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Raphael: Madonna del Granduca

I wonder if Raphael’s Madonnas may bring about a therapeutic effect. I am not talking about religious sympathy that some will undoubtedly experience; it’s the pure psychological influence of calm and nervous relaxation that comes to mind. As mentioned in this Wikipedia article, art is known to provoke extremely powerful emotional responses. Could it be [...]

 
Rembrandt: The Night Watch

Another masterpiece, which I have had the privilege to examine closely in the Rijkmuseum, Amsterdam. A brief historic review is available on Wikipedia and Britannica also offers a great and free article on the artist and this painting. A must read. Any review and interpretation would inevitably be trimmed, because so is the piece in [...]

 
Rembrandt: The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp

This painting is difficult to approach for its sheer complexity: both a group portrait and a theatrical scene cohere into a pictorial narrative of visual, scientific and historic significance. Wikipedia offers engaging insight on this painting, as well as on Dr. Tulp, a very well known persona of the time. In fact, probably every person [...]

 
Rembrandt: Bathsheba with King David's Letter

The woman’s face becomes an emotive center point: the slightly risen brow discloses surprise, the faint blush on her cheek reveals a measure of pleasure from being noticed by the king, the downcast eyes express humility and inevitable doom. When combined, these emotions synthesize into a sense of fate, along with recognition and acceptance of [...]

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