Aunt Hilda
01-05-2014, 05:03 AM
There is in every European’s mind the image of a painting which bears a peculiar importance in his national history. Some of those paintings could be found on national banknotes, others still figure on postcards, in adverts or on CD covers.
There was the need to reconstitute a European overview on our collective patrimony.
When Picasso meets Turner or Delacroix, when Rembrandt appears closed to Munch, Bruegel, Klee or Klimt, this is the expression of a rich culture which can’t remain divided in isolated areas.
This list of European renowned paintings offers you the opportunity to appreciate our European inheritance.
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/european-paintings-complete.jpg?w=614&h=603
Portugal
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/portugal-the-saint-vincent-panels.jpg?w=150&h=62 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/portugal-the-saint-vincent-panels/)The Saint Vincent Panels, Nuno Gonçalves, 1460, Lisbon
The Portuguese most famous painting is a polyptych consisting of six panels of oak wood, depicting Saint Vincent of Saragossa. Since their discovery in late nineteenth century there has been a continuing dispute over the identity of the painter and the subjects portrayed on the panels.
Spain
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/spain-guernica.jpg?w=150&h=67 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/spain-guernica/)Guernica, Pablo Picasso, 1937, Madrid
The Spanish most prominent painting represents the bombing of Guernica, a city in Basque Country, by German and Italian warplanes on 26 April 1937, during the Spanish Civil War. The Spanish Republican government commissioned Picasso to create a large mural for the Spanish display at the Paris International Exposition at the 1937 World’s Fair in Paris.
France
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/france-la-libertc3a9-guidant-le-peuple.jpg?w=150&h=118 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/france-la-liberte-guidant-le-peuple/)Liberty Leading the People, Eugène Delacroix, 1830, Paris
“My bad mood is vanishing thanks to hard work. I’ve embarked on a modern subject—a barricade. And if I haven’t fought for my country at least I’ll paint for her.” Eugène Delacroix explained in those words how he realized in the autumn of 1830the masterpiece commemorating the July Revolution of 1830. The woman in the middle personifies Liberty. She holds the tricolor flag in one hand and brandishes a bayoneted musket in the other.
Iceland
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/iceland-thingvellir.jpg?w=150&h=102 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/iceland-thingvellir/)Thingvellir, Þórarinn B. Þorláksson, 1900, Reykjavik
Þórarinn Benedikt Þorláksson was known as the really first Icelandic contemporary painters to exhibit on the island. Þorláksson’s choice was to paint Icelandic landscapes not according to European art conventions, but through Icelandic eyes. His work influenced a large number of painters and the art trend to portray landscapes remained then strong in Iceland.
Ireland
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/ireland-the-liffey-swim.jpg?w=150&h=98 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/ireland-the-liffey-swim/)The Liffey Swim, Jack Butler Yeats, 1923, Dublin
The Liffey Swim is an annual race in Dublin’s main river, the Liffey and is one of Ireland’s most famous traditional sporting events. Jack Butler Yeats, one of the most important figures in the visual art of Ireland during the 20th century, realized the painting entitledThe Liffey Swin, which eventually won a silver medal at the Art competitions at the 1924 Summer Olympics. In 2011, it was voted one of the favorite Irish pieces of art on Twitter.
United-Kingdom
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/united-kingdom-the-fighting-temeraire.jpg?w=150&h=111 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/united-kingdom-the-fighting-temeraire/)The Fighting Temeraire tugged to her last Berth to be broken up, J. M. W. Turner, 1839, London
The painting depicts the HMS Temeraire which played a significant role during the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, just before being towed towards its final berth in Rotherhithe south east London in 1838 to be broken up for scrap. This painting, a masterpiece of symbolism, was voted in 2005 the favorite British painting.
Norway
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/norway-scream.jpg?w=122&h=150 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/norway-scream/)Scream, Edvard Munch, 1893, Oslo
Several versions of Scream were realized by Edvard Munch, the most renowned Norwegian expressionist painter. Edvard Munch wrote in his diary about his masterpiece “I was walking along a path with two friends – the sun was setting – suddenly the sky turned blood red – I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned on the fence – there was blood and tongues of fire above the blue-black fjord and the city – my friends walked on, and I stood there trembling with anxiety – and I sensed an infinite scream passing through nature”.
