France, 1916. Sophie Lefevre must keep her family safe whilst her adored husband Edouard fights at the front. When she is ordered to serve the German officers who descend on her hotel each evening, her home becomes riven by fierce tensions. And from the moment the new Kommandant sets eyes on Sophie’s portrait – paintedContinue reading “Jojo Moyes * The Girl you left behind”
Tag Archives: painting
Elizabeth Kostova – The Swan Thieves Book Review
I read Elizabeth Kostova’s novel in one sitting and the only thing that I really liked about it was the classical depiction of ONE painting and the explanations surrounding it. The Swan Thieves is a story of obsession, history’s losses, and the power of art to preserve human hope. Psychiatrist Andrew Marlowe, devoted to hisContinue reading “Elizabeth Kostova – The Swan Thieves Book Review”
Prospero’s Children by Jan Siegel Book Review
A house where not all is as it seems. A curved horn on a white mare. A slippery fin cutting the ocean waves. A mysterious man of magical repute. Dark forms that creep in the night. Lost cities. Forgotten keys. Found doors.
Someday, Somewhere * Eileen Ramsay Book Review
I got this book in an attempt to escape horror novels for a while. You can guess that after a bit of Stephen King and a bit of Bentley Little I would need something else to clean my brain with. I got lucky! Eileen Ramsey wrote a book about a lost family secret and itContinue reading “Someday, Somewhere * Eileen Ramsay Book Review”
About Lady Godiva and her nakedness
Lady Godiva is an 1897 painting by English artist John Collier, who worked in the style of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. The portrayal of Lady Godiva and her well-known ride through Coventry, England, is held in Coventry’s Herbert Art Gallery and Museum. Lady Godiva was bequeathed by social reformer Thomas Hancock Nunn. When he died inContinue reading “About Lady Godiva and her nakedness”
Three of my favourite women in paintings
The First: Isolde Even though she’s always mentioned along with her beloved Tristan, she was a woman in her own right. In medieval Arthurian legend Isolde was an Irish princess betrothed to King Mark of Cornwall. After accidentally drinking a love potion, she became the lover of his knight Tristan, which led to their tragic deaths.Continue reading “Three of my favourite women in paintings”
On The Saco * Albert Bierstadt
On the Saco Albert Bierstadt (07 January 1830; Solingen, Germany) Albert Bierstadt (January 7, 1830 – February 18, 1902) was a German-American painter best known for his large landscapes of the American West. In obtaining the subject matter for these works, Bierstadt joined several journeys of the Westward Expansion. Though not the first artist to record theseContinue reading “On The Saco * Albert Bierstadt”
Girl with the Red Hat * Vermeer’s story from The City by Dean Koontz (Excerpt)
I most clearly recall what she said about Johannes Vermeer, as we stood before his enchanting Girl with the Red Hat. That story has haunted me for almost half a century. Why it haunts me I won’t say just yet, but soon. When Vermeer’s story comes to mind on nights that sleep eludes me, IContinue reading “Girl with the Red Hat * Vermeer’s story from The City by Dean Koontz (Excerpt)”
Botticelli – The Lamentation over the death of Christ
In the Church of San Paolino, I found an altarpiece which was to drive me mad. The subject of the painting was a common one, I had discovered, usually called The Lamentation, being the scene of those weeping over the body of the dead Christ only just taken down from the Cross.
Revolutionary Romania – The painting
There is one painting in the Bucharest National Museum of Art which I still think about, a few months after my visit there. It’s a painting of a woman, leading a revolution.. It’s a painting of Maria Rosetti (the wife of his best friend C.A. Rosetti), wearing a folk costume. You can see the tri-colorContinue reading “Revolutionary Romania – The painting”
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