Esther's photos with the keyword: National Gallery of Art

National Gallery of Art Monet's Bazille and Camille (Study for "Déjeuner sur l'Herbe") 1865 BIMG 0130-1

"In the rich artistic culture of 15th-century Florence, the sculptor Luca della Robbia (1399/1400–1482) won renown for his innovations in the medium of glazed terracotta. Praised as “new, useful, and most beautiful,” this distinctive technique involved the application of colorful, reflective glazes to sculptures in fired clay. Luca’s methods established a durable and shining surface for ceramic sculpture of many kinds, from independent statues in the round to narrative reliefs and architectural ornament. His family workshop specialized in depictions of sacred history and devotional images of the Madonna and Christ child for a variety of settings, including altars and chapels within churches, exterior walls and gates, and the domestic realm. The sculptures’ humble materials expressed the spiritual value of humility, exalted by a luminous surface, while the skill with which they were fashioned and the visual clarity of the medium made them easy to read and understand. Through pure, expressive color and a refreshing simplicity of means, Della Robbia terracottas illuminated themes of salvation through Christian faith. Luca collaborated closely for decades with his nephew, Andrea (1435–1525), who entered his workshop by 1451 and inherited it in 1482. Five of Andrea’s children joined the enterprise, carrying the family’s art into the 16th century. As their range of commissions grew, the Della Robbia increasingly explored other genres, such as portraiture, still life, landscape, and allegory, alongside canonical religious subjects. Della Robbia sculptures still grace the churches and squares of Florence and other Italian cities, while portable reliefs, statuettes, and busts by the family adorn museums throughout the world. This major loan exhibition is the first devoted to the Della Robbia in the United States, where a newfound appreciation for the beauty and ingenuity of Renaissance glazed ceramics emerged in the 19th century and continues today." www.nga.gov/features/della-robbia-a-closer-look.html BIMG 0122-1

"She was the daughter of a wealthy Florentine banker, and her portrait—the only painting by Leonardo da Vinci in the Americas—was probably commissioned about the time of her marriage at age 16. Leonardo himself was only about six years older. The portrait is among his earliest experiments with the new medium of oil paint; some wrinkling of the surface shows he was still learning to control it. Still, the careful observation of nature and subtle three–dimensionality of Ginevra's face point unmistakably to the new naturalism with which Leonardo would transform Renaissance painting. Ginevra is modeled with gradually deepening veils of smoky shadow—not by line, not by abrupt transitions of color or light. Other features of Ginevra's portrait reveal young Leonardo as an innovator. He placed her in an open setting at a time when women were still shown carefully sheltered within the walls of their family homes, with landscapes glimpsed only through open windows. The three–quarter pose, which shows her steady reserve, is among the first in Italian portraiture, for either sex." www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.50724.html BIMG 0121-1

"Andrew Mellon selected American architect John Russell Pope (1874–1937) to design the building for the new museum. This edifice, now known as the West Building, has formal public entrances on all four sides. Its main floor plan is centered on a rotunda that was modeled after the ancient Roman Pantheon. To the east and west of the Rotunda, barrel-vaulted sculpture halls lead to garden courts, where greenery and fountains provide a restful haven for visitors. Interconnected exhibition galleries extend to the north and south of these large public spaces in such a way that, in principle, a visitor can begin in one room and proceed through the collection without backtracking." www.nga.gov/about.html BIMG 0060-1

"Andrew Mellon selected American architect John Russell Pope (1874–1937) to design the building for the new museum. This edifice, now known as the West Building, has formal public entrances on all four sides. Its main floor plan is centered on a rotunda that was modeled after the ancient Roman Pantheon. To the east and west of the Rotunda, barrel-vaulted sculpture halls lead to garden courts, where greenery and fountains provide a restful haven for visitors. Interconnected exhibition galleries extend to the north and south of these large public spaces in such a way that, in principle, a visitor can begin in one room and proceed through the collection without backtracking." www.nga.gov/about.html For more about this scupture, see 1ufzqimnrfy1m6sw634fqcn7-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/mercury_infosheet.pdf . BIMG 0061-1

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The Sunday Challenge: Tables Large Walnut Table with Uberti Arms c. 1500 made from walnut, pine, and maple inlay At the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. BIMG 0150