The Art of Everything

The Art of the Kiss

Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, sexual arousal, affection, respect, greeting, friendship, and peace, among many others.

In some situations, a kiss is a ritual, formal or symbolic gesture indicating devotion, respect, or sacrament. Take a Virtual Tour of the Kiss in Art

“Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss” by Antonio Canova
“The Kiss” by Auguste Rodin
“The Kiss” by Gustav Klimt
“The Stolen Kiss” by Jean-Honoré Fragonard
“Eternal Springtime” by Auguste Rodin
Ain Sakhri Lovers
Kiss of Death, Lipstick Pistol
Hellelil and Hildebrand, Meeting on the Turret Stairs by Frederic William Burton
“Kiss by the Window” by Edvard Munch
“The Kiss” by Francesco Hayez
“Romeo and Juliet” by Ford Madox Brown

The Art of Love

Love encompasses a range of deep emotional and mental states. Love ranges from the deepest interpersonal affection and to the simplest of pleasures. Most commonly, love refers to a feeling of a strong attraction and emotional attachment. The core components of love are intimacy, passion, and commitment.

The word ‘Love’ is used to refer to the love of a mother, which differs from the love of a spouse, which again differs from the love of food or a pet. Love also has religious or spiritual meaning.

This diversity of uses and meanings, combined with the complexity of the feelings involved, makes love unusually difficult to define consistently. Take a Virtual Tour of the Art of Love.

“Honeysuckle Bower” by Peter Paul Rubens
Bacchus and Ariadne by Titian
“The Jewish Bride” by Rembrandt
“Perseus and Andromeda” by Titian
“Perseus and Andromeda” by Giuseppe Cesari
“Perseus and Andromeda” by Joachim Wtewael
“Perseus and Andromeda” by Frederic Leighton
“Mother and Child” by Mary Cassatt
“Self-portrait with Her Daughter, Julie” by Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun
Fantine by Margaret Bernadine Hall
“The Mother and Sister of the Artist” by Berthe Morisot
“Romeo and Juliet” by Ford Madox Brown
“Love Locked Out” by Anna Lea Merritt

The Art of Philosophy

The Art of Philosophy explores the depiction of Philosophy and the Philosophers. In this context, a philosopher is someone who is a “lover of wisdom.”

A philosopher is someone who focuses on resolving existential questions about the human condition. Famous philosophers have challenged what is thought to be common sense, and did not stop asking questions, and reexamines traditional ways of thought.

In a modern sense, a philosopher is an intellectual who has contributed in one or more branches of philosophy. A philosopher may also be one who worked in the humanities or other sciences which have since split from philosophy proper over the centuries, such as the arts, history, economics, sociology, psychology, linguistics, anthropology, theology, and politics.

“Diogenes” by John William Waterhouse
“The Death of Socrates” by Jacques-Louis David
The Emperor as Philosopher, Marcus Aurelius
“Aristotle” by Jusepe de Ribera
“Euclid” by Jusepe de Ribera
“Plato” by Jusepe de Ribera
“Portrait of Friedrich Nietzsche” by Edvard Munch
Diogenes in Art
Aristotle’s Lyceum

The Art of War

“The Art of War” in this context, is the artistic representation of the conflict between groups or between just two people and can range from extreme violence to non-physical aggression.

Art Galleries are full of Art representing and commenting on War. War is generally characterized by extreme violence, aggression, destruction, and mortality. Total war is warfare that is not restricted to purely legitimate military targets and can result in massive civilian or other non-combatant suffering and casualties.

While some scholars see war as a universal and ancestral aspect of human nature, others argue it is a result of specific socio-cultural, economic, or ecological circumstances. Below we examine how Art through the ages has interpreted War between states and individuals.

“Washington Crossing the Delaware” by Emanuel Leutze
“The Family of Darius before Alexander” by Paolo Veronese
“The Third of May 1808″ by Francisco Goya
“The Capture of the Hessians at Trenton, December 26, 1776″ by John Trumbull
“The March to Valley Forge” by William B. T. Trego
“The Massacre at Chios” by Eugène Delacroix
“Cromwell in Battle of Naseby” by Charles Landseer
“The Surrender of Breda” by Diego Velázquez
“Hannibal and his Army Crossing the Alps” by J. M. W. Turner
“Oath of the Horatii” by Jacques-Louis David
“Dempsey and Firpo” by George Bellows
Floreat Etona! by Elizabeth Thompson
Scotland Forever! by Elizabeth Thompson

The Art of the Dance

The Art of the Dance has aesthetic and symbolic value. Dance has a unique function, whether social, ceremonial, competitive, erotic, martial, or sacred. Other forms of human movement are sometimes said to have a dance-like quality, including martial arts, gymnastics, cheerleading, figure skating, and many other forms of athletics.

In many cultures, performances and Dance serve a purpose within that particular culture. This meaning is not furnished by any one individual but is often the result of a rich heritage and a cosmological relationship within the culture. In “The Art of the Dance,” we explore how artists have depicted and interpreted the “Dance.”

“Country Dance” by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
“At the Moulin Rouge, The Dance” by Toulouse-Lautrec
“Three Dancers at a Dance Class” by Edgar Degas
Nataraja the Cosmic Dancer and God of Dramatic Arts
“Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette” by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Dancing Girl (Mohenjo-Daro) from the Indus Valley Civilization
“Dance at Bougival” by Auguste Renoir
“A Dance to the Music of Time” by Nicolas Poussin
“The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer” by Edgar Degas (MET)
Dancers by Pierre Bonnard
“Orchestra Musicians” by Edgar Degas

“Diana the Huntress” in Art

Diane was the goddess from Roman and Hellenistic religion and mythology. Diane was the patroness of the countryside, hunters, and the Moon. She is equated with the Greek goddesses Artemis and absorbed much of her Greek equivalent’s mythology, history, and attributes.

Since the Renaissance, Diana’s myths have often been represented in the visual arts, and her most frequent sole depiction is as the huntress. Take a Tour of “Diana the Huntress” in Art.

“Diana the Huntress” in Art
“Diane the Huntress” by Giuseppe Cesari – Capitoline Museums
“Diana as Personification of the Night” by Anton Raphael Mengs – Palace of Moncloa
“Diana Huntress” by School of Fontainebleau – Musée du Louvre
“Diana the Huntress” by Vincent Malo – National Museum, Warsaw
“Diana as Huntress” by Nicholas Stocade Van Helt – Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
“Diana Reposing” by Paul-Jacques-Aimé Baudry – Walters Art Museum
“Diana the Huntress” by Giampietrino – Metropolitan Museum of Art
“Diana Huntress” by Bartolomeo Passerotti – Musée du Louvre
“Diana the Huntress” by Orazio Gentileschi – Nantes Museum of Arts
“Diana the Huntress” by Guillaume Seignac – Private Collection

“The Fall of Icarus” in Art

In Greek mythology, Icarus and his father were attempting to escape their prison, employing wings that his father constructed from feathers and wax. Icarus’ father, however, did warn him not to fly too low nor too high. He warned him not to fly low as the sea’s dampness would clog his wings. And not too high as the sun’s heat would melt the wax in his wings.

Icarus ignored his father’s instructions and flew too high, and the wax in his wings melted. Icarus’s father, Daedalus, looks on unable to help his son as he falls past him. His son’s calamity left Daedalus heartbroken, but instead of giving up, he flew to the island of Sicily.

“The Fall of Icarus” in Art
“The Fall of Icarus” by Jacob Peter Gowy – Museo del Prado, Madrid
“Daedalus and Icarus” by Anthony van Dyck – Art Gallery of Ontario
“The Lament for Icarus” by Herbert James Draper – Tate Britain
“Daedalus and Icarus” by Charles Le Brun – Hermitage Museum
“The Fall of Icarus” by Merry-Joseph Blondel – Louvre Museum
“Icarus and Daedalus” by Frederic Leighton – Private Collection
“Daedalus and Icarus” by Orazio Riminaldi – Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford
“Landscape with the Fall of Icarus” by Pieter Brueghel the Elder – Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
“Daedalus and Icarus” by A.G.L. Desnoyers after C.P. Landon – Wellcome Collection

“Cupid and Psyche” in Art

The great beauty of Psyche made the love goddess Venus jealous, so she sent her son Cupid to shoot Psyche with an arrow so that she may fall in love with something hideous. Cupid instead accidentally scratches himself with his dart and falls deeply in love with Psyche.

