Realism

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Summer Squall by Winslow Homer

The crashing waves roar with deafening thunder, and the foamy spray flies with a quickening speed. Great gusts of wind blow the waters over the rocks...

James W Singer 21 April 2024

Realism

Eid Al-Fitr – Islamic Prayer in Art

The distinctive ritual of Islamic prayer, known as namaz (in Urdu) or salah (in Arabic) has captivated the imagination of many Orientalist painters.

Maya M. Tola 10 April 2024

Frants Henningsen, Funeral, 1883, National Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Funeral by Frants Henningsen

Funeral by Frants Henningsen is a Danish masterpiece of emotions. It examines the different psychological reactions to love, loss, and...

James W Singer 18 February 2024

Ukraine Special

Mykola Pymonenko: An Idyllic View of Ukraine

Mykola Pymonenko (1862-1912) was a Ukrainian realist painter. He spent almost his entire life in Kyiv and dedicated his career to painting genre...

Jimena Escoto 24 August 2023

Artist Stories

Taras Shevchenko: Ukrainian Liberty Idol

Taras Shevchenko was an outstanding Ukrainian artist and poet. Born to a peasant family, he became a Ukrainian liberty idol and national artistic...

Kateryna Martynova 24 August 2023

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Iron Rolling Mill (Modern Cyclopes) by Adolph Menzel

The 19th century, the age of steel and steam, witnessed not only the development of the industry but also the new themes in painting. Now, simple...

Kate Wojtczak 1 May 2022

Valentin Serov, Russian Master of Portraits

Valentin Serov (1865–1911), was a student of Ilya Repin, and heir to the best traditions of the Russian realistic school. From the very beginning...

Elizaveta Ermakova 17 February 2021

Russian History through the Eyes of Vasily Surikov

In the 19th century Russia historical painting was freed from formality and canons. We find a good example of this in the work of Vasily Surikov...

Elizaveta Ermakova 18 January 2021

Masterpiece Stories

Painting of the Week: Firs Zhuravlev, A Fashionista Wife

Firs Zhuravlev’s realistic paintings show all aspects of Russian life. And we can imagine the scene from the picture A Fashionista Wife in the...

Elizaveta Ermakova 20 September 2020

Happy Days – the Landscapes of Peter de Wint

What do you think when you look at the image above? Most fans of Peter de Wint’s work see exquisite tranquillity and luminosity. That wide sky, the...

Candy Bedworth 21 October 2019

Observation As An Act Of Creation: The Art of Looking

Observation as an act of creation — whenever you look, you’re painting a perception: Realizing that we are painters of our impressions is as...

Artur Deus Dionisio 12 July 2018

George Tooker: A Purveyor of Modern Alienation and Despair

When the American figurative painter, George Tooker died in 2011, The New York Times said of his 1956 painting, Government Bureau, “was inspired by...

Wendy Gray 15 March 2018