Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid

Prompt: In Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid, how is the abstract discussed?

Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid (Dutch: Schrijvende vrouw met dienstbode) is a painting by the Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer, completed in 1670–1671 and held in the National Gallery of Ireland, in Dublin, Ireland. The painting shows a standing woman seemingly acting as a messenger between the seated younger lady and her unseen lover.It was famously stolen on 27 April 1974 during a raid on Russborough House, Ireland, and again in 1986 by a gang led by the Dublin crime boss Martin Cahill, although in both cases it was recovered.

Category:Collection of the National Gallery of Ireland

Category:Genre paintings by Johannes Vermeer


Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid

Prompt: Focus on Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid and explain the Description.

The work shows a middle-class woman attended by a housemaid who is presumably acting as messenger and go-between for the lady and her lover. The work is seen as a bridge between the quiet restraint and self-containment of Vermeer's work of the 1660s and his relatively cooler work of the 1670s. It may have been partly inspired by Ter Borch's painting Woman Sealing a Letter. The painting's canvas was almost certainly cut from the same bolt used for Woman with a Lute.Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid is the first of the artist's experiments with centrifugal composition; where the focus is not only on the centre of the canvas. In addition, it is his third work in which the drama and dynamic are not centred on a single figure. The maid is shown standing in the mid-ground, behind her lady, with her hands crossed and waiting for the letter to be completed. The positions of their bodies indicate that the two women are disconnected. The folded arms of the maid seem outwardly as an attempt to display a sense of self-containment, however she is detached from her lady both emotionally and psychologically. The maid's gaze towards the half-visible window indicates an inner restlessness and boredom, as she waits impatiently for the messenger to carry her lady's letter away. Some art historians dispute the absoluteness of this view; according to Pascal Bonafoux, while complicity is not "indicated by a look or a smile" from either woman, the mere fact of her presence during such an intimate act as the composition of a love letter indicates at least a degree of intimacy between the two.The painting contains many of Vermeer's usual painterly motifs; in particular his obsession with the inside/outside axis of interior spaces, and through his depiction of the tiled floor and the verticals of the dresses, window frame and back wall painting, his interest in geometry and abstract forms, recalling his earlier View of Delft, The Lacemaker and The Art of Painting.

Category:Collection of the National Gallery of Ireland

Category:Genre paintings by Johannes Vermeer


Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid

Prompt: Explain the Description of this artwork, Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid.

The work shows a middle-class woman attended by a housemaid who is presumably acting as messenger and go-between for the lady and her lover. The work is seen as a bridge between the quiet restraint and self-containment of Vermeer's work of the 1660s and his relatively cooler work of the 1670s. It may have been partly inspired by Ter Borch's painting Woman Sealing a Letter. The painting's canvas was almost certainly cut from the same bolt used for Woman with a Lute.Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid is the first of the artist's experiments with centrifugal composition; where the focus is not only on the centre of the canvas. In addition, it is his third work in which the drama and dynamic are not centred on a single figure. The maid is shown standing in the mid-ground, behind her lady, with her hands crossed and waiting for the letter to be completed. The positions of their bodies indicate that the two women are disconnected. The folded arms of the maid seem outwardly as an attempt to display a sense of self-containment, however she is detached from her lady both emotionally and psychologically. The maid's gaze towards the half-visible window indicates an inner restlessness and boredom, as she waits impatiently for the messenger to carry her lady's letter away. Some art historians dispute the absoluteness of this view; according to Pascal Bonafoux, while complicity is not "indicated by a look or a smile" from either woman, the mere fact of her presence during such an intimate act as the composition of a love letter indicates at least a degree of intimacy between the two.The painting contains many of Vermeer's usual painterly motifs; in particular his obsession with the inside/outside axis of interior spaces, and through his depiction of the tiled floor and the verticals of the dresses, window frame and back wall painting, his interest in geometry and abstract forms, recalling his earlier View of Delft, The Lacemaker and The Art of Painting.

Category:Collection of the National Gallery of Ireland

Category:Genre paintings by Johannes Vermeer


Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid

Prompt: How does Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid explain its Description?

The work shows a middle-class woman attended by a housemaid who is presumably acting as messenger and go-between for the lady and her lover. The work is seen as a bridge between the quiet restraint and self-containment of Vermeer's work of the 1660s and his relatively cooler work of the 1670s. It may have been partly inspired by Ter Borch's painting Woman Sealing a Letter. The painting's canvas was almost certainly cut from the same bolt used for Woman with a Lute.Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid is the first of the artist's experiments with centrifugal composition; where the focus is not only on the centre of the canvas. In addition, it is his third work in which the drama and dynamic are not centred on a single figure. The maid is shown standing in the mid-ground, behind her lady, with her hands crossed and waiting for the letter to be completed. The positions of their bodies indicate that the two women are disconnected. The folded arms of the maid seem outwardly as an attempt to display a sense of self-containment, however she is detached from her lady both emotionally and psychologically. The maid's gaze towards the half-visible window indicates an inner restlessness and boredom, as she waits impatiently for the messenger to carry her lady's letter away. Some art historians dispute the absoluteness of this view; according to Pascal Bonafoux, while complicity is not "indicated by a look or a smile" from either woman, the mere fact of her presence during such an intimate act as the composition of a love letter indicates at least a degree of intimacy between the two.The painting contains many of Vermeer's usual painterly motifs; in particular his obsession with the inside/outside axis of interior spaces, and through his depiction of the tiled floor and the verticals of the dresses, window frame and back wall painting, his interest in geometry and abstract forms, recalling his earlier View of Delft, The Lacemaker and The Art of Painting.

Category:Collection of the National Gallery of Ireland

Category:Genre paintings by Johannes Vermeer


Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid

Prompt: In Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid, how is the Description discussed?

The work shows a middle-class woman attended by a housemaid who is presumably acting as messenger and go-between for the lady and her lover. The work is seen as a bridge between the quiet restraint and self-containment of Vermeer's work of the 1660s and his relatively cooler work of the 1670s. It may have been partly inspired by Ter Borch's painting Woman Sealing a Letter. The painting's canvas was almost certainly cut from the same bolt used for Woman with a Lute.Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid is the first of the artist's experiments with centrifugal composition; where the focus is not only on the centre of the canvas. In addition, it is his third work in which the drama and dynamic are not centred on a single figure. The maid is shown standing in the mid-ground, behind her lady, with her hands crossed and waiting for the letter to be completed. The positions of their bodies indicate that the two women are disconnected. The folded arms of the maid seem outwardly as an attempt to display a sense of self-containment, however she is detached from her lady both emotionally and psychologically. The maid's gaze towards the half-visible window indicates an inner restlessness and boredom, as she waits impatiently for the messenger to carry her lady's letter away. Some art historians dispute the absoluteness of this view; according to Pascal Bonafoux, while complicity is not "indicated by a look or a smile" from either woman, the mere fact of her presence during such an intimate act as the composition of a love letter indicates at least a degree of intimacy between the two.The painting contains many of Vermeer's usual painterly motifs; in particular his obsession with the inside/outside axis of interior spaces, and through his depiction of the tiled floor and the verticals of the dresses, window frame and back wall painting, his interest in geometry and abstract forms, recalling his earlier View of Delft, The Lacemaker and The Art of Painting.

Category:Collection of the National Gallery of Ireland

Category:Genre paintings by Johannes Vermeer


Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid

Prompt: Focus on Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid and explain the History.

Lady Writing was stolen on 27 April 1974, along with a Goya, two Gainsboroughs and three Rubens from the Russborough House home of Sir Alfred Beit by armed members of the IRA. Led by the British heiress Rose Dugdale, the thieves used screwdrivers to cut the paintings from their frames. However, the Vermeer and other works were recovered eight days later at a cottage in County Cork.It was again taken in 1986 by a gang led by the Dublin gangster Martin Cahill. Along with a number of other artworks, Cahill held the painting for a ransom of IR£20 million. However, the money was not paid, and Cahill lacked contacts or knowledge to otherwise pass it on to international art thieves. According to a RTÉ report, Cahill's taste in art extended only to "cheery scenes like the cheap print in his living room of swans on a river, but he believed the stolen masterpieces would bring him a fortune." The painting was eventually recovered during an August 1993 exchange at Antwerp airport which turned out to be a sting operation organised by the Irish police. It had already been donated in absentia to the National Gallery in Dublin.

Category:Collection of the National Gallery of Ireland

Category:Genre paintings by Johannes Vermeer


Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid

Prompt: Explain the History of this artwork, Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid.

Lady Writing was stolen on 27 April 1974, along with a Goya, two Gainsboroughs and three Rubens from the Russborough House home of Sir Alfred Beit by armed members of the IRA. Led by the British heiress Rose Dugdale, the thieves used screwdrivers to cut the paintings from their frames. However, the Vermeer and other works were recovered eight days later at a cottage in County Cork.It was again taken in 1986 by a gang led by the Dublin gangster Martin Cahill. Along with a number of other artworks, Cahill held the painting for a ransom of IR£20 million. However, the money was not paid, and Cahill lacked contacts or knowledge to otherwise pass it on to international art thieves. According to a RTÉ report, Cahill's taste in art extended only to "cheery scenes like the cheap print in his living room of swans on a river, but he believed the stolen masterpieces would bring him a fortune." The painting was eventually recovered during an August 1993 exchange at Antwerp airport which turned out to be a sting operation organised by the Irish police. It had already been donated in absentia to the National Gallery in Dublin.

Category:Collection of the National Gallery of Ireland

Category:Genre paintings by Johannes Vermeer


Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid

Prompt: How does Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid explain its History?

Lady Writing was stolen on 27 April 1974, along with a Goya, two Gainsboroughs and three Rubens from the Russborough House home of Sir Alfred Beit by armed members of the IRA. Led by the British heiress Rose Dugdale, the thieves used screwdrivers to cut the paintings from their frames. However, the Vermeer and other works were recovered eight days later at a cottage in County Cork.It was again taken in 1986 by a gang led by the Dublin gangster Martin Cahill. Along with a number of other artworks, Cahill held the painting for a ransom of IR£20 million. However, the money was not paid, and Cahill lacked contacts or knowledge to otherwise pass it on to international art thieves. According to a RTÉ report, Cahill's taste in art extended only to "cheery scenes like the cheap print in his living room of swans on a river, but he believed the stolen masterpieces would bring him a fortune." The painting was eventually recovered during an August 1993 exchange at Antwerp airport which turned out to be a sting operation organised by the Irish police. It had already been donated in absentia to the National Gallery in Dublin.