After many challenges, Cupid grants Psyche immortality so they can be wed as equals. Thus Psyche became the goddess of the soul and the wife of Cupid, the god of love.

“Cupid and Psyche” in Art
“Cupid and Psyche” by Anthony van Dyck – Royal Collection
“Cupid and Psyche” by François Gérard – Louvre Museum
“Cupid and Psyche” by Jacques-Louis David – Cleveland Museum of Art
“Cupid and Psyche” by Pierre Puvis de Chavannes – Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
“Amor and Psyche” by Jacopo Zucchi – Galleria Borghese
“Cupid and Psyche in the Nuptial Bower” by Hugh Douglas Hamilton – National Gallery of Ireland
“Cupid and Psyche” by Károly Brocky – Hungarian National Gallery
“Amor and Psyche” by Louis-Jean-François Lagrenée – Nationalmuseum Stockholm
“Amor and Psyche” by Alphonse Legros – Tate Britain

“Saint John the Baptist” in Art

John the Baptist (late 1st century BC – 28–36 AD) is called a prophet by several faiths and is honored as a saint in many Christian traditions. John used baptism as the central symbol of his pre-messianic movement. John baptized Jesus, and some of Jesus’ early followers had previously been followers of John.

According to the New Testament, John was sentenced to death and subsequently beheaded by Herod Antipas sometime between 28 and 36 AD after John rebuked him for divorcing his wife and then unlawfully wedding the wife of his brother.

“Saint John the Baptist” in Art
“Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness” by Caravaggio – Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
“Saint John the Baptist Preaching in the Wilderness” by Anton Raphael Mengs – Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
“St. John the Baptist Preaching” by Mattia Preti – The Legion of Honor and de Young Museum
“The Beheading of St John the Baptist” by Pierre Puvis de Chavannes – National Gallery, London
“John the Baptist in the Desert” by Cristofano Allori – Palazzo Pitti
“St John the Baptist” by Leonardo da Vinci – Louvre Museum
“Virgin and Child with Young St John the Baptist” by Workshop of Leonardo da Vinci – Museum of Fine Arts Budapest
“Saint John the Baptist” by Jacopo del Casentino and workshop – El Paso Museum of Art
“Saint John the Baptist” by Titian – Gallerie dell’Accademia

“Diana and Callisto” in Art

In Greek and Roman mythology, Zeus / Jupiter, the king of the gods, lusts after a beautiful young woman named Callisto, a nymph of Diana. Juno, Jupiter’s jealous wife, discovers that Callisto has a son named Arcas, and believes that Jupiter is the father. Juno then transforms Callisto into a bear so she can no longer attract Jupiter.

Callisto, while in bear form, later encounters her son Arcas. Arcas almost shoots her, but to avert the tragedy, Jupiter turns his son Arcas into a bear as well and puts them both in the sky, forming Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.

“Diana and Callisto” in Art
“Jupiter and Callisto” Attributed to Karel Philips Spierincks – Philadelphia Museum of Art
“Jupiter in the Guise of Diana, and the Nymph Callisto” by François Boucher – Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
“Diana and Callisto” by Titian – National Gallery, London and National Gallery of Scotland
“Diana and Callisto” by Peter Paul Rubens – Museo del Prado
“Diana and Callisto” by Sebastiano Ricci – Gallerie dell’Accademia
“Diana and Callisto” by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo – Gallerie dell’Accademia
“Landscape with Diana and Callisto” by Cornelis van Pulenburg – State Hermitage Museum
“Diana Discovering the Pregnancy of Callisto” Attributed to Paul Brill – Musée du Louvre

“Leda and the Swan” in Art

The ancient story from Greek mythology tells how the Greek king of the gods Zeus, in the form of a swan, was chased by an eagle, and he sought refuge with Leda. The swan gained her affection, and the two mated. Leda then produced two eggs from which four children emerged.

