European Art
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The Nutcracker scenery by Konstantin Ivanov (December 15th)
Two sketches by Konstantin Ivanov showing his scenic designs for the famous Nutcracker ballet’s first-ever production, which took place in Russia in 1892.
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A Winter’s Walk by Jacques-Joseph Tissot (December 14th)
A fashionable portrait of a woman taking a walk on a winter’s day, by French realism Jacques-joseph Tissot. Part of a fine art Advent calendar.
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Ball at the Russian Imperial Court (December 13th)
If you are seeing this (and I set the timer correctly), it means I am currently at a holiday ball. I figured the Advent Calendar should get in on the action, too. Interestingly, it is far easier to get a ticket to a glamorous and elegant holiday party than an artistic representation of one. It took me…
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The Magi by Joseph Binder (December 11th)
I looked at a lot of Magi/Three Wise Men paintings today, but something about this one particularly stood out for me. It is by Austrian artist Joseph Binder (1798–1864). I think it’s a combination of things – the clarity of the image, the colors (particularly the blues in the sky), the varying reactions of the…
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Annunciation by Fra Angelico (December 8th)
Today is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, so it seems appropriate to feature this Annunciation by Fra Angelico for the Advent Calendar. I have known that I wanted to use this painting since the beginning of the month, it was just a question of when. I love the work of Italian monk Guido di Pietro,…
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Saint Nicholas of Bari by Carlo Crivelli (December 6th)
December 5th’s Advent Calendar post is a painting of Saint Nicolas (the forefather of Santa Claus) by Italian Renaissance painter Carlo Crivelli.
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Christ in the House of His Parents (December 1st)
The first installment of an art historical advent calendar – features Pre-Raphaelite painting Christ in the House of His Parents by John Everett Millais.
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Gargoyles and Grotesques of St. Denys, Aswarby, Lincolnshire
This square-ish fellow kind of reminds me of an early video game creature. When I went to get the image link, I noticed it was titled “Hunky Punk”, which I thought was interesting. I googled the term and discovered that “hunky punk” is a term specifically used in Somerset, England to describe grotesques (never true…
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St. Cuthbert’s Gospel – Day 20
Read about an early medieval English illuminated manuscript associated with Saint Cuthbert, an important British monastic figure.
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The Roman de the Rose – Day 15
Read about the illustrations in a medieval French romance poem that was the subject of so many illuminated manuscripts.
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The Luttrell Psalter – Day 10
The Luttrell Psalter is a beautiful book that’s celebrated for its animal marginalia and idealized scenes of everyday medieval life.
