Jyotirmayee Ghosh

Guercino's "Samson Captured by the Philistines" depicts a Biblical episode. Samson, an Israeli judge blessed by divine strength fell in love with Delilah. Upon knowing the source of his strength, whis was his hair, Delilah cut off his locks rendering him weak. His enemies, the…

The painting Preperation for the crucifixion was painted by Luis de Vargas. This moment shows the exact moment before Jesus was crucified. He is seen sitting in a melancholic pose on the wooden cross beforeehe was nailed to it.

Edward Emerson Simmon's 'Boston Public Garden's shows a freshly snow smothered Boston Garden. Horse driven carraiges and pedestrians pepper the otherwise serene atmosphere. The bare trees are covered by snow.

The above given painting depicts a courtly proceeding with emperor Babur in the centre with Khurasan Mirzas around him. Classic Mughal miniature painting techniques have been used. We can see rich colours and detailing of their clothes and costumes. Golden colours are used throughout the…

Farukh Beg Musavvir's this particular painting is a synthesis of two different art traditions of the Mughal and Safavid styles. Farukh Beg excelled in miniature painting. This depicts a scene of the Mughal emperor Babur's court where he is seen to be receiving a courtier.…

This miniature painting by Ruknuddin shows a woman as the chief subject sitting on a soft cushion made out of lotus petals. She is playing the veena. A peacock and a peahen are seen beside. It's a serene atmosphere. The artist has focused on the…

The title "Portrait of a lady" is self explanatory as we can see that as the subject of the painting, there is a woman with a serene expression on her face. She is wearing a light pink dress with short sleeves. A long golden necklace…

Ganendranath Tagore's "Vieled Woman" or "Shaded Flame" alludes to the beauty of a woman. The female figure herself is unrecognisable. She is wearing a dark and loose garment and is turned away. She is holding a pradeep. The subtle and abstract painting is painted with…

Laharu portrays the mythical and one of the most popular narratives of Hindu mythology. Lord Krishna's birth is depicted in this painting. Vasudeva is shown to be reaching towards Devaki after swapping Krishna with the infant girl.

Roger de La Fresnaye's "The Conquest of the Air" is part of the Cubist movement. This painting is done just before the First World War. Transformation of aviation thus forms the major subject of the painting. While there is no aircraft in sight, two men…

Miskin's "The Crow Addresses the Animals" shows a rich imagery of the Panchatantra tale where the crow speaks up against the election of an owl as the head of the counsel. Animal fables have been a popular subject of painting for a long time among…

Cecilia Beaux in the given painting shows Henry Sturgis Drinker, her brother in law with a cat on his lap. Although he is a forceful railway lawyer, his intensity is beautifully contrasted with the warm and cozy atmosphere with the feline in his lap. The…

Sewak Ram was a prominent Colonial painter. In the given painting, a realistic painting of the Muharram procession is shown. The procession is lead by men cladded in white. They seem to be carrying swords. We can see women and children sitting on the sidelines…

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec has portrayed the Parisian nightlife at the Moulin Rouge. There is an act of life and reality in the abstract painting. Although the atmosphere seems to be rich, we can interprete the faces are blanks. As if amidst all these popularity and…

Vicente López Portaña has depicted an important biblical scene via his painting. Part of the Gospel of Matthew, it shows Josheph being told about Mary carrying the son of God by the angel. Joseph seems to be in a contemplative mood whereas the angel gently…

Novgorodians by Pyotr Konchalovsky shows a lively conversation between a group of men sitting around a table. Alcohol bottles are half empty in the table meaning they are intoxicated and having a jolly conversation. We can see that the painter has used warm and rich…

The painting "Ravana converses with MAHAJAMBUNADA, who is surrounded by a ring of fire and attended by Laksmi" is split into dense nastaliq caligraphy and traditional Persian miniature artwork. Ravana is shown with his ten heads and arms approaching the fire wreath around Mahajambunada and…

In this particular painting, the Diwan-i-Khas has been shown through the British view point. The subject takes up the whole space as the viewer's eyes trains straight at the structure. Rather than the traditional Mughal miniature paintings that show multiple perspectives, the European paintings focus…

The untitled work of Sarada Ukil bridges the gap between reality and fiction. The painting shoes soft visuals with delicate brushstrokes. It seems surreal as we see a woman holding a diya from which emerged another veiled woman. The art is symbolic and surreal.

The Death of Inayat Khan by Balchand can be described as a physical manifestation of a morbid curiousity. Inayat Khan in his death bed looks famished and sickly. The painter has picked up the look morbidly in his artwork. All the lavishness and decorum has…

The painter Atma Ram focuses particularly on local pahari traditions in a way to keep the cultures and aesthetics alive. He branches into Hindu spirituality, mythology and traditions. In the "Krishna and Radha awaiting the storm" is a classic composition of the romantic Krishna and…

The artist Hashim has shown the quiet luxury of the Deccani leader Malik Ambar. As though to showcase his humble origin, we find him wearing a plain white garment. However, he is also shown to be wearing an elegantly patterned sash around his waist. It's…

The painting by Bernardo Strozzi shows Veronica sitting in contemplation and wonder as she holds a veil with Jesus' facial impression on it. The story goes that his facial impression got imprinted on the cloth after she wiped his face with it. Veronica is tear…

This artwork illustrating Arunlmigu Meenatchiamman is highly proportional in structure. The painter has painted the figure with utmost depth to the point that it can be used for historical authenticity. The painter has decorated the goddess Meenakshi with elaborate and symbolic ornaments, garments and other…

Farrukhsiyyar hunting is a prominent example of late Mughal miniature art. The sceneries of hunting is a rather popular one. These were popular particularly because they were a sort of ways to legitimize the kingship of the Mughal sultan even after his death. The artist…

Canal degli albrizzi was painted by the talented Madrazo. He spent a considerable period of his life in Venice and thus painted intimate settings of alleys, canals and waterways of the city. This piece was wrongly attributed to Raimundo de Madrazo. The painting combines realism…

Fede Galizia was an Italian painter who was an expert in detailing and painting portraits. Fede, meaning fate is almost equivalent to her leaning towards religious paintings. In this portrait, known as 'Judith with the head of Holofernes', the painter has portrayed the Jewish widow…

Gai Qi was a Chinese painter specialising in beautiful and dainty women, plants and flowers. In this particular painting, the demure lady is sitting cross legged on a peacock coloured stool. She is dressed elegantly and is seen playing a flute. The usage of negative…

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi was a great master of the Wood block painting technique. The artwork, "One Hundred Aspects of the Moon: Moon and Smoke" is one of his dramatic composition. This painting portrays firemen facing the slithering arms of the fiery red fire. Firemen were considered…

Giacomo Favretto had a relatively brief career as a painter. He was born in a modest family and was particularly known for his genre painting and realism. "The School of Painting" is a well detailed and descriptive scene of the inside workings of a painting…

The painting of the Baby and Princess is done by C. Raja Raja Varma. Famously, the brother of the revolutionary painter Raja Ravi Varma, he specialised in landscapes. However, this painting using muted and warm tones portrays a homely and intimate setting. The young princess…

The given artwork was created by MacDonald Wright. He developed this painting using the technique of Synchromism. That is, he blended colour with music with a cubist influence. According to him, he coloured the way a symphony sounds. In "Airplane Synchrony in Yellow-Orange", we get…

The dazzling painting known as the "Nighttime in a City" is a lively and picturesque description of the Sahebad historical area of Tabriz. The nighttime, instead of being dark and scary is dotted with activities. The painter Mir Sayyid Ali has peeked inside the architectural…

'The massacre of the innocents' depict the harrowing biblical story from the Gospel of Matthew. In order to eradicate Jesus, King Herod orders the execution of all male infants in Bethlehem. The beautifully done painting denotes the horrific, nightmarish atmosphere and is clearly influenced by…

The famous tryptch combines three seemingly unrelated images. The left scroll portrays a mynah bird, the middle one shows the Chan master Zhaozhou Congshen, seated with a dog beside him and the last scroll depicts two geeze. The foundation of the painting revolves around a…

The artwork "By the Sea" is a melancholic and romantic piece by the celebrated painter Vincenzo Cabianca. The painting made in oil on canvas depicts a dreamy scenery in rich and warm toned colours. Three women are seen in a relaxed position by the sea…

The painting depicts a woman of foreign origin worshipping the Sun with foliage all around her. Based on the clothing and the head ornament we can determine that the lady is European in descent. The practice of Sun worshipping and the incorporation of the Sun…

"The Garland" is a bold example of the traditional Bengal school of art. The minimal line work invokes a vague yet intimate feeling within the observer. The soft, winding foliage seen through the window offers tranquility and harmony and points at peace. The minimal props…