Sweden
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/sweden-bringing-home-of-the-corpse-of-king-charles-xii.jpg?w=150&h=110 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/sweden-bringing-home-of-the-corpse-of-king-charles-xii/)The funeral transport of Charles XII, Gustaf Cederström, 1884, Stockholm
The funeral transport of the Swedish king is one of the most famous Swedish paintings. As a matter of interest, the painting was bought by the Russian Grand Duke Constantine Constantinovich who placed the painting in his palace in St. Petersburg. Many Swedes believed it was a shame that the tribute to the fallen warrior king ended in the country he fought against. Gustav Cederstrom was then persuaded to paint a new painting, now exposed in Stockholm.
Finland
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/finland-the-wounded-angel.jpg?w=150&h=122 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/finland-the-wounded-angel/)The Wounded Angel, Hugo Simberg, 1903, Helsinki
Hugo Simberg’s most notable painting was voted by the Ateneum art museum Finland’s “national painting” in 2006. The Wounded Angel evokes a melancholy atmosphere: the angelic central figure with her bandaged eyes and bloodied wing, the sombre clothing of her two youthful bearers. The direct gaze of the right-hand figure touches the viewer.
Denmark
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/denmark-the-constitutional-assembly.jpg?w=150&h=100 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/denmark-the-constitutional-assembly/)The Constitutional Assembly, Constantin Hansen, 1864, Hillerød
The Constituent National Assembly was ordered by Alfred Hage to hang it in his home. The public was allowed to inspect the work against payment, in total 2898 paid to see the painting from 31 May to 14 June 1865. As the picture depicts the Assembly of 1848 and the painting was realized almost twenty years later, the painter Constantin Hansen used photographs and even bust as models.
Netherlands
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/netherlands-night-watch.jpg?w=150&h=124 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/netherlands-night-watch/)Night Watch, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1642, Amsterdam
Rembrandt’s most famous masterpiece may be the Dutch favorite painting, together with Vermeer’s Girl with Pearl Earring. It is well-known for its effective use of light and shadow and its huge size. The painting represents the Amsterdamer burgemeester captain Frans Banning Cocq and his lieutenant Willem van Ruytenhurch.
Belgium
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/belgium-the-peasant-wedding.jpg?w=150&h=104 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/belgium-the-peasant-wedding/)The Peasant Wedding, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1567, Vienna
Pieter Bruegel the Elder was a Flemish renaissance painter and printmaker known for his peasant scenes. This famous painting represents a wedding, with a bride under the canopy, men pouring out beer and guests eating porridge and soup. This painting is so emblematic for Belgium that it was parodied by Uderzo in Asterix in Belgium.
Luxemburg
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/luxemburg-view-of-the-city-of-luxembourg-from-the-fetschenhof.jpg?w=150&h=98 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/luxemburg-view-of-the-city-of-luxembourg-from-the-fetschenhof/)View of Luxembourg from the Fetschenhof, Nicolas Liez, 1870, Luxembourg
The Luxemburg famous painter Nicolas Liez is remembered in particular for his lithographs of scenes throughout the Grand Duchy and for his oil painting of the City of Luxembourg. The View of Luxembourg from the Fetschenhof shows the city at the time when the demolition of the fortress had just begun.
Germany
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/germany-wanderer-above-the-sea-of-fog.jpg?w=87&h=113 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/germany-wanderer-above-the-sea-of-fog/)Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, Caspar David Friedrich, 1818, Hamburg
Caspar David Friedrich is generally regarded as the most important German artist of Romanticism. The painting depicts a young man standing upon a precipice and can be interpreted as a posture of Kantian self-reflection or a metaphor for the unknown future.
Switzerland
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/switzerland-twittering-machine.jpeg?w=88&h=121 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/switzerland-twittering-machine/)Twittering-machine, Paul Klee, 1922, New York
The Swiss-German painter’s masterpiece depicts a group of birds connected to a hand-crank. Sometimes perceived as the visual representation of the mechanics of sound, it may be interpreted as the helplessness of the artist or the triumph of nature over mechanical pursuits. Considered as “degenerate art” by Adolf Hitler, it was sold by the Nazi party in 1939 and arrived in New York Museum of Modern Art where it still hangs today.
