March 30

Solitude

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I love the simplicity of this painting. The artist’s limited color palette and simple background ensure nothing distracts the viewer from the subject matter at hand. The artist is Francisco de Zurbarán, a Spanish painter who was prominent in the 1650s and heavily influenced by the Italian painter Caravaggio. In fact, his nickname was “Spanish […]

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March 25

Who Is My Neighbor?

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The parable of the Good Samaritan has been captured in art for centuries but I don’t think I’ve seen a depiction quite like this one. And I love it. The artist is Ferdinand Hodler, one of the best-known Swiss painters of the 19th century. His early works were painted with realism, but toward the end […]

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February 26

Tossed About

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One art lover called this painting by Rembrandt “the coolest painting you’ll never see.” That is because it was stolen from the Boston Museum along with 12 other paintings in 1990. None of them have ever been recovered. If you go to the museum today, all you will see is the eerie sight of an […]

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February 20

The Peaceable Kingdom

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My husband and I enjoy watching the power dynamics that surround the bird feeder in our backyard. The red squirrels are jerks, always jumping on the bird feeder and hogging it for themselves. The rabbits munch happily with an occasional leap in the air when confronted by charging grey squirrels. One particular rabbit seems to […]

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February 11

Past, Present, and Future

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A few weeks ago, one of the readers of this blog sent me a digital image of this painting. She noticed the crucifix hanging above Mary and the newborn baby Jesus. She wasn’t sure if she found the crucifix hilarious or disturbing. So, I did a little digging and this is what I found. This […]

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January 31

Hidden

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This artwork by Belgian artist Rene Magritte has become an iconic image and is possibly one of the most easily recognized surrealist paintings to date. It is entitled The Son of Man and was painted in 1964. It started out as a self-portrait but ended up as an anonymous man in a bowler hat, although […]

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January 25

Regrets and Remorse

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I would like to share this sculpture with you by Jewish artist Herman Wald who was born in Romania in 1906. The title of this piece is The Prodigal Son, based on the biblical parable in Luke. It is the story of a destitute son who squandered his inheritance and remorsefully returns to his father […]

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January 01

Three Little Words

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This painting was so endearing that I couldn’t help sharing it with you. It is by French painter Henri Jules Geoffroy (also knowns as Geo), who began his career illustrating children’s books but went on to become known for his ability to capture the innocence of children in their daily tasks of work and play. […]

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December 30

Redemption

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The story goes that the old woman in this painting was a former nun who, at age 70, had been defrocked, lost her faith, and fled the convent. The artist, Paul Cézanne, found her wandering aimlessly in the streets and took her in as his maid, out of charity. This painting was discovered in 1896 […]

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December 24

The Third Coming of Christ

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Merry Christmas! Today is Christmas Eve and we celebrate our dear Savior’s birth. What better work of art to examine on this day than the nativity of our Lord? This masterpiece was painted by the Italian Renaissance master, Sandro Botticelli, in 1501. As with many paintings of this era and style, there is a plethora […]

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