Helen of Troy was one of the children, who became the most beautiful woman in the ancient world and whose face launched one thousand ships.

“Leda and the Swan” in Art
“Leda and the Swan” by Paul Cézanne – Barnes Foundation
“Leda and the Swan” by Jerzy Hulewicz – National Museum, Warsaw
“Leda and the Swan” after Michelangelo – National Gallery, London
“Leda and the Swan” by Cesare da Sesto, after Leonardo da Vinci – Wilton House
“Leda and the Swan” After Leonardo da Vinci, Attributed to Il Sodoma – Galleria Borghese
“Leda and the Swan” by Francesco Melzi, after Leonardo da Vinci – Uffizi Gallery

“Oedipus and the Sphinx” in Art

Oedipus was a tragic hero in Greek mythology. Oedipus accidentally fulfilled a prophecy in which he kills his father and unknowingly marries his mother. As part of his journey, which brings disaster to his city and family, Oedipus encountered a Sphinx.

The Sphinx would stop all travelers and ask them a riddle. If the travelers did not answer the riddle correctly, they would be killed and eaten. If the answers were correct, they would be free to continue on their journey.

“Oedipus and the Sphinx” in Art
“Oedipus and the Sphinx” by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres – Louvre Museum
“Oedipus and the Sphinx” by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres – Walters Art Museum
“Oedipus and the Sphinx” by Gustave Moreau – Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY
“Oedipus and the Sphinx” by François-Émile Ehrmann – Strasbourg Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art

“Achilles on Skyros” in Art

Achilles on Skyros is an episode in the myth of Achilles, the Greek hero from the Trojan War. The core myth describes that rather than allow her son Achilles to die at Troy as prophesied, the nymph Thetis sent him to live at the court of Lycomedes, King of Skyros.

Achilles was persuaded to disguise himself as a girl at the court of the King of Skyros. Thus he joined the daughters of the King as a lady-in-waiting to evade the prophecy. Achilles then fell in love with one of the princesses and had an affair with Deidamia, one of the daughters of King.

“Achilles on Skyros” in Art
“Achilles on Skyros” by Nicolas Poussin – Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
“The Discovery of Achilles among the Daughters of Lycomedes” by Jan de Bray – National Museum, Warsaw
“Discovery of Achilles on Skyros” by Nicolas Poussin – Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
“Odysseus recognizes Achilles amongst the daughters of Lycomedes” by Louis Gauffier – Nationalmuseum

“The Cyclops Polyphemus” in Art

Polyphemus is the one-eyed giant from Greek mythology. He is one of the Cyclopes described in Homer’s Odyssey. His name means “abounding in songs and legends,” and he has been widely depicted in the arts.

Polyphemus first appeared as a savage man-eating giant in the book of the Odyssey. Later Classical writers presented him in their poems as romantically involved with the nymph Galatea.

The Cyclops Polyphemus in Art
“The Cyclops” by Odilon Redon – Kröller-Müller Museum
“Odysseus and Polyphemus” by Arnold Böcklin – Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
“Galathea” by Gustave Moreau – Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum

“Ulysses and the Sirens” in Art

“Ulysses and the Sirens” depicts an episode in the epic poem Odyssey by Homer in which the infamous Sirens lured unwary sailors towards perilous rocks and their doom by singing their enchanting songs.

Ulysses was curious to ear the Sirens song, and so, on the advice of Circe, he had all of his sailors plug their ears with beeswax and then allowed himself to be tied to the mast. He ordered his men to leave him tied tightly to the mast, no matter how much he would beg.

“Ulysses and the Sirens” in Art
“Ulysses and the Sirens” by John William Waterhouse – National Gallery of Victoria
“The Sirens and Ulysses” by William Etty – Manchester Art Gallery
“Ulysses and the Sirens” by Herbert James Draper – Ferens Art Gallery and Leeds Art Gallery