Category:Collection of the National Gallery of Ireland

Category:Genre paintings by Johannes Vermeer


Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid

Prompt: In Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid, how is the History discussed?

Lady Writing was stolen on 27 April 1974, along with a Goya, two Gainsboroughs and three Rubens from the Russborough House home of Sir Alfred Beit by armed members of the IRA. Led by the British heiress Rose Dugdale, the thieves used screwdrivers to cut the paintings from their frames. However, the Vermeer and other works were recovered eight days later at a cottage in County Cork.It was again taken in 1986 by a gang led by the Dublin gangster Martin Cahill. Along with a number of other artworks, Cahill held the painting for a ransom of IR£20 million. However, the money was not paid, and Cahill lacked contacts or knowledge to otherwise pass it on to international art thieves. According to a RTÉ report, Cahill's taste in art extended only to "cheery scenes like the cheap print in his living room of swans on a river, but he believed the stolen masterpieces would bring him a fortune." The painting was eventually recovered during an August 1993 exchange at Antwerp airport which turned out to be a sting operation organised by the Irish police. It had already been donated in absentia to the National Gallery in Dublin.

Category:Collection of the National Gallery of Ireland

Category:Genre paintings by Johannes Vermeer


Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary

Prompt: Focus on Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary and explain the abstract.

Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary, also known as Lo Spasimo or Il Spasimo di Sicilia, is a painting by the Italian High Renaissance painter Raphael, of c. 1514–16, now in the Museo del Prado in Madrid.  It is an important work for the development of his style.

Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando

Category:Paintings of Christ carrying the cross

Category:Paintings by Raphael in the Museo del Prado

Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects


Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary

Prompt: Explain the abstract of this artwork, Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary.

Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary, also known as Lo Spasimo or Il Spasimo di Sicilia, is a painting by the Italian High Renaissance painter Raphael, of c. 1514–16, now in the Museo del Prado in Madrid.  It is an important work for the development of his style.

Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando

Category:Paintings of Christ carrying the cross

Category:Paintings by Raphael in the Museo del Prado

Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects


Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary

Prompt: How does Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary explain its abstract?

Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary, also known as Lo Spasimo or Il Spasimo di Sicilia, is a painting by the Italian High Renaissance painter Raphael, of c. 1514–16, now in the Museo del Prado in Madrid.  It is an important work for the development of his style.

Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando

Category:Paintings of Christ carrying the cross

Category:Paintings by Raphael in the Museo del Prado

Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects


Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary

Prompt: In Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary, how is the abstract discussed?

Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary, also known as Lo Spasimo or Il Spasimo di Sicilia, is a painting by the Italian High Renaissance painter Raphael, of c. 1514–16, now in the Museo del Prado in Madrid.  It is an important work for the development of his style.

Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando

Category:Paintings of Christ carrying the cross

Category:Paintings by Raphael in the Museo del Prado

Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects


Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary

Prompt: Focus on Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary and explain the Description.

It shows the common subject of Christ Carrying the Cross to his crucifixion, at the moment when he fell and his mother suffers a spasm of agony, the Swoon of the Virgin, or "Lo Spasimo". All the emotion of the painting is densely crammed into the foreground and the background is similar to that of a stage set with distant groups of people and crosses. The man on the left in the foreground is similar to a figure in Raphael's painting The Judgement of Solomon in the Raphael Rooms in the Vatican Palace, except reversed. Simon of Cyrene lifts Christ's cross momentarily and looks sternly at the guards. The four Marys are depicted on the right side of the painting and towering on either side of the composition are the guards. The concept of, and devotion to, the "spasm" of the Virgin was fashionable, if somewhat controversial, in early-16th-century Catholicism, although in this work the Virgin has only fallen to her knees, not collapsed or fainted, as is often shown.

Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando

Category:Paintings of Christ carrying the cross

Category:Paintings by Raphael in the Museo del Prado

Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects


Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary

Prompt: Explain the Description of this artwork, Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary.

It shows the common subject of Christ Carrying the Cross to his crucifixion, at the moment when he fell and his mother suffers a spasm of agony, the Swoon of the Virgin, or "Lo Spasimo". All the emotion of the painting is densely crammed into the foreground and the background is similar to that of a stage set with distant groups of people and crosses. The man on the left in the foreground is similar to a figure in Raphael's painting The Judgement of Solomon in the Raphael Rooms in the Vatican Palace, except reversed. Simon of Cyrene lifts Christ's cross momentarily and looks sternly at the guards. The four Marys are depicted on the right side of the painting and towering on either side of the composition are the guards. The concept of, and devotion to, the "spasm" of the Virgin was fashionable, if somewhat controversial, in early-16th-century Catholicism, although in this work the Virgin has only fallen to her knees, not collapsed or fainted, as is often shown.

Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando

Category:Paintings of Christ carrying the cross

Category:Paintings by Raphael in the Museo del Prado

Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects


Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary

Prompt: How does Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary explain its Description?

It shows the common subject of Christ Carrying the Cross to his crucifixion, at the moment when he fell and his mother suffers a spasm of agony, the Swoon of the Virgin, or "Lo Spasimo". All the emotion of the painting is densely crammed into the foreground and the background is similar to that of a stage set with distant groups of people and crosses. The man on the left in the foreground is similar to a figure in Raphael's painting The Judgement of Solomon in the Raphael Rooms in the Vatican Palace, except reversed. Simon of Cyrene lifts Christ's cross momentarily and looks sternly at the guards. The four Marys are depicted on the right side of the painting and towering on either side of the composition are the guards. The concept of, and devotion to, the "spasm" of the Virgin was fashionable, if somewhat controversial, in early-16th-century Catholicism, although in this work the Virgin has only fallen to her knees, not collapsed or fainted, as is often shown.

Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando

Category:Paintings of Christ carrying the cross

Category:Paintings by Raphael in the Museo del Prado

Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects


Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary

Prompt: In Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary, how is the Description discussed?

It shows the common subject of Christ Carrying the Cross to his crucifixion, at the moment when he fell and his mother suffers a spasm of agony, the Swoon of the Virgin, or "Lo Spasimo". All the emotion of the painting is densely crammed into the foreground and the background is similar to that of a stage set with distant groups of people and crosses. The man on the left in the foreground is similar to a figure in Raphael's painting The Judgement of Solomon in the Raphael Rooms in the Vatican Palace, except reversed. Simon of Cyrene lifts Christ's cross momentarily and looks sternly at the guards. The four Marys are depicted on the right side of the painting and towering on either side of the composition are the guards. The concept of, and devotion to, the "spasm" of the Virgin was fashionable, if somewhat controversial, in early-16th-century Catholicism, although in this work the Virgin has only fallen to her knees, not collapsed or fainted, as is often shown.

Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando

Category:Paintings of Christ carrying the cross

Category:Paintings by Raphael in the Museo del Prado

Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects


Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary

Prompt: Focus on Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary and explain the History.

The panel was commissioned by the Sicilian monastery of Santa Maria dello Spasimo in Palermo. Painted in Rome around 1517, it was shipped by sea, but the ship had a troubled journey and finally sank. This episode was narrated by Vasari:  ...As it was being borne by sea to Palermo, a great tempest cast the ship upon a rock, and it was broken to pieces, and the crew lost, and all the cargo, except this picture, which was carried in its case by the sea to Genoa. Here being drawn to shore, it was seen to be a thing divine, and was taken care of, being found uninjured, even the winds and waves in their fury respecting the beauty of such a work.As the news of this was spread abroad, the Sicilian monks sought to regain the miraculous painting, but they had to ask for the Pope's intercession to retrieve it. It was carried safely to Sicily, and placed in Palermo, where it acquired great fame.In 1661 the painting was acquired by the Spanish Viceroy Ferrando de Fonseca on behalf of King Philip IV, who wanted it placed on the main altarpiece of the Royal Alcazar of Madrid chapel. Then it stayed in Paris from 1813 to 1822, because it was one of the paintings Napoleon took as booty during his war campaigns, and while there the painting was transferred to canvas, a practice much adopted in France during those times. After Paris, the picture (unlike many) was returned and finally re-integrated into the Spanish royal collection, later transferred to the Prado. Its present condition is not very good, mainly due to its change of support. However, its quality is clearer since cleaning and restoration in 2012.In the past its status as a work by the hand of Raphael has been disputed, but it is now generally accepted as not merely designed but in large part painted by Raphael himself, no doubt with the usual workshop assistance for the easier areas.Perhaps by royal commission, in 1674, Juan Carreño de Miranda executed a splendid copy of Raphael's original, which was displayed to the public on the main altar of the Convent of Santa Ana of barefoot Carmelites in Madrid. Carreño, renouncing his own style, much looser and more fluffy, faithfully follows the color, the finished invoice and the precise drawing of the original. It belongs and is at display at The Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid.

Category:Paintings of Christ carrying the cross

Category:Paintings by Raphael in the Museo del Prado

Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects


Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary

Prompt: Explain the History of this artwork, Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary.

