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The art of the 21th century is called odd, unconventional and even crazy. But if we go back to the beginning of its history, we will find a great number of old paintings that are as marvelous as modern creations, or maybe even better. Here are five of them that definitely deserve your attention.
1. The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli
Inspired by Homer's hymn, Sandro Botticelli created a painting with an uncommon subject matter for the Renaissance period. It depicts the goddess of Love, Venus, rising from the sea and arriving at the shore on a seashell. She looks like a classical statue of an adult woman, surrounded by three Olympians: the god of Winds, Zephyrus, the goddess of morning breeze, Aura, and the Horae, the goddess of the Seasons.
2. The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck
Being the first genre painting of our times, the portrait of Italian merchant Giovannni di Nicolao Arnolfini presents many details of everyday life: items of furniture, wall decor and even a dog, as a symbol of loyalty. The work emphasizes the role of a man as the earner in a family, while Arnolfini's wife is depicted near the bed personifying hearth and home. The merchant stands near an open window, which symbolizes his weight in the outside world.
3. Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez
The complex composition of this remarkable work makes it one of the most analyzed in Western painting. The picture shows young Infanta Margaret Theresa, surrounded by her servants. Behind them, Velazquez portrayed himself, working at a big canvas. It seems that he looks directly at us, beyond the pictorial limits. Finally, to the painter's right we notice a mirror reflecting the images of the royal couple. However, nobody knows whether it's a reflection of the picture Velazquez is working on or the king and queen stand outside the canvas, being the viewers of this scene.
4. Self-Portrait with Two Circles by Rembrandt
This painting is another mystery for art historians. If you take a look at it, you won't see the painter's hand which should hold a brush. Probably, it's left to our imagination. Moreover, we don't know for sure why he depicted two circles in the background: is it his signature or a demonstration of his capability of drawing perfect circles? Rembrandt has made around eighty self-portraits during his life. The techniques he used to express his inner world would one day be called impressionistic.
5. Portrait miniature of Jane Small by Hans Holbein the Younger
This work is considered to be a masterpiece of the genre. The artist depicted a young woman in a plain black-and-white costume, without adding anything extra, thus the image appears to be remarkably objective. As Rembrandt, Holbein the Younger painted large pictures but all of them were characterized a miniature-like precision. There are about twelve of his works which have survived till our days.
Old paintings (http://afremov.com/-CAFE-IN-THE-OLD-CITY-PALETTE-KNIFE-Oil-Painting-On-Canvas-By-Leonid-Afremov-Size-40-x30.html) are items of great value offering us precious insight into the past. On the other hand, there are many talented modern artists whose works are no less remarkable. Leonid Afremov is one of them. At http://afremov.com, you will find hundreds of colorful impressionistic paintings that will undoubtedly catch your eye! If you have a spare spot for one of them on your wall, don't hesitate to order it online!
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