Italy
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/italy-mona-lisa.jpg?w=88&h=128 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/italy-mona-lisa/)Mona Lisa, Leonardo Da Vinci, 1503-1519, Paris
The most enigmatic painting of the Italian artist Leonardo Da Vinci is also the most popular painting in the World. There is no need to introduce again La Joconde, now exposed at the Musée du Louvre in France. The painting was bought in 1516 by the French King François Ier and was hung at Chateau de Fontainebleau, before being moved to the Louvre after the French Revolution.
Malta
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/malta-beheading-of-saint-john-the-baptist.jpg?w=150&h=104 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/malta-beheading-of-saint-john-the-baptist/)The Beheading of St. John the Baptist, Caravaggio, 1608, Valletta
Sometimes regarded as “one of the most important works in Western painting”, the beheading of St. John the Baptist was commissioned by the Knights of Malta, painted by the Italian artist Caravaggio and now hangs at St. John’s Co-Cathedral on the island. It is the only work by Caravaggio to bear the artist’s signature, which he has placed in red blood spilling from the Baptist’s cut throat
Austria
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/austria-the-kiss.jpg?w=150&h=112 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/austria-the-kiss/)The Kiss, Gustav Klimt, 1908, Vienna
The Kiss is counted among the most famous Austrian paintings, if not the most famous. Gustav Klimt, a Symbolist painter emblematic of the Austrian ‘Golden Age’, was only 45 when he painted The Kiss, and was still living at his mother’s home. But behind the respectable façade, the painter was a man with a ferocious sexual appetite and an obsession for red-hair women. It is then no surprise that the woman in The Kiss has red hair…
Hungary
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/hungary-the-last-day-of-a-condemned-man.jpg?w=150&h=103 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/hungary-the-last-day-of-a-condemned-man/)The Last Day of a Condemned Man, Mihály Munkácsy, 1872, Budapest
Mihály Munkácsy’s masterpiece won the Gold Medal during the Paris salon in 1870. It made Munkácsy a popular painter in an instant and encouraged him to move to and settle in Paris. In this painting, the Hungarian painter introduced the spectator into the cell of a condemned man on the eve of his expiation. This painting has no link with Victor Hugo’s novel, even though they both succeeded in depicting in their works the psychology of a condemned man.
There was the need to reconstitute a European overview on our collective patrimony.
When Picasso meets Turner or Delacroix, when Rembrandt appears closed to Munch, Bruegel, Klee or Klimt, this is the expression of a rich culture which can’t remain divided in isolated areas.
This list of European renowned paintings offers you the opportunity to appreciate our European inheritance.
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/european-paintings-complete.jpg?w=614&h=603
Portugal
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/portugal-the-saint-vincent-panels.jpg?w=150&h=62 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/portugal-the-saint-vincent-panels/)The Saint Vincent Panels, Nuno Gonçalves, 1460, Lisbon
The Portuguese most famous painting is a polyptych consisting of six panels of oak wood, depicting Saint Vincent of Saragossa. Since their discovery in late nineteenth century there has been a continuing dispute over the identity of the painter and the subjects portrayed on the panels.
Spain
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/spain-guernica.jpg?w=150&h=67 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/spain-guernica/)Guernica, Pablo Picasso, 1937, Madrid
The Spanish most prominent painting represents the bombing of Guernica, a city in Basque Country, by German and Italian warplanes on 26 April 1937, during the Spanish Civil War. The Spanish Republican government commissioned Picasso to create a large mural for the Spanish display at the Paris International Exposition at the 1937 World’s Fair in Paris.
France
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/france-la-libertc3a9-guidant-le-peuple.jpg?w=150&h=118 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/france-la-liberte-guidant-le-peuple/)Liberty Leading the People, Eugène Delacroix, 1830, Paris
“My bad mood is vanishing thanks to hard work. I’ve embarked on a modern subject—a barricade. And if I haven’t fought for my country at least I’ll paint for her.” Eugène Delacroix explained in those words how he realized in the autumn of 1830the masterpiece commemorating the July Revolution of 1830. The woman in the middle personifies Liberty. She holds the tricolor flag in one hand and brandishes a bayoneted musket in the other.