The panel was commissioned by the Sicilian monastery of Santa Maria dello Spasimo in Palermo. Painted in Rome around 1517, it was shipped by sea, but the ship had a troubled journey and finally sank. This episode was narrated by Vasari:  ...As it was being borne by sea to Palermo, a great tempest cast the ship upon a rock, and it was broken to pieces, and the crew lost, and all the cargo, except this picture, which was carried in its case by the sea to Genoa. Here being drawn to shore, it was seen to be a thing divine, and was taken care of, being found uninjured, even the winds and waves in their fury respecting the beauty of such a work.As the news of this was spread abroad, the Sicilian monks sought to regain the miraculous painting, but they had to ask for the Pope's intercession to retrieve it. It was carried safely to Sicily, and placed in Palermo, where it acquired great fame.In 1661 the painting was acquired by the Spanish Viceroy Ferrando de Fonseca on behalf of King Philip IV, who wanted it placed on the main altarpiece of the Royal Alcazar of Madrid chapel. Then it stayed in Paris from 1813 to 1822, because it was one of the paintings Napoleon took as booty during his war campaigns, and while there the painting was transferred to canvas, a practice much adopted in France during those times. After Paris, the picture (unlike many) was returned and finally re-integrated into the Spanish royal collection, later transferred to the Prado. Its present condition is not very good, mainly due to its change of support. However, its quality is clearer since cleaning and restoration in 2012.In the past its status as a work by the hand of Raphael has been disputed, but it is now generally accepted as not merely designed but in large part painted by Raphael himself, no doubt with the usual workshop assistance for the easier areas.Perhaps by royal commission, in 1674, Juan Carreño de Miranda executed a splendid copy of Raphael's original, which was displayed to the public on the main altar of the Convent of Santa Ana of barefoot Carmelites in Madrid. Carreño, renouncing his own style, much looser and more fluffy, faithfully follows the color, the finished invoice and the precise drawing of the original. It belongs and is at display at The Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid.

Category:Paintings of Christ carrying the cross

Category:Paintings by Raphael in the Museo del Prado

Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects


Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary

Prompt: How does Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary explain its History?

The panel was commissioned by the Sicilian monastery of Santa Maria dello Spasimo in Palermo. Painted in Rome around 1517, it was shipped by sea, but the ship had a troubled journey and finally sank. This episode was narrated by Vasari:  ...As it was being borne by sea to Palermo, a great tempest cast the ship upon a rock, and it was broken to pieces, and the crew lost, and all the cargo, except this picture, which was carried in its case by the sea to Genoa. Here being drawn to shore, it was seen to be a thing divine, and was taken care of, being found uninjured, even the winds and waves in their fury respecting the beauty of such a work.As the news of this was spread abroad, the Sicilian monks sought to regain the miraculous painting, but they had to ask for the Pope's intercession to retrieve it. It was carried safely to Sicily, and placed in Palermo, where it acquired great fame.In 1661 the painting was acquired by the Spanish Viceroy Ferrando de Fonseca on behalf of King Philip IV, who wanted it placed on the main altarpiece of the Royal Alcazar of Madrid chapel. Then it stayed in Paris from 1813 to 1822, because it was one of the paintings Napoleon took as booty during his war campaigns, and while there the painting was transferred to canvas, a practice much adopted in France during those times. After Paris, the picture (unlike many) was returned and finally re-integrated into the Spanish royal collection, later transferred to the Prado. Its present condition is not very good, mainly due to its change of support. However, its quality is clearer since cleaning and restoration in 2012.In the past its status as a work by the hand of Raphael has been disputed, but it is now generally accepted as not merely designed but in large part painted by Raphael himself, no doubt with the usual workshop assistance for the easier areas.Perhaps by royal commission, in 1674, Juan Carreño de Miranda executed a splendid copy of Raphael's original, which was displayed to the public on the main altar of the Convent of Santa Ana of barefoot Carmelites in Madrid. Carreño, renouncing his own style, much looser and more fluffy, faithfully follows the color, the finished invoice and the precise drawing of the original. It belongs and is at display at The Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid.

Category:Paintings of Christ carrying the cross

Category:Paintings by Raphael in the Museo del Prado

Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects


Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary

Prompt: In Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary, how is the History discussed?

The panel was commissioned by the Sicilian monastery of Santa Maria dello Spasimo in Palermo. Painted in Rome around 1517, it was shipped by sea, but the ship had a troubled journey and finally sank. This episode was narrated by Vasari:  ...As it was being borne by sea to Palermo, a great tempest cast the ship upon a rock, and it was broken to pieces, and the crew lost, and all the cargo, except this picture, which was carried in its case by the sea to Genoa. Here being drawn to shore, it was seen to be a thing divine, and was taken care of, being found uninjured, even the winds and waves in their fury respecting the beauty of such a work.As the news of this was spread abroad, the Sicilian monks sought to regain the miraculous painting, but they had to ask for the Pope's intercession to retrieve it. It was carried safely to Sicily, and placed in Palermo, where it acquired great fame.In 1661 the painting was acquired by the Spanish Viceroy Ferrando de Fonseca on behalf of King Philip IV, who wanted it placed on the main altarpiece of the Royal Alcazar of Madrid chapel. Then it stayed in Paris from 1813 to 1822, because it was one of the paintings Napoleon took as booty during his war campaigns, and while there the painting was transferred to canvas, a practice much adopted in France during those times. After Paris, the picture (unlike many) was returned and finally re-integrated into the Spanish royal collection, later transferred to the Prado. Its present condition is not very good, mainly due to its change of support. However, its quality is clearer since cleaning and restoration in 2012.In the past its status as a work by the hand of Raphael has been disputed, but it is now generally accepted as not merely designed but in large part painted by Raphael himself, no doubt with the usual workshop assistance for the easier areas.Perhaps by royal commission, in 1674, Juan Carreño de Miranda executed a splendid copy of Raphael's original, which was displayed to the public on the main altar of the Convent of Santa Ana of barefoot Carmelites in Madrid. Carreño, renouncing his own style, much looser and more fluffy, faithfully follows the color, the finished invoice and the precise drawing of the original. It belongs and is at display at The Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid.

Category:Paintings of Christ carrying the cross

Category:Paintings by Raphael in the Museo del Prado

Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects


Portrait of Madame Moitessier

Prompt: Focus on Portrait of Madame Moitessier and explain the abstract.

Madame Moitessier is a portrait of Marie-Clotilde-Inès Moitessier (née de Foucauld) begun in 1844 and completed in 1856 by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. The portrait, which depicts Madame Moitessier seated, is now in the collection of the National Gallery in London, which acquired it in 1936.Madame Moitessier is also the title of a second portrait by Ingres, which depicts her standing; it was painted in 1851 and is now in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

List of paintings by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

Category:Paintings in the National Gallery, London

Category:Portraits by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

1851 standing portrait ([[National Gallery of Art


Portrait of Madame Moitessier

Prompt: Explain the abstract of this artwork, Portrait of Madame Moitessier.

Madame Moitessier is a portrait of Marie-Clotilde-Inès Moitessier (née de Foucauld) begun in 1844 and completed in 1856 by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. The portrait, which depicts Madame Moitessier seated, is now in the collection of the National Gallery in London, which acquired it in 1936.Madame Moitessier is also the title of a second portrait by Ingres, which depicts her standing; it was painted in 1851 and is now in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

List of paintings by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

Category:Paintings in the National Gallery, London

Category:Portraits by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

1851 standing portrait ([[National Gallery of Art


Portrait of Madame Moitessier

Prompt: How does Portrait of Madame Moitessier explain its abstract?

Madame Moitessier is a portrait of Marie-Clotilde-Inès Moitessier (née de Foucauld) begun in 1844 and completed in 1856 by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. The portrait, which depicts Madame Moitessier seated, is now in the collection of the National Gallery in London, which acquired it in 1936.Madame Moitessier is also the title of a second portrait by Ingres, which depicts her standing; it was painted in 1851 and is now in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

List of paintings by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

Category:Paintings in the National Gallery, London

Category:Portraits by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

1851 standing portrait ([[National Gallery of Art


Portrait of Madame Moitessier

Prompt: In Portrait of Madame Moitessier, how is the abstract discussed?

Madame Moitessier is a portrait of Marie-Clotilde-Inès Moitessier (née de Foucauld) begun in 1844 and completed in 1856 by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. The portrait, which depicts Madame Moitessier seated, is now in the collection of the National Gallery in London, which acquired it in 1936.Madame Moitessier is also the title of a second portrait by Ingres, which depicts her standing; it was painted in 1851 and is now in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

List of paintings by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

Category:Paintings in the National Gallery, London

Category:Portraits by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

1851 standing portrait ([[National Gallery of Art


Portrait of Madame Moitessier

Prompt: Focus on Portrait of Madame Moitessier and explain the Subject.

Marie-Clotilde-Inès de Foucauld (1821–1897) was the daughter of a French civil servant in the department of forests and waterways. In 1842 she married a widower twice her age, the rich banker and lace merchant Sigisbert Moitessier, thus becoming Madame Moitessier. In 1844 Ingres was approached by his longtime friend and former painting subject Charles Marcotte, who was one of Sigisbert Moitessier's colleagues, with the idea of painting Madame Moitessier's portrait.Reluctant at this stage in his career to accept portrait commissions—he considered portraiture to be a lower form of art than history painting—he initially refused Marcotte's request. However, when Ingres met Madame Moitessier, he was struck by her beauty and agreed to produce a portrait. Art critic Théophile Gautier, who watched during some of the painting sessions, agreed with Ingres, describing her beauty as the most regal, magnificent, stately and Junoesque that he had ever seen drawn.

List of paintings by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

Category:Paintings in the National Gallery, London

Category:Portraits by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

1851 standing portrait ([[National Gallery of Art


Portrait of Madame Moitessier

Prompt: Explain the Subject of this artwork, Portrait of Madame Moitessier.

Marie-Clotilde-Inès de Foucauld (1821–1897) was the daughter of a French civil servant in the department of forests and waterways. In 1842 she married a widower twice her age, the rich banker and lace merchant Sigisbert Moitessier, thus becoming Madame Moitessier. In 1844 Ingres was approached by his longtime friend and former painting subject Charles Marcotte, who was one of Sigisbert Moitessier's colleagues, with the idea of painting Madame Moitessier's portrait.Reluctant at this stage in his career to accept portrait commissions—he considered portraiture to be a lower form of art than history painting—he initially refused Marcotte's request. However, when Ingres met Madame Moitessier, he was struck by her beauty and agreed to produce a portrait. Art critic Théophile Gautier, who watched during some of the painting sessions, agreed with Ingres, describing her beauty as the most regal, magnificent, stately and Junoesque that he had ever seen drawn.

