In 1921 a French critic posed a priceless question: "By what witchcraft did [Vermeer], representing the most daily and commonplace sights, manage to give the viewer so mysterious, so grand, so exceptional an emotion?" Vermeer produced only 36 paintings before he died at 43. Yet each piece blissfully

Baroque art, Clean, Contemplative, Domestic, Serene, Tranquil

Donatello brought the sculpted body back to life after its long Medieval slumber. Whereas earlier sculptors, prompted by Christian prudery, had drained the body of its vigor, cloaked its nakedness, and stripped it of individuality, Donatello revealed the body as a singular organic unity. He observed

Charming, Eclectic, Epic, Pioneering, Pre-modern sculpture, Renaissance art, Tranquil

French Impressionism was not just a style, an approach to brushwork, or a sensitivity to light. It was a new kind of content: a focus on the middle-class life of afternoons at the park, outings to the seashore, and a domestic world of well-appointed interiors. This turn toward familial and private sc

Clean, Demure, Domestic, Impressionism, Serene, Tranquil

Modernity meant the abandonment of myth, symbolism, and classical ideals in favor of science, the natural, and "real life;" these changes are well represented in the paintings of Camille Pissaro. Pissarro developed his style by exploring the roads, countryside, and urban landscapes of France. He woul

Charming, Impressionism, Organic, Pastoral, Rhythmic, Tranquil