddhist art, which are sometimes starkly visible, as in the comparison of the severe Japanese depictions of the Buddha with the serene Buddha of Laos or Thailand. Despite these specific cultural artistic traditions, some fundamental standards for Buddha statues remain a constant, and among these are the various poses of the Buddha and what those poses mean. These poses are called mudras.
The five most common mudras are the Abhaya Mudra (right hand raised and palm facing out, with the left hand down toward the hips and also facing out, symbolizing peaceful intentions and peacemaking); the Bhumisparsha mudra (all five fingers of the right hand reaching to touch the ground, symbolizing the enlightenment of the Buddha under the Bodhi tree); the Dhyana mudra (one or both hands in the lap, symbolizing wisdom, possibly supplemented by ritual objects such as an alms bowl); the Dharmachakra mudra (the thumb and index finger of both hands touch at their tips to form a circle, symbolizing the Wheel of Dharma); and the Varada mudra (both hands at waist level, palms out, right hand up and left hand down).