List of paintings by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

Category:Paintings in the National Gallery, London

Category:Portraits by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

1851 standing portrait ([[National Gallery of Art


Portrait of Madame Moitessier

Prompt: How does Portrait of Madame Moitessier explain its Subject?

Marie-Clotilde-Inès de Foucauld (1821–1897) was the daughter of a French civil servant in the department of forests and waterways. In 1842 she married a widower twice her age, the rich banker and lace merchant Sigisbert Moitessier, thus becoming Madame Moitessier. In 1844 Ingres was approached by his longtime friend and former painting subject Charles Marcotte, who was one of Sigisbert Moitessier's colleagues, with the idea of painting Madame Moitessier's portrait.Reluctant at this stage in his career to accept portrait commissions—he considered portraiture to be a lower form of art than history painting—he initially refused Marcotte's request. However, when Ingres met Madame Moitessier, he was struck by her beauty and agreed to produce a portrait. Art critic Théophile Gautier, who watched during some of the painting sessions, agreed with Ingres, describing her beauty as the most regal, magnificent, stately and Junoesque that he had ever seen drawn.

List of paintings by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

Category:Paintings in the National Gallery, London

Category:Portraits by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

1851 standing portrait ([[National Gallery of Art


Portrait of Madame Moitessier

Prompt: In Portrait of Madame Moitessier, how is the Subject discussed?

Marie-Clotilde-Inès de Foucauld (1821–1897) was the daughter of a French civil servant in the department of forests and waterways. In 1842 she married a widower twice her age, the rich banker and lace merchant Sigisbert Moitessier, thus becoming Madame Moitessier. In 1844 Ingres was approached by his longtime friend and former painting subject Charles Marcotte, who was one of Sigisbert Moitessier's colleagues, with the idea of painting Madame Moitessier's portrait.Reluctant at this stage in his career to accept portrait commissions—he considered portraiture to be a lower form of art than history painting—he initially refused Marcotte's request. However, when Ingres met Madame Moitessier, he was struck by her beauty and agreed to produce a portrait. Art critic Théophile Gautier, who watched during some of the painting sessions, agreed with Ingres, describing her beauty as the most regal, magnificent, stately and Junoesque that he had ever seen drawn.

List of paintings by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

Category:Paintings in the National Gallery, London

Category:Portraits by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

1851 standing portrait ([[National Gallery of Art


Portrait of Madame Moitessier

Prompt: Focus on Portrait of Madame Moitessier and explain the Two portraits.

He began work on the seated version, depicting the subject in a floral dress. Work on the commission proceeded slowly.  The painting was originally to include the Moitessiers' daughter, Catherine; Ingres, finding little Catherine "impossible", eliminated her from the composition sometime around 1847. Work on the painting was suspended in 1849, when the death in June of Ingres' wife left him unable to work for several months, and Madame Moitessier was distracted by her second pregnancy and the death of her father. In June 1851, having been reminded by the woman he called "la belle et bonne" ("the beautiful and good") that her portrait had still not been completed, Ingres began afresh, painting the standing portrait of her in a dark dress, which he finished in December 1851. He then returned to the seated portrait, which he completed in 1856, twelve years after he started it.Characteristically, Ingres found inspiration in the art of the past when painting Madame Moitessier. The pose with a hand touching the cheek was taken from a fresco of Hercules and Telephus from Herculaneum that he may have seen in Naples in 1814, and which was familiar to him through engravings.  According to the National Gallery, Titian's La Schiavona, also in the gallery, may have inspired the second profile view in the mirror.  She is wearing a dress of fashionable and expensive Lyon silk printed with a floral pattern, which is echoed by the flowers and leaves of the gilt frame. A similar frame was used for Ingres's 1853 portrait  of The Princesse de Broglie.Numerous drawn studies for both portraits exist. A study on canvas for the seated portrait, in which the figure has been drawn by Ingres and the background painted by an assistant, is in the Musée Ingres in Montauban.

List of paintings by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

Category:Paintings in the National Gallery, London

Category:Portraits by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

1851 standing portrait ([[National Gallery of Art


Portrait of Madame Moitessier

Prompt: Explain the Two portraits of this artwork, Portrait of Madame Moitessier.

He began work on the seated version, depicting the subject in a floral dress. Work on the commission proceeded slowly.  The painting was originally to include the Moitessiers' daughter, Catherine; Ingres, finding little Catherine "impossible", eliminated her from the composition sometime around 1847. Work on the painting was suspended in 1849, when the death in June of Ingres' wife left him unable to work for several months, and Madame Moitessier was distracted by her second pregnancy and the death of her father. In June 1851, having been reminded by the woman he called "la belle et bonne" ("the beautiful and good") that her portrait had still not been completed, Ingres began afresh, painting the standing portrait of her in a dark dress, which he finished in December 1851. He then returned to the seated portrait, which he completed in 1856, twelve years after he started it.Characteristically, Ingres found inspiration in the art of the past when painting Madame Moitessier. The pose with a hand touching the cheek was taken from a fresco of Hercules and Telephus from Herculaneum that he may have seen in Naples in 1814, and which was familiar to him through engravings.  According to the National Gallery, Titian's La Schiavona, also in the gallery, may have inspired the second profile view in the mirror.  She is wearing a dress of fashionable and expensive Lyon silk printed with a floral pattern, which is echoed by the flowers and leaves of the gilt frame. A similar frame was used for Ingres's 1853 portrait  of The Princesse de Broglie.Numerous drawn studies for both portraits exist. A study on canvas for the seated portrait, in which the figure has been drawn by Ingres and the background painted by an assistant, is in the Musée Ingres in Montauban.

List of paintings by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

Category:Paintings in the National Gallery, London

Category:Portraits by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

1851 standing portrait ([[National Gallery of Art


Portrait of Madame Moitessier

Prompt: How does Portrait of Madame Moitessier explain its Two portraits?

He began work on the seated version, depicting the subject in a floral dress. Work on the commission proceeded slowly.  The painting was originally to include the Moitessiers' daughter, Catherine; Ingres, finding little Catherine "impossible", eliminated her from the composition sometime around 1847. Work on the painting was suspended in 1849, when the death in June of Ingres' wife left him unable to work for several months, and Madame Moitessier was distracted by her second pregnancy and the death of her father. In June 1851, having been reminded by the woman he called "la belle et bonne" ("the beautiful and good") that her portrait had still not been completed, Ingres began afresh, painting the standing portrait of her in a dark dress, which he finished in December 1851. He then returned to the seated portrait, which he completed in 1856, twelve years after he started it.Characteristically, Ingres found inspiration in the art of the past when painting Madame Moitessier. The pose with a hand touching the cheek was taken from a fresco of Hercules and Telephus from Herculaneum that he may have seen in Naples in 1814, and which was familiar to him through engravings.  According to the National Gallery, Titian's La Schiavona, also in the gallery, may have inspired the second profile view in the mirror.  She is wearing a dress of fashionable and expensive Lyon silk printed with a floral pattern, which is echoed by the flowers and leaves of the gilt frame. A similar frame was used for Ingres's 1853 portrait  of The Princesse de Broglie.Numerous drawn studies for both portraits exist. A study on canvas for the seated portrait, in which the figure has been drawn by Ingres and the background painted by an assistant, is in the Musée Ingres in Montauban.

List of paintings by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

Category:Paintings in the National Gallery, London

Category:Portraits by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

1851 standing portrait ([[National Gallery of Art


Portrait of Madame Moitessier

Prompt: In Portrait of Madame Moitessier, how is the Two portraits discussed?

He began work on the seated version, depicting the subject in a floral dress. Work on the commission proceeded slowly.  The painting was originally to include the Moitessiers' daughter, Catherine; Ingres, finding little Catherine "impossible", eliminated her from the composition sometime around 1847. Work on the painting was suspended in 1849, when the death in June of Ingres' wife left him unable to work for several months, and Madame Moitessier was distracted by her second pregnancy and the death of her father. In June 1851, having been reminded by the woman he called "la belle et bonne" ("the beautiful and good") that her portrait had still not been completed, Ingres began afresh, painting the standing portrait of her in a dark dress, which he finished in December 1851. He then returned to the seated portrait, which he completed in 1856, twelve years after he started it.Characteristically, Ingres found inspiration in the art of the past when painting Madame Moitessier. The pose with a hand touching the cheek was taken from a fresco of Hercules and Telephus from Herculaneum that he may have seen in Naples in 1814, and which was familiar to him through engravings.  According to the National Gallery, Titian's La Schiavona, also in the gallery, may have inspired the second profile view in the mirror.  She is wearing a dress of fashionable and expensive Lyon silk printed with a floral pattern, which is echoed by the flowers and leaves of the gilt frame. A similar frame was used for Ingres's 1853 portrait  of The Princesse de Broglie.Numerous drawn studies for both portraits exist. A study on canvas for the seated portrait, in which the figure has been drawn by Ingres and the background painted by an assistant, is in the Musée Ingres in Montauban.

List of paintings by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

Category:Paintings in the National Gallery, London

Category:Portraits by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

1851 standing portrait ([[National Gallery of Art


Portrait of Madame Moitessier

Prompt: Focus on Portrait of Madame Moitessier and explain the Legacy.

Pablo Picasso first encountered the painting at an exhibition in Paris, in 1921. Over the next decade, he repeatedly referenced Ingres in his art, particularly in his homage in the painting Woman with a Book. The model for Woman with a Book, Picasso's then young mistress, Marie-Thérèse Walter, mimics Madame Moitessier’s pose. The painting was completed in August 1932. The painting is currently held by the Norton Simon Museum, in Pasadena, California, United States.The two paintings were exhibited together for the first time at a temporary exhibition organised in partnership with the Norton Simon Museum, held at the National Gallery in London, United Kingdom in 2022.

List of paintings by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

Category:Paintings in the National Gallery, London

Category:Portraits by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

1851 standing portrait ([[National Gallery of Art


Portrait of Madame Moitessier

Prompt: Explain the Legacy of this artwork, Portrait of Madame Moitessier.

Pablo Picasso first encountered the painting at an exhibition in Paris, in 1921. Over the next decade, he repeatedly referenced Ingres in his art, particularly in his homage in the painting Woman with a Book. The model for Woman with a Book, Picasso's then young mistress, Marie-Thérèse Walter, mimics Madame Moitessier’s pose. The painting was completed in August 1932. The painting is currently held by the Norton Simon Museum, in Pasadena, California, United States.The two paintings were exhibited together for the first time at a temporary exhibition organised in partnership with the Norton Simon Museum, held at the National Gallery in London, United Kingdom in 2022.

List of paintings by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

Category:Paintings in the National Gallery, London

Category:Portraits by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

1851 standing portrait ([[National Gallery of Art


Portrait of Madame Moitessier

Prompt: How does Portrait of Madame Moitessier explain its Legacy?

Pablo Picasso first encountered the painting at an exhibition in Paris, in 1921. Over the next decade, he repeatedly referenced Ingres in his art, particularly in his homage in the painting Woman with a Book. The model for Woman with a Book, Picasso's then young mistress, Marie-Thérèse Walter, mimics Madame Moitessier’s pose. The painting was completed in August 1932. The painting is currently held by the Norton Simon Museum, in Pasadena, California, United States.The two paintings were exhibited together for the first time at a temporary exhibition organised in partnership with the Norton Simon Museum, held at the National Gallery in London, United Kingdom in 2022.

List of paintings by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

Category:Paintings in the National Gallery, London

Category:Portraits by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

1851 standing portrait ([[National Gallery of Art


Portrait of Madame Moitessier

Prompt: In Portrait of Madame Moitessier, how is the Legacy discussed?

Pablo Picasso first encountered the painting at an exhibition in Paris, in 1921. Over the next decade, he repeatedly referenced Ingres in his art, particularly in his homage in the painting Woman with a Book. The model for Woman with a Book, Picasso's then young mistress, Marie-Thérèse Walter, mimics Madame Moitessier’s pose. The painting was completed in August 1932. The painting is currently held by the Norton Simon Museum, in Pasadena, California, United States.The two paintings were exhibited together for the first time at a temporary exhibition organised in partnership with the Norton Simon Museum, held at the National Gallery in London, United Kingdom in 2022.

List of paintings by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

Category:Paintings in the National Gallery, London

Category:Portraits by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

1851 standing portrait ([[National Gallery of Art


Midvinterblot

Prompt: Focus on Midvinterblot and explain the abstract.

Midvinterblot (Swedish for "Midwinter sacrifice") is a painting by the Swedish painter Carl Larsson, created in 1915 for the hall of the central staircase in Nationalmuseum in Stockholm. It has been called Sweden's most controversial painting.The painting depicts a legend from Norse mythology in which the Swedish king Domalde is sacrificed to avert famine. After long debate, the painting was rejected by the museum; but the controversy resurfaced in the late 20th century, and the painting finally was placed where Carl Larsson had intended.

Image:Midvinterblot, first sketch (1910).jpg

In 1997, the painting was finally installed in the place for which it was made (picture taken in 2008).

Image:Midvinterblot, second sketch (1913), nr 237.jpg

Category:Paintings in the Nationalmuseum Stockholm

The painting ''[[Gustav Vasas intåg i Stockholm 1523

Image:Larsson GustavVasas intåg 2012.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, third sketch (1913), nr 238.jpg

Image:Studie för kung Domalde (1914), nr 240.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, fourth sketch (1915), nr 239.jpg


Midvinterblot

Prompt: Explain the abstract of this artwork, Midvinterblot.

Midvinterblot (Swedish for "Midwinter sacrifice") is a painting by the Swedish painter Carl Larsson, created in 1915 for the hall of the central staircase in Nationalmuseum in Stockholm. It has been called Sweden's most controversial painting.The painting depicts a legend from Norse mythology in which the Swedish king Domalde is sacrificed to avert famine. After long debate, the painting was rejected by the museum; but the controversy resurfaced in the late 20th century, and the painting finally was placed where Carl Larsson had intended.

Image:Midvinterblot, first sketch (1910).jpg

In 1997, the painting was finally installed in the place for which it was made (picture taken in 2008).

Image:Midvinterblot, second sketch (1913), nr 237.jpg

Category:Paintings in the Nationalmuseum Stockholm

The painting ''[[Gustav Vasas intåg i Stockholm 1523

Image:Larsson GustavVasas intåg 2012.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, third sketch (1913), nr 238.jpg

Image:Studie för kung Domalde (1914), nr 240.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, fourth sketch (1915), nr 239.jpg


Midvinterblot

Prompt: How does Midvinterblot explain its abstract?

Midvinterblot (Swedish for "Midwinter sacrifice") is a painting by the Swedish painter Carl Larsson, created in 1915 for the hall of the central staircase in Nationalmuseum in Stockholm. It has been called Sweden's most controversial painting.The painting depicts a legend from Norse mythology in which the Swedish king Domalde is sacrificed to avert famine. After long debate, the painting was rejected by the museum; but the controversy resurfaced in the late 20th century, and the painting finally was placed where Carl Larsson had intended.

Image:Midvinterblot, first sketch (1910).jpg

In 1997, the painting was finally installed in the place for which it was made (picture taken in 2008).

Image:Midvinterblot, second sketch (1913), nr 237.jpg

Category:Paintings in the Nationalmuseum Stockholm

The painting ''[[Gustav Vasas intåg i Stockholm 1523

Image:Larsson GustavVasas intåg 2012.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, third sketch (1913), nr 238.jpg

Image:Studie för kung Domalde (1914), nr 240.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, fourth sketch (1915), nr 239.jpg


Midvinterblot

Prompt: In Midvinterblot, how is the abstract discussed?

Midvinterblot (Swedish for "Midwinter sacrifice") is a painting by the Swedish painter Carl Larsson, created in 1915 for the hall of the central staircase in Nationalmuseum in Stockholm. It has been called Sweden's most controversial painting.The painting depicts a legend from Norse mythology in which the Swedish king Domalde is sacrificed to avert famine. After long debate, the painting was rejected by the museum; but the controversy resurfaced in the late 20th century, and the painting finally was placed where Carl Larsson had intended.

Image:Midvinterblot, first sketch (1910).jpg

In 1997, the painting was finally installed in the place for which it was made (picture taken in 2008).

Image:Midvinterblot, second sketch (1913), nr 237.jpg

Category:Paintings in the Nationalmuseum Stockholm

The painting ''[[Gustav Vasas intåg i Stockholm 1523

Image:Larsson GustavVasas intåg 2012.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, third sketch (1913), nr 238.jpg

Image:Studie för kung Domalde (1914), nr 240.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, fourth sketch (1915), nr 239.jpg


Midvinterblot

Prompt: Focus on Midvinterblot and explain the Background.

Larsson was commissioned to decorate all the walls of the central staircase in the museum except for one, and he wanted to decorate the last wall as well. He intended the last wall to present a contrast to the other illustrations of the staircase. Whereas the painting Gustav Vasa enters Stockholm 1523 presented a midsummer theme with a triumphant king, Larsson wanted the last illustration to be a midwinter theme with a king who sacrificed himself for his people.

Image:Midvinterblot, first sketch (1910).jpg

In 1997, the painting was finally installed in the place for which it was made (picture taken in 2008).

Image:Midvinterblot, second sketch (1913), nr 237.jpg

Category:Paintings in the Nationalmuseum Stockholm

The painting ''[[Gustav Vasas intåg i Stockholm 1523

Image:Larsson GustavVasas intåg 2012.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, third sketch (1913), nr 238.jpg

Image:Studie för kung Domalde (1914), nr 240.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, fourth sketch (1915), nr 239.jpg


Midvinterblot

Prompt: Explain the Background of this artwork, Midvinterblot.

Larsson was commissioned to decorate all the walls of the central staircase in the museum except for one, and he wanted to decorate the last wall as well. He intended the last wall to present a contrast to the other illustrations of the staircase. Whereas the painting Gustav Vasa enters Stockholm 1523 presented a midsummer theme with a triumphant king, Larsson wanted the last illustration to be a midwinter theme with a king who sacrificed himself for his people.

Image:Midvinterblot, first sketch (1910).jpg

In 1997, the painting was finally installed in the place for which it was made (picture taken in 2008).

Image:Midvinterblot, second sketch (1913), nr 237.jpg

Category:Paintings in the Nationalmuseum Stockholm

The painting ''[[Gustav Vasas intåg i Stockholm 1523

Image:Larsson GustavVasas intåg 2012.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, third sketch (1913), nr 238.jpg

Image:Studie för kung Domalde (1914), nr 240.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, fourth sketch (1915), nr 239.jpg


Midvinterblot

Prompt: How does Midvinterblot explain its Background?

Larsson was commissioned to decorate all the walls of the central staircase in the museum except for one, and he wanted to decorate the last wall as well. He intended the last wall to present a contrast to the other illustrations of the staircase. Whereas the painting Gustav Vasa enters Stockholm 1523 presented a midsummer theme with a triumphant king, Larsson wanted the last illustration to be a midwinter theme with a king who sacrificed himself for his people.

Image:Midvinterblot, first sketch (1910).jpg

In 1997, the painting was finally installed in the place for which it was made (picture taken in 2008).

Image:Midvinterblot, second sketch (1913), nr 237.jpg

Category:Paintings in the Nationalmuseum Stockholm

The painting ''[[Gustav Vasas intåg i Stockholm 1523

Image:Larsson GustavVasas intåg 2012.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, third sketch (1913), nr 238.jpg

Image:Studie för kung Domalde (1914), nr 240.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, fourth sketch (1915), nr 239.jpg


Midvinterblot

Prompt: In Midvinterblot, how is the Background discussed?

Larsson was commissioned to decorate all the walls of the central staircase in the museum except for one, and he wanted to decorate the last wall as well. He intended the last wall to present a contrast to the other illustrations of the staircase. Whereas the painting Gustav Vasa enters Stockholm 1523 presented a midsummer theme with a triumphant king, Larsson wanted the last illustration to be a midwinter theme with a king who sacrificed himself for his people.

Image:Midvinterblot, first sketch (1910).jpg

In 1997, the painting was finally installed in the place for which it was made (picture taken in 2008).

Image:Midvinterblot, second sketch (1913), nr 237.jpg

Category:Paintings in the Nationalmuseum Stockholm

The painting ''[[Gustav Vasas intåg i Stockholm 1523

Image:Larsson GustavVasas intåg 2012.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, third sketch (1913), nr 238.jpg

Image:Studie för kung Domalde (1914), nr 240.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, fourth sketch (1915), nr 239.jpg


Midvinterblot

Prompt: Focus on Midvinterblot and explain the Sources and inspiration.

Larsson went to Copenhagen to visit the National Museum of Denmark where he copied the ornamentation of an Iron Age fibula. The literary sources that inspired Larsson were Adam of Bremen and Snorri Sturluson. On the subject of the Temple at Uppsala, Adam of Bremen had written:In this temple, built entirely of gold, the people worship the statues of three gods. These images are arranged so that Thor, the most powerful, has his throne in the middle of the group of three. On either side of him sit Othin and Freyr. [...] Near that temple is a very large tree with widespread branches which are always green both in winter and summer. What kind of tree it is nobody knows. There is also a spring there where the pagan are accustomed to perform sacrifices and to immerse a human being alive. As long as his body is not found, the request of the people will be fulfilled.Snorri Sturluson wrote on the subject of the sacrifice of the king:Domald took the heritage left by his father Visbur, and ruled over the land. As in his time there was great famine and distress, the Swedes made great offerings of sacrifice at Upsal.  The first autumn they sacrificed oxen, but the succeeding season was not improved thereby. The following autumn they sacrificed men, but the succeeding year was rather worse. The third autumn, when the offer of sacrifices should begin, a great multitude of Swedes came to Upsal; and now the chiefs held consultations with each other, and all agreed that the times of scarcity were on account of their king Domald, and they resolved to offer him for good seasons, and to assault and kill him, and sprinkle the stalle of the gods with his blood. And they did so.

Image:Midvinterblot, first sketch (1910).jpg

In 1997, the painting was finally installed in the place for which it was made (picture taken in 2008).

Image:Midvinterblot, second sketch (1913), nr 237.jpg

Category:Paintings in the Nationalmuseum Stockholm

The painting ''[[Gustav Vasas intåg i Stockholm 1523

Image:Larsson GustavVasas intåg 2012.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, third sketch (1913), nr 238.jpg

Image:Studie för kung Domalde (1914), nr 240.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, fourth sketch (1915), nr 239.jpg


Midvinterblot

Prompt: Explain the Sources and inspiration of this artwork, Midvinterblot.

Larsson went to Copenhagen to visit the National Museum of Denmark where he copied the ornamentation of an Iron Age fibula. The literary sources that inspired Larsson were Adam of Bremen and Snorri Sturluson. On the subject of the Temple at Uppsala, Adam of Bremen had written:In this temple, built entirely of gold, the people worship the statues of three gods. These images are arranged so that Thor, the most powerful, has his throne in the middle of the group of three. On either side of him sit Othin and Freyr. [...] Near that temple is a very large tree with widespread branches which are always green both in winter and summer. What kind of tree it is nobody knows. There is also a spring there where the pagan are accustomed to perform sacrifices and to immerse a human being alive. As long as his body is not found, the request of the people will be fulfilled.Snorri Sturluson wrote on the subject of the sacrifice of the king:Domald took the heritage left by his father Visbur, and ruled over the land. As in his time there was great famine and distress, the Swedes made great offerings of sacrifice at Upsal.  The first autumn they sacrificed oxen, but the succeeding season was not improved thereby. The following autumn they sacrificed men, but the succeeding year was rather worse. The third autumn, when the offer of sacrifices should begin, a great multitude of Swedes came to Upsal; and now the chiefs held consultations with each other, and all agreed that the times of scarcity were on account of their king Domald, and they resolved to offer him for good seasons, and to assault and kill him, and sprinkle the stalle of the gods with his blood. And they did so.

Image:Midvinterblot, first sketch (1910).jpg

In 1997, the painting was finally installed in the place for which it was made (picture taken in 2008).

Image:Midvinterblot, second sketch (1913), nr 237.jpg

Category:Paintings in the Nationalmuseum Stockholm

The painting ''[[Gustav Vasas intåg i Stockholm 1523

Image:Larsson GustavVasas intåg 2012.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, third sketch (1913), nr 238.jpg

Image:Studie för kung Domalde (1914), nr 240.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, fourth sketch (1915), nr 239.jpg


Midvinterblot

Prompt: How does Midvinterblot explain its Sources and inspiration?

Larsson went to Copenhagen to visit the National Museum of Denmark where he copied the ornamentation of an Iron Age fibula. The literary sources that inspired Larsson were Adam of Bremen and Snorri Sturluson. On the subject of the Temple at Uppsala, Adam of Bremen had written:In this temple, built entirely of gold, the people worship the statues of three gods. These images are arranged so that Thor, the most powerful, has his throne in the middle of the group of three. On either side of him sit Othin and Freyr. [...] Near that temple is a very large tree with widespread branches which are always green both in winter and summer. What kind of tree it is nobody knows. There is also a spring there where the pagan are accustomed to perform sacrifices and to immerse a human being alive. As long as his body is not found, the request of the people will be fulfilled.Snorri Sturluson wrote on the subject of the sacrifice of the king:Domald took the heritage left by his father Visbur, and ruled over the land. As in his time there was great famine and distress, the Swedes made great offerings of sacrifice at Upsal.  The first autumn they sacrificed oxen, but the succeeding season was not improved thereby. The following autumn they sacrificed men, but the succeeding year was rather worse. The third autumn, when the offer of sacrifices should begin, a great multitude of Swedes came to Upsal; and now the chiefs held consultations with each other, and all agreed that the times of scarcity were on account of their king Domald, and they resolved to offer him for good seasons, and to assault and kill him, and sprinkle the stalle of the gods with his blood. And they did so.

Image:Midvinterblot, first sketch (1910).jpg

In 1997, the painting was finally installed in the place for which it was made (picture taken in 2008).

Image:Midvinterblot, second sketch (1913), nr 237.jpg

Category:Paintings in the Nationalmuseum Stockholm

The painting ''[[Gustav Vasas intåg i Stockholm 1523

Image:Larsson GustavVasas intåg 2012.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, third sketch (1913), nr 238.jpg

Image:Studie för kung Domalde (1914), nr 240.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, fourth sketch (1915), nr 239.jpg


Midvinterblot

Prompt: In Midvinterblot, how is the Sources and inspiration discussed?

Larsson went to Copenhagen to visit the National Museum of Denmark where he copied the ornamentation of an Iron Age fibula. The literary sources that inspired Larsson were Adam of Bremen and Snorri Sturluson. On the subject of the Temple at Uppsala, Adam of Bremen had written:In this temple, built entirely of gold, the people worship the statues of three gods. These images are arranged so that Thor, the most powerful, has his throne in the middle of the group of three. On either side of him sit Othin and Freyr. [...] Near that temple is a very large tree with widespread branches which are always green both in winter and summer. What kind of tree it is nobody knows. There is also a spring there where the pagan are accustomed to perform sacrifices and to immerse a human being alive. As long as his body is not found, the request of the people will be fulfilled.Snorri Sturluson wrote on the subject of the sacrifice of the king:Domald took the heritage left by his father Visbur, and ruled over the land. As in his time there was great famine and distress, the Swedes made great offerings of sacrifice at Upsal.  The first autumn they sacrificed oxen, but the succeeding season was not improved thereby. The following autumn they sacrificed men, but the succeeding year was rather worse. The third autumn, when the offer of sacrifices should begin, a great multitude of Swedes came to Upsal; and now the chiefs held consultations with each other, and all agreed that the times of scarcity were on account of their king Domald, and they resolved to offer him for good seasons, and to assault and kill him, and sprinkle the stalle of the gods with his blood. And they did so.

Image:Midvinterblot, first sketch (1910).jpg

In 1997, the painting was finally installed in the place for which it was made (picture taken in 2008).

Image:Midvinterblot, second sketch (1913), nr 237.jpg

Category:Paintings in the Nationalmuseum Stockholm

The painting ''[[Gustav Vasas intåg i Stockholm 1523

Image:Larsson GustavVasas intåg 2012.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, third sketch (1913), nr 238.jpg

Image:Studie för kung Domalde (1914), nr 240.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, fourth sketch (1915), nr 239.jpg


Midvinterblot

Prompt: In the context of Midvinterblot, explain the First version and the Evolution of the work.

The earliest known sketch (No. 236) is made in graphite and is located in the Carl Larsson museum in Sundborn. It was dated by Karl Axel Arvidsson to a time shortly after the visit to Copenhagen in 1910. In July, Larsson started to paint a large version, which was finished in January 1911, but it is only preserved in a photograph. It is based on the early sketch but it presents a richer set of figures in the foreground. The early version was put on display in Nationalmuseum without receiving any official comments. There was no formal order and no official contest had been declared, and the initiative was only Larsson's.An anonymous writer calling himself "Archaeologist" voiced harsh criticism in Dagens Nyheter on February 20, 1911. The writer stated that there were several anachronisms in the painting which had been combined freely. The anonymous writer called the temple a "summer restaurant" decorated with motives from the Biological museum in Stockholm and he considered the dresses in the painting to be as preposterous as a Swedish farm with camels walking around the dunghill.

Image:Midvinterblot, first sketch (1910).jpg

In 1997, the painting was finally installed in the place for which it was made (picture taken in 2008).

Image:Midvinterblot, second sketch (1913), nr 237.jpg

Category:Paintings in the Nationalmuseum Stockholm

The painting ''[[Gustav Vasas intåg i Stockholm 1523

Image:Larsson GustavVasas intåg 2012.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, third sketch (1913), nr 238.jpg

Image:Studie för kung Domalde (1914), nr 240.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, fourth sketch (1915), nr 239.jpg


Midvinterblot

Prompt: Explain the First version about the Evolution of the work of this artwork, Midvinterblot.

The earliest known sketch (No. 236) is made in graphite and is located in the Carl Larsson museum in Sundborn. It was dated by Karl Axel Arvidsson to a time shortly after the visit to Copenhagen in 1910. In July, Larsson started to paint a large version, which was finished in January 1911, but it is only preserved in a photograph. It is based on the early sketch but it presents a richer set of figures in the foreground. The early version was put on display in Nationalmuseum without receiving any official comments. There was no formal order and no official contest had been declared, and the initiative was only Larsson's.An anonymous writer calling himself "Archaeologist" voiced harsh criticism in Dagens Nyheter on February 20, 1911. The writer stated that there were several anachronisms in the painting which had been combined freely. The anonymous writer called the temple a "summer restaurant" decorated with motives from the Biological museum in Stockholm and he considered the dresses in the painting to be as preposterous as a Swedish farm with camels walking around the dunghill.

Image:Midvinterblot, first sketch (1910).jpg

In 1997, the painting was finally installed in the place for which it was made (picture taken in 2008).

Image:Midvinterblot, second sketch (1913), nr 237.jpg

Category:Paintings in the Nationalmuseum Stockholm

The painting ''[[Gustav Vasas intåg i Stockholm 1523

Image:Larsson GustavVasas intåg 2012.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, third sketch (1913), nr 238.jpg

Image:Studie för kung Domalde (1914), nr 240.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, fourth sketch (1915), nr 239.jpg


Midvinterblot

Prompt: In Midvinterblot, how is the First version of the Evolution of the work explained?

The earliest known sketch (No. 236) is made in graphite and is located in the Carl Larsson museum in Sundborn. It was dated by Karl Axel Arvidsson to a time shortly after the visit to Copenhagen in 1910. In July, Larsson started to paint a large version, which was finished in January 1911, but it is only preserved in a photograph. It is based on the early sketch but it presents a richer set of figures in the foreground. The early version was put on display in Nationalmuseum without receiving any official comments. There was no formal order and no official contest had been declared, and the initiative was only Larsson's.An anonymous writer calling himself "Archaeologist" voiced harsh criticism in Dagens Nyheter on February 20, 1911. The writer stated that there were several anachronisms in the painting which had been combined freely. The anonymous writer called the temple a "summer restaurant" decorated with motives from the Biological museum in Stockholm and he considered the dresses in the painting to be as preposterous as a Swedish farm with camels walking around the dunghill.

Image:Midvinterblot, first sketch (1910).jpg

In 1997, the painting was finally installed in the place for which it was made (picture taken in 2008).

Image:Midvinterblot, second sketch (1913), nr 237.jpg

Category:Paintings in the Nationalmuseum Stockholm

The painting ''[[Gustav Vasas intåg i Stockholm 1523

Image:Larsson GustavVasas intåg 2012.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, third sketch (1913), nr 238.jpg

Image:Studie för kung Domalde (1914), nr 240.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, fourth sketch (1915), nr 239.jpg


Midvinterblot

Prompt: Describe the characteristics of the First version in Midvinterblot's Evolution of the work.

The earliest known sketch (No. 236) is made in graphite and is located in the Carl Larsson museum in Sundborn. It was dated by Karl Axel Arvidsson to a time shortly after the visit to Copenhagen in 1910. In July, Larsson started to paint a large version, which was finished in January 1911, but it is only preserved in a photograph. It is based on the early sketch but it presents a richer set of figures in the foreground. The early version was put on display in Nationalmuseum without receiving any official comments. There was no formal order and no official contest had been declared, and the initiative was only Larsson's.An anonymous writer calling himself "Archaeologist" voiced harsh criticism in Dagens Nyheter on February 20, 1911. The writer stated that there were several anachronisms in the painting which had been combined freely. The anonymous writer called the temple a "summer restaurant" decorated with motives from the Biological museum in Stockholm and he considered the dresses in the painting to be as preposterous as a Swedish farm with camels walking around the dunghill.

Image:Midvinterblot, first sketch (1910).jpg

In 1997, the painting was finally installed in the place for which it was made (picture taken in 2008).

Image:Midvinterblot, second sketch (1913), nr 237.jpg

Category:Paintings in the Nationalmuseum Stockholm

The painting ''[[Gustav Vasas intåg i Stockholm 1523

Image:Larsson GustavVasas intåg 2012.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, third sketch (1913), nr 238.jpg

Image:Studie för kung Domalde (1914), nr 240.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, fourth sketch (1915), nr 239.jpg


Midvinterblot

Prompt: In the context of Midvinterblot, explain the Second version and the Evolution of the work.

The criticism of the artistic freedom of giving a personal interpretation of a distant historic event could have been directed at many other historic paintings of the 19th century. The criticism of Midvinterblot would be in the same vein during the following years. Larsson retorted that he would happily delegate the task to a younger talent—but he made a second version in oil (No. 237) in which he made the temple wider and where he added an executioner in the centre. The sets of characters were more closely assembled and the frieze-like quality was enhanced.

Image:Midvinterblot, first sketch (1910).jpg

In 1997, the painting was finally installed in the place for which it was made (picture taken in 2008).

Image:Midvinterblot, second sketch (1913), nr 237.jpg

Category:Paintings in the Nationalmuseum Stockholm

The painting ''[[Gustav Vasas intåg i Stockholm 1523

Image:Larsson GustavVasas intåg 2012.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, third sketch (1913), nr 238.jpg

Image:Studie för kung Domalde (1914), nr 240.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, fourth sketch (1915), nr 239.jpg


Midvinterblot

Prompt: Explain the Second version about the Evolution of the work of this artwork, Midvinterblot.

The criticism of the artistic freedom of giving a personal interpretation of a distant historic event could have been directed at many other historic paintings of the 19th century. The criticism of Midvinterblot would be in the same vein during the following years. Larsson retorted that he would happily delegate the task to a younger talent—but he made a second version in oil (No. 237) in which he made the temple wider and where he added an executioner in the centre. The sets of characters were more closely assembled and the frieze-like quality was enhanced.

Image:Midvinterblot, first sketch (1910).jpg

In 1997, the painting was finally installed in the place for which it was made (picture taken in 2008).

Image:Midvinterblot, second sketch (1913), nr 237.jpg

Category:Paintings in the Nationalmuseum Stockholm

The painting ''[[Gustav Vasas intåg i Stockholm 1523

Image:Larsson GustavVasas intåg 2012.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, third sketch (1913), nr 238.jpg

Image:Studie för kung Domalde (1914), nr 240.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, fourth sketch (1915), nr 239.jpg


Midvinterblot

Prompt: In Midvinterblot, how is the Second version of the Evolution of the work explained?

The criticism of the artistic freedom of giving a personal interpretation of a distant historic event could have been directed at many other historic paintings of the 19th century. The criticism of Midvinterblot would be in the same vein during the following years. Larsson retorted that he would happily delegate the task to a younger talent—but he made a second version in oil (No. 237) in which he made the temple wider and where he added an executioner in the centre. The sets of characters were more closely assembled and the frieze-like quality was enhanced.

Image:Midvinterblot, first sketch (1910).jpg

In 1997, the painting was finally installed in the place for which it was made (picture taken in 2008).

Image:Midvinterblot, second sketch (1913), nr 237.jpg

Category:Paintings in the Nationalmuseum Stockholm

The painting ''[[Gustav Vasas intåg i Stockholm 1523

Image:Larsson GustavVasas intåg 2012.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, third sketch (1913), nr 238.jpg

Image:Studie för kung Domalde (1914), nr 240.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, fourth sketch (1915), nr 239.jpg


Midvinterblot

Prompt: Describe the characteristics of the Second version in Midvinterblot's Evolution of the work.

The criticism of the artistic freedom of giving a personal interpretation of a distant historic event could have been directed at many other historic paintings of the 19th century. The criticism of Midvinterblot would be in the same vein during the following years. Larsson retorted that he would happily delegate the task to a younger talent—but he made a second version in oil (No. 237) in which he made the temple wider and where he added an executioner in the centre. The sets of characters were more closely assembled and the frieze-like quality was enhanced.

Image:Midvinterblot, first sketch (1910).jpg

In 1997, the painting was finally installed in the place for which it was made (picture taken in 2008).

Image:Midvinterblot, second sketch (1913), nr 237.jpg

Category:Paintings in the Nationalmuseum Stockholm

The painting ''[[Gustav Vasas intåg i Stockholm 1523

Image:Larsson GustavVasas intåg 2012.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, third sketch (1913), nr 238.jpg

Image:Studie för kung Domalde (1914), nr 240.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, fourth sketch (1915), nr 239.jpg


Midvinterblot

Prompt: In the context of Midvinterblot, explain the Third version and the Evolution of the work.

Some major changes were introduced in a third watercolour painting (No. 238) which he made during the autumn of 1913. This version was given the text "En drömsyn. En konung offras för folket" ("A dream vision, a king sacrificed for his people"), a text which was possibly added in the hope that it would not be considered to be an attempt at a historically faithful reconstruction.The most essential change consisted of a more monumental composition. The temple had been enlarged considerably and given a more stern shape, and the figures had been more closely assembled and they formed an unbroken relief-like row. The sketch was put on exhibition in the museum in November 1913 and in a letter to Ludvig Looström, the director of the museum, Larsson offered the painting for 35,000 Swedish kronor.This version was criticised even before the museum board had had time to present their own view. August Brunius, who had expressed his enthusiasm for the Gustav Vasa painting, reacted against the choice of subject, like most critics. The choice of subject was only aggravated by the way it was presented. Brunius felt the painting to be unreal, unbelievable and not very relevant for the modern Swedes of the early 20th century.On January 17, 1914, the museum's board presented their ambivalent view on the painting. The majority of the board seconded the motion that Larsson was to finish Midvinterblot for the museum wall, but they added the reservation that the main scene with the sacrifice of a king should be excluded or downplayed. The director of the museum, Looström, objected to the board's ruling, and he declared the painting illustrated a "ritual killing" and he would rather the wall remain empty. Carl Larsson received the ruling of the board as a confirmation that the museum accepted his painting, but he declared that he would not make the suggested changes, nor would he accept the suggestion that the painting should be installed in the Stockholm City Hall instead.Even Larsson's good friend and biographer Georg Nordensvan joined the critics, but he could not sway Larsson's determination either, although Larsson probably took his criticism hardest. The archaeologist Bror Schnittger, who was probably the anonymous writer who had initiated the criticism, launched additional criticism in Svenska Dagbladet against the lack of historical authenticity in the painting. The distance in dating among the objects in the painting was given as at least 2000 years and Schnittger thought that the painting was unacceptable in the museum building. Larsson stated that he intentionally included objects that would be from the distant past in relation to the setting of the painting, and that he did not see these as anachronisms, because he imagined the subjects would be antiquarians who kept ancient items as ritual objects.On March 1, 1914, Larsson, who was by then ostracized, wrote a letter to the minister of religious affairs and declared that he resigned from the task of illustrating the museum wall.

Image:Midvinterblot, first sketch (1910).jpg

In 1997, the painting was finally installed in the place for which it was made (picture taken in 2008).

Image:Midvinterblot, second sketch (1913), nr 237.jpg

Category:Paintings in the Nationalmuseum Stockholm

The painting ''[[Gustav Vasas intåg i Stockholm 1523

Image:Larsson GustavVasas intåg 2012.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, third sketch (1913), nr 238.jpg

Image:Studie för kung Domalde (1914), nr 240.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, fourth sketch (1915), nr 239.jpg


Midvinterblot

Prompt: Explain the Third version about the Evolution of the work of this artwork, Midvinterblot.

Some major changes were introduced in a third watercolour painting (No. 238) which he made during the autumn of 1913. This version was given the text "En drömsyn. En konung offras för folket" ("A dream vision, a king sacrificed for his people"), a text which was possibly added in the hope that it would not be considered to be an attempt at a historically faithful reconstruction.The most essential change consisted of a more monumental composition. The temple had been enlarged considerably and given a more stern shape, and the figures had been more closely assembled and they formed an unbroken relief-like row. The sketch was put on exhibition in the museum in November 1913 and in a letter to Ludvig Looström, the director of the museum, Larsson offered the painting for 35,000 Swedish kronor.This version was criticised even before the museum board had had time to present their own view. August Brunius, who had expressed his enthusiasm for the Gustav Vasa painting, reacted against the choice of subject, like most critics. The choice of subject was only aggravated by the way it was presented. Brunius felt the painting to be unreal, unbelievable and not very relevant for the modern Swedes of the early 20th century.On January 17, 1914, the museum's board presented their ambivalent view on the painting. The majority of the board seconded the motion that Larsson was to finish Midvinterblot for the museum wall, but they added the reservation that the main scene with the sacrifice of a king should be excluded or downplayed. The director of the museum, Looström, objected to the board's ruling, and he declared the painting illustrated a "ritual killing" and he would rather the wall remain empty. Carl Larsson received the ruling of the board as a confirmation that the museum accepted his painting, but he declared that he would not make the suggested changes, nor would he accept the suggestion that the painting should be installed in the Stockholm City Hall instead.Even Larsson's good friend and biographer Georg Nordensvan joined the critics, but he could not sway Larsson's determination either, although Larsson probably took his criticism hardest. The archaeologist Bror Schnittger, who was probably the anonymous writer who had initiated the criticism, launched additional criticism in Svenska Dagbladet against the lack of historical authenticity in the painting. The distance in dating among the objects in the painting was given as at least 2000 years and Schnittger thought that the painting was unacceptable in the museum building. Larsson stated that he intentionally included objects that would be from the distant past in relation to the setting of the painting, and that he did not see these as anachronisms, because he imagined the subjects would be antiquarians who kept ancient items as ritual objects.On March 1, 1914, Larsson, who was by then ostracized, wrote a letter to the minister of religious affairs and declared that he resigned from the task of illustrating the museum wall.

Image:Midvinterblot, first sketch (1910).jpg

In 1997, the painting was finally installed in the place for which it was made (picture taken in 2008).

Image:Midvinterblot, second sketch (1913), nr 237.jpg

Category:Paintings in the Nationalmuseum Stockholm

The painting ''[[Gustav Vasas intåg i Stockholm 1523

Image:Larsson GustavVasas intåg 2012.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, third sketch (1913), nr 238.jpg

Image:Studie för kung Domalde (1914), nr 240.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, fourth sketch (1915), nr 239.jpg


Midvinterblot

Prompt: In Midvinterblot, how is the Third version of the Evolution of the work explained?

Some major changes were introduced in a third watercolour painting (No. 238) which he made during the autumn of 1913. This version was given the text "En drömsyn. En konung offras för folket" ("A dream vision, a king sacrificed for his people"), a text which was possibly added in the hope that it would not be considered to be an attempt at a historically faithful reconstruction.The most essential change consisted of a more monumental composition. The temple had been enlarged considerably and given a more stern shape, and the figures had been more closely assembled and they formed an unbroken relief-like row. The sketch was put on exhibition in the museum in November 1913 and in a letter to Ludvig Looström, the director of the museum, Larsson offered the painting for 35,000 Swedish kronor.This version was criticised even before the museum board had had time to present their own view. August Brunius, who had expressed his enthusiasm for the Gustav Vasa painting, reacted against the choice of subject, like most critics. The choice of subject was only aggravated by the way it was presented. Brunius felt the painting to be unreal, unbelievable and not very relevant for the modern Swedes of the early 20th century.On January 17, 1914, the museum's board presented their ambivalent view on the painting. The majority of the board seconded the motion that Larsson was to finish Midvinterblot for the museum wall, but they added the reservation that the main scene with the sacrifice of a king should be excluded or downplayed. The director of the museum, Looström, objected to the board's ruling, and he declared the painting illustrated a "ritual killing" and he would rather the wall remain empty. Carl Larsson received the ruling of the board as a confirmation that the museum accepted his painting, but he declared that he would not make the suggested changes, nor would he accept the suggestion that the painting should be installed in the Stockholm City Hall instead.Even Larsson's good friend and biographer Georg Nordensvan joined the critics, but he could not sway Larsson's determination either, although Larsson probably took his criticism hardest. The archaeologist Bror Schnittger, who was probably the anonymous writer who had initiated the criticism, launched additional criticism in Svenska Dagbladet against the lack of historical authenticity in the painting. The distance in dating among the objects in the painting was given as at least 2000 years and Schnittger thought that the painting was unacceptable in the museum building. Larsson stated that he intentionally included objects that would be from the distant past in relation to the setting of the painting, and that he did not see these as anachronisms, because he imagined the subjects would be antiquarians who kept ancient items as ritual objects.On March 1, 1914, Larsson, who was by then ostracized, wrote a letter to the minister of religious affairs and declared that he resigned from the task of illustrating the museum wall.

Image:Midvinterblot, first sketch (1910).jpg

In 1997, the painting was finally installed in the place for which it was made (picture taken in 2008).

Image:Midvinterblot, second sketch (1913), nr 237.jpg

Category:Paintings in the Nationalmuseum Stockholm

The painting ''[[Gustav Vasas intåg i Stockholm 1523

Image:Larsson GustavVasas intåg 2012.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, third sketch (1913), nr 238.jpg

Image:Studie för kung Domalde (1914), nr 240.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, fourth sketch (1915), nr 239.jpg


Midvinterblot

Prompt: Describe the characteristics of the Third version in Midvinterblot's Evolution of the work.

Some major changes were introduced in a third watercolour painting (No. 238) which he made during the autumn of 1913. This version was given the text "En drömsyn. En konung offras för folket" ("A dream vision, a king sacrificed for his people"), a text which was possibly added in the hope that it would not be considered to be an attempt at a historically faithful reconstruction.The most essential change consisted of a more monumental composition. The temple had been enlarged considerably and given a more stern shape, and the figures had been more closely assembled and they formed an unbroken relief-like row. The sketch was put on exhibition in the museum in November 1913 and in a letter to Ludvig Looström, the director of the museum, Larsson offered the painting for 35,000 Swedish kronor.This version was criticised even before the museum board had had time to present their own view. August Brunius, who had expressed his enthusiasm for the Gustav Vasa painting, reacted against the choice of subject, like most critics. The choice of subject was only aggravated by the way it was presented. Brunius felt the painting to be unreal, unbelievable and not very relevant for the modern Swedes of the early 20th century.On January 17, 1914, the museum's board presented their ambivalent view on the painting. The majority of the board seconded the motion that Larsson was to finish Midvinterblot for the museum wall, but they added the reservation that the main scene with the sacrifice of a king should be excluded or downplayed. The director of the museum, Looström, objected to the board's ruling, and he declared the painting illustrated a "ritual killing" and he would rather the wall remain empty. Carl Larsson received the ruling of the board as a confirmation that the museum accepted his painting, but he declared that he would not make the suggested changes, nor would he accept the suggestion that the painting should be installed in the Stockholm City Hall instead.Even Larsson's good friend and biographer Georg Nordensvan joined the critics, but he could not sway Larsson's determination either, although Larsson probably took his criticism hardest. The archaeologist Bror Schnittger, who was probably the anonymous writer who had initiated the criticism, launched additional criticism in Svenska Dagbladet against the lack of historical authenticity in the painting. The distance in dating among the objects in the painting was given as at least 2000 years and Schnittger thought that the painting was unacceptable in the museum building. Larsson stated that he intentionally included objects that would be from the distant past in relation to the setting of the painting, and that he did not see these as anachronisms, because he imagined the subjects would be antiquarians who kept ancient items as ritual objects.On March 1, 1914, Larsson, who was by then ostracized, wrote a letter to the minister of religious affairs and declared that he resigned from the task of illustrating the museum wall.

Image:Midvinterblot, first sketch (1910).jpg

In 1997, the painting was finally installed in the place for which it was made (picture taken in 2008).

Image:Midvinterblot, second sketch (1913), nr 237.jpg

Category:Paintings in the Nationalmuseum Stockholm

The painting ''[[Gustav Vasas intåg i Stockholm 1523

Image:Larsson GustavVasas intåg 2012.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, third sketch (1913), nr 238.jpg

Image:Studie för kung Domalde (1914), nr 240.jpg

Image:Midvinterblot, fourth sketch (1915), nr 239.jpg