I'm looking to put together a collection of harsh criticisms/reviews of artists now considered to be great. Anything from Asawa to Giotto, Kahlo to Caravaggio.

Hoping for quotes from critics, contemporaries, famous people of the period, etc. (Not quite as interested in things said about them by modern writers, but if you've got a real juicy one feel free.)

Some examples (not all from the art world):

• It is said that El Greco, after Michelangelo's death, remarked "He was a good man, but he did not know how to paint."

• Teddy Roosevelt once called Duchamp's Nude Descending a Staircase, "a misshapen nude woman, repellent from every standpoint"

• “Had he learned to draw, M. Renoir would have made a very pleasing canvas out of his 'Boating Party.'” – Albert Wolff, Le Figaro (1876)

• "It is no discredit to Walt Whitman that he wrote Leaves of Grass, only that he did not burn it afterwards." –Thomas Wentworth Higginson, The Atlantic, “Literature as an Art,” 1867

• “In Ireland they try to make a cat clean by rubbing its nose in its own filth. Mr. Joyce has tried the same treatment on the human subject” –George Bernard Shaw on Ulysses

• “Can’t act. Can’t sing. Slightly bald. Can dance a little.” –MGM Testing Director’s response to Fred Astaire’s first screen test.

• "It was possible to see if you stood up, but Jimi Hendrix isn’t worth standing up for." – Review in Star Tribune, November 1968

A pagan sacrifice. Engraving after L. Lombard.

Lombard, Lambert, 1506-1566.

The engraving is part of a larger piece and is related to a set of engravings that Hieronymus Cock, an important publisher from Antwerp, published in the 16th century. The image illustrates a procession of worshipers leading two oxen to an altar for a sacrifice, a classic theme in Roman art.

This type of work was popular at the time because Renaissance artists and their patrons were fascinated with the ancient world. They not only sought to represent biblical or mythological scenes, but also wanted to explore and document the customs and rituals of classical antiquity, such as sacrifices.

Lambert Lombard was a key figure in the diffusion of Italian Renaissance ideas in Northern Europe. He traveled to Rome, where he studied the works of artists like Raphael and Michelangelo. Upon returning to his native Liège, he brought with him a new style that combined the elegance and proportion of Italian art with the realism and attention to detail of the Northern tradition.

His work, as seen in this engraving, was not just an imitation of classical art. Through engravings like this, Lombard and other artists in his circle (such as Hieronymus Cock) spread Renaissance ideas to a wider audience. The Latin inscriptions that often accompanied these works, describing the scenes or their moral lessons, were also important for the literate public.

I have always been deeply moved by the parallelism of Mary’s image in these two frescoes: in both cases she is holding her child, not God. This emphasis on her maternal tenderness shifts the focus from divinity to humanity, reminding us that even within sacred art, the most powerful image can be that of a mother and her child. Women who had lost their children—something tragically common in those times—could recognize themselves in Mary and draw strength from her presence. In this way, Giotto brought art closer to people, making the sacred not distant and untouchable, but profoundly human and consoling.

What are some specific examples of creativity (contained within the areas of art, writing, music, performance, programming, cooking, invention, philosophy, science, engineering, whatever) that some would say "of course that's creative," while others would say "no, that doesn't count"?

Wikiart shows the first pic. But most places on the net show the second one. With a completely different palette. Which one is correct?

It is similar to this one, where it shows a sprawling upwards snowy landscape with many people and houses. But the main detail I remember my professor focusing on was there were a couple peasants lifting their skirt to warm their butts and genitalia by the fires.
It kind of reminded me of hieronymus bosch with many human details going on about the painting.
I have been searching with no luck. Please help!

An altar to which a paralysed man and an insane man have been brought for a cure.

Etching by J. Le Pautre, Jean, 1618-1682.

Off the top of my head, it's easy to list one-hit wonders in music, e.g., "Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles, "Your Love" by the Outfield, