A Serene Encounter: Exploring the Beauty of Giovanni Bellini and Titian’s Feast of the Gods
No one knows how to party as the Greek gods do. The gods are relaxing under the Italian sun, attended by nymphs and satyrs. The party is in full swing, the gods eating and drinking. To the right, we see a scene from Ovid’s Fasti, Priapus, the god of fertility is lifting the gown of a sleeping nymph.
The painting was created by two fathers of Venetian painting, Giovanni Bellini and his then-student Titian, for Duke Alfonso d’Este to decorate the Camerino d’alabastro (alabaster study) of his castle in Ferrara.
Tranquil Moments by the Seine: George Seurat’s A Sunday on La Grande Jatte
However, if a picnic in the Italian countryside is not your thing, then maybe belle epoque France is more to your liking. Welcome to the Grande Jate, a small island on the Seine and the go-to place for the French upper class to have a good time. The bourgeoisie is relaxing in the sun, little children are playing around, and to the lower right, a dog is playing with a monkey.
Seurat used a new style called Pointillism for this work. In essence, he placed dots of different colors side by side, that when seen from afar, created a new color. Seurat thought that this technique made colors brighter.
Captivating Calmness: A Closer Look at Frederic Leighton’s Flaming June
When are we more relaxed than when we are sleeping? A young woman in a brilliant orange dress sleeps tucked in a huge armchair. Behind her, the sun sets over the Mediterranean Sea. The girl is a personification of the summer heat in June.
Frederic Leighton was president of the Royal Academy and an important figure in the British art world in the 19th century. This painting shows his ideas that focus attention on color and form over a narrative. Leighton states that the girl’s pose is inspired by the pose of a tired model. The work belongs to the Museo de Arte de Ponce in Puerto Rico but is on loan at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Embracing Bliss: Henri Matisse’s Joy of Life and Art of Serenity
Matisse creates an idyllic landscape with dancing and relaxing forms. Color, as per the fauvist ideas, is far removed from reality but trying to express emotion. The painter uses warm reds and yellows to convey a calm atmosphere and the happiness of the people that inhabit it. In the center of the painting, we see figures dancing. A few years later, these forms will have their own painting in the famous Dance.
Due to this painting, Matisse’s fame rose in the Parisian art circles of the early 20th century. For a while, he was considered the most radical painter in Paris. It is said that Picasso saw the painting and was immediately jealous of Matisse. He tried to surpass him and the following year presented the Demoiselles d’ Avignon.
Carefree Moments: The Peaceful Innocence of John Singer Sargent’s Neapolitan Children Bathing
What’s more relaxing than a day at the beach? Two small boys have fun in the golden sun, supervised by their parents. One of the boys is wearing a flotation device and looks at the sea. No doubt he is ready to jump in.
Sargent was born in Italy to American ex-pats. As an adult, he returned multiple times to visit Venice, Capri, Naples, and other cities. This painting was created after numerous sketches from his travels in Southern Italy.