What words come to your mind when you see the famous ceiling of the Sistine Chapel? “Divine”? “Inspirational”? “Majestic”? How about “belly out of whack” or “a thousand hazards”? How about “skull scrapes where a hunchback’s lump would be”? Or, “ill from the overwhelming labor”? It took Michelangelo over 4 years of arduous toil to single-handedly complete the famous painting ... Read More »
Category Archives: Blog
Announcing… ON LOCATION NYC
Hi There, We are pleased to announce the release of our new title, On Location NYC, by Alex Child next month. Following Chronicles of Old New York and Art+NYC, On Location NYC is our third New York title and identifies more than 100 film and TV locations through iconic moments in cinema and TV history with beautiful color photos and ... Read More »
Armchair Traveler: Rouen, France and the Impressionists
“I am exhausted, I can’t bear it any more and I had nightmares last night: the cathedral was falling down on me, it seemed to be blue, or pink or yellow.” —Claude Monet From 1892 to 1893, Monet painted the 31 works that comprise his Rouen Cathedral series. He was solitary and oblivious to the other artists working around him. ... Read More »
The Ides of March: Where exactly was Caesar killed in Rome?
On March 15, 44 B.C., Julius Caesar—the most famous Roman at home and abroad—was assassinated by a group of mutineer consuls in the Senate house, the Curia Pompeii. In a startling quirk of fate, his body slumped against a statue of Pompey the Great, his former political ally turned archrival, who fought the failed bid to stop Caesar from becoming ... Read More »
Renoir: The Artist Who Loved Women
You may enjoy one of Renoir’s most famous paintings, “La Loge”, at the current show, “Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The fashionable woman in “La Loge” is Nini Lopez, who was an actress from Montmartre and known as “fish face.” Renoir met her when he moved to Montmartre for the summer to paint “Bal ... Read More »
Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity to Open at the Metropolitan Museum on February 26
The latest fashion . . . is absolutely necessary for a painting. It’s what matters most. —Édouard Manet, 1881 Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity at The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents a revealing look at the role of fashion in the works of the Impressionists and their contemporaries. Nearly 80 paintings by Impressionist masters such as Manet, Monet, Renoir, ... Read More »
Armchair Traveler: Shah Jahan’s gift to his beloved wife, the Taj Mahal of India
On St. Valentine’s Day jewelry, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones. But who can do more than Shah Jahan who built the Taj Mahal as a memorial to his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their 14th child? Born as Prince Khurram in 1592, Shah Jahan was the fifth son of Mughal Emperor Jahangir ... Read More »
New York City’s Grand Central celebrates centennial: Grand Central, Park Avenue and Cornelius Vanderbilt
Grand Central Terminal opened its doors to the public at midnight on February 1, 1913. The first train left at 12:20 AM. What began as the new terminal for electric trains transformed the area into prime real estate in Manhattan, called Park Avenue. There was a time when Park Avenue was known as Fourth Avenue, and it was populated mainly ... Read More »