Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Three Famous Antique Oil Paintings and What Makes Them Amazing

Antique oil paintings were made using a process of oil layering that could take up to several years to complete. Oil painting is a timeless and time consuming process that is capable of producing some of the most incredible art in the world. Three of the most famous antique oil paintings are paintings created with the purpose of immortalizing certain people in history, either by their own commissioning or just because the painter felt moved to paint them.
The most famous of antique oil paintings and even the most famous painting in the world is the Mona Lisa, or La Gioconda. This oil painting was painted by none other than Leonardo Da Vinci over 16 years. No one really knows who the woman in the portrait is, but many speculate that she was the wife of a wealthy Venetian who patronized Leonardo. Mona Lisa is known for her enigmatic smile, a smile that seems like its hiding something and that something has people traveling across the globe to visit her at her home in the Louvre in Paris. Antique oil paintings dont always last as long and wear as well as the Mona Lisa, but when they do, they hold a place in the hearts of art lovers the world over.
Another most famous of antique oil paintings is Napoleon Crossing the Alps, painted by Jacques Louis David. The original painting is actually one of five. Each of these antique oil paintings features different pigments and differ in their small subject matter (background details). Jacques Louis David painted five different paintings during five different periods, but the most famous of these antique oil paintings is the Napoleon Crossing the Alps that was painted in Versailles in 1801, only a year after Napoleons disastrous attempt to cross the Alps.
Antique oil paintings are painted using well known or public figures, but there are some artists that thrive on creating a sense of mystery regarding their subject matter. Vincent Van Gogh was a very unique artist. His antique oil painting, Portrait of Dr. Gachet isnt like the typical oil painting that used firm, smooth and realistic strokes to create more life like portraits. Portrait of Dr. Gachet is a portrait of one of Van Goghs close friends. The doctor is pictured sitting at a table with a sprig of foxglove in his hand. This most unique of Van Goghs antique oil paintings was originally sold by Van Goghs sister in law for 300 francs, but was later sold in 1990 for $80 million USD.
Across the globe people are discovering the beauty and wonder that comes with owning and enjoying antique oil paintings.
Thought not many can afford antique oil paintings, they can still visit museums and enjoy these incredible works without having to sell their house for the privilege.
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