Artistic Beauty

River Landscape was painted at some point between 1645-55. It is an oil painting by the Dutch artist Salomon van Ruysdael.

One of the things I was mindful of during my visit to the Gallery was to use the spaces and doorways to frame shots. Such is the case with this particular painting, shown first at a distance.

Venus dates circa 1518, done by Lucas Cranach the Elder. The Roman goddess of love stands out strongly against the dark background.

This is A Sermon In The Old Church In Delft, an oil painting by Dutch artist Emanuel de Witte, dating circa 1650-51. It depicts the Old Church of the city of Delft.

Peter Paul Rubens painted Stormy Landscape late in his life, around 1635-36, when he was seriously undertaking landscape art. The oil painting here is a small one, densely packed, but dramatic in its use of light and the terrain.

Jacob van Ruisdael came from a family of Dutch artists. His uncle Saloman, who used a different variant of the family name, painted the first canvas in today's post. Van Ruisdael was well known for his landscapes. A Waterfall was painted at some point between 1660-70, and depicts a Scandinavian landscape, emphasizing nature over people.

Venice features prominently in these two oil paintings by the same Italian artist. Bernardo Bellotto painted The Arsenal, Venice around 1743. It depicts the gate that was a symbol of Venice's naval glory days.

The Piazzetta, Venice is Bellotto's companion work to the above, painted around the same time, giving us a view from the so called Little Square towards Saint Mark's Square.