Iceland
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/iceland-thingvellir.jpg?w=150&h=102 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/iceland-thingvellir/)Thingvellir, Þórarinn B. Þorláksson, 1900, Reykjavik
Þórarinn Benedikt Þorláksson was known as the really first Icelandic contemporary painters to exhibit on the island. Þorláksson’s choice was to paint Icelandic landscapes not according to European art conventions, but through Icelandic eyes. His work influenced a large number of painters and the art trend to portray landscapes remained then strong in Iceland.
Ireland
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/ireland-the-liffey-swim.jpg?w=150&h=98 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/ireland-the-liffey-swim/)The Liffey Swim, Jack Butler Yeats, 1923, Dublin
The Liffey Swim is an annual race in Dublin’s main river, the Liffey and is one of Ireland’s most famous traditional sporting events. Jack Butler Yeats, one of the most important figures in the visual art of Ireland during the 20th century, realized the painting entitledThe Liffey Swin, which eventually won a silver medal at the Art competitions at the 1924 Summer Olympics. In 2011, it was voted one of the favorite Irish pieces of art on Twitter.
United-Kingdom
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/united-kingdom-the-fighting-temeraire.jpg?w=150&h=111 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/united-kingdom-the-fighting-temeraire/)The Fighting Temeraire tugged to her last Berth to be broken up, J. M. W. Turner, 1839, London
The painting depicts the HMS Temeraire which played a significant role during the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, just before being towed towards its final berth in Rotherhithe south east London in 1838 to be broken up for scrap. This painting, a masterpiece of symbolism, was voted in 2005 the favorite British painting.
Norway
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/norway-scream.jpg?w=122&h=150 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/norway-scream/)Scream, Edvard Munch, 1893, Oslo
Several versions of Scream were realized by Edvard Munch, the most renowned Norwegian expressionist painter. Edvard Munch wrote in his diary about his masterpiece “I was walking along a path with two friends – the sun was setting – suddenly the sky turned blood red – I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned on the fence – there was blood and tongues of fire above the blue-black fjord and the city – my friends walked on, and I stood there trembling with anxiety – and I sensed an infinite scream passing through nature”.
Sweden
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/sweden-bringing-home-of-the-corpse-of-king-charles-xii.jpg?w=150&h=110 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/sweden-bringing-home-of-the-corpse-of-king-charles-xii/)The funeral transport of Charles XII, Gustaf Cederström, 1884, Stockholm
The funeral transport of the Swedish king is one of the most famous Swedish paintings. As a matter of interest, the painting was bought by the Russian Grand Duke Constantine Constantinovich who placed the painting in his palace in St. Petersburg. Many Swedes believed it was a shame that the tribute to the fallen warrior king ended in the country he fought against. Gustav Cederstrom was then persuaded to paint a new painting, now exposed in Stockholm.
Finland
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/finland-the-wounded-angel.jpg?w=150&h=122 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/finland-the-wounded-angel/)The Wounded Angel, Hugo Simberg, 1903, Helsinki
Hugo Simberg’s most notable painting was voted by the Ateneum art museum Finland’s “national painting” in 2006. The Wounded Angel evokes a melancholy atmosphere: the angelic central figure with her bandaged eyes and bloodied wing, the sombre clothing of her two youthful bearers. The direct gaze of the right-hand figure touches the viewer.
Denmark
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/denmark-the-constitutional-assembly.jpg?w=150&h=100 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/denmark-the-constitutional-assembly/)The Constitutional Assembly, Constantin Hansen, 1864, Hillerød
The Constituent National Assembly was ordered by Alfred Hage to hang it in his home. The public was allowed to inspect the work against payment, in total 2898 paid to see the painting from 31 May to 14 June 1865. As the picture depicts the Assembly of 1848 and the painting was realized almost twenty years later, the painter Constantin Hansen used photographs and even bust as models.
Netherlands
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/netherlands-night-watch.jpg?w=150&h=124 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/netherlands-night-watch/)Night Watch, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1642, Amsterdam
Rembrandt’s most famous masterpiece may be the Dutch favorite painting, together with Vermeer’s Girl with Pearl Earring. It is well-known for its effective use of light and shadow and its huge size. The painting represents the Amsterdamer burgemeester captain Frans Banning Cocq and his lieutenant Willem van Ruytenhurch.
Belgium
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/belgium-the-peasant-wedding.jpg?w=150&h=104 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/belgium-the-peasant-wedding/)The Peasant Wedding, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1567, Vienna
Pieter Bruegel the Elder was a Flemish renaissance painter and printmaker known for his peasant scenes. This famous painting represents a wedding, with a bride under the canopy, men pouring out beer and guests eating porridge and soup. This painting is so emblematic for Belgium that it was parodied by Uderzo in Asterix in Belgium.
Luxemburg
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/luxemburg-view-of-the-city-of-luxembourg-from-the-fetschenhof.jpg?w=150&h=98 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/luxemburg-view-of-the-city-of-luxembourg-from-the-fetschenhof/)View of Luxembourg from the Fetschenhof, Nicolas Liez, 1870, Luxembourg
The Luxemburg famous painter Nicolas Liez is remembered in particular for his lithographs of scenes throughout the Grand Duchy and for his oil painting of the City of Luxembourg. The View of Luxembourg from the Fetschenhof shows the city at the time when the demolition of the fortress had just begun.
Germany
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/germany-wanderer-above-the-sea-of-fog.jpg?w=87&h=113 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/germany-wanderer-above-the-sea-of-fog/)Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, Caspar David Friedrich, 1818, Hamburg
Caspar David Friedrich is generally regarded as the most important German artist of Romanticism. The painting depicts a young man standing upon a precipice and can be interpreted as a posture of Kantian self-reflection or a metaphor for the unknown future.
Switzerland
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/switzerland-twittering-machine.jpeg?w=88&h=121 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/switzerland-twittering-machine/)Twittering-machine, Paul Klee, 1922, New York
The Swiss-German painter’s masterpiece depicts a group of birds connected to a hand-crank. Sometimes perceived as the visual representation of the mechanics of sound, it may be interpreted as the helplessness of the artist or the triumph of nature over mechanical pursuits. Considered as “degenerate art” by Adolf Hitler, it was sold by the Nazi party in 1939 and arrived in New York Museum of Modern Art where it still hangs today.
Italy
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/italy-mona-lisa.jpg?w=88&h=128 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/italy-mona-lisa/)Mona Lisa, Leonardo Da Vinci, 1503-1519, Paris
The most enigmatic painting of the Italian artist Leonardo Da Vinci is also the most popular painting in the World. There is no need to introduce again La Joconde, now exposed at the Musée du Louvre in France. The painting was bought in 1516 by the French King François Ier and was hung at Chateau de Fontainebleau, before being moved to the Louvre after the French Revolution.
Malta
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/malta-beheading-of-saint-john-the-baptist.jpg?w=150&h=104 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/malta-beheading-of-saint-john-the-baptist/)The Beheading of St. John the Baptist, Caravaggio, 1608, Valletta
Sometimes regarded as “one of the most important works in Western painting”, the beheading of St. John the Baptist was commissioned by the Knights of Malta, painted by the Italian artist Caravaggio and now hangs at St. John’s Co-Cathedral on the island. It is the only work by Caravaggio to bear the artist’s signature, which he has placed in red blood spilling from the Baptist’s cut throat
Austria
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/austria-the-kiss.jpg?w=150&h=112 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/austria-the-kiss/)The Kiss, Gustav Klimt, 1908, Vienna
The Kiss is counted among the most famous Austrian paintings, if not the most famous. Gustav Klimt, a Symbolist painter emblematic of the Austrian ‘Golden Age’, was only 45 when he painted The Kiss, and was still living at his mother’s home. But behind the respectable façade, the painter was a man with a ferocious sexual appetite and an obsession for red-hair women. It is then no surprise that the woman in The Kiss has red hair…
Hungary
http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/hungary-the-last-day-of-a-condemned-man.jpg?w=150&h=103 (http://europeisnotdead.wordpress.com/video/images-of-europe/european-paintings/hungary-the-last-day-of-a-condemned-man/)The Last Day of a Condemned Man, Mihály Munkácsy, 1872, Budapest
Mihály Munkácsy’s masterpiece won the Gold Medal during the Paris salon in 1870. It made Munkácsy a popular painter in an instant and encouraged him to move to and settle in Paris. In this painting, the Hungarian painter introduced the spectator into the cell of a condemned man on the eve of his expiation. This painting has no link with Victor Hugo’s novel, even though they both succeeded in depicting in their works the psychology of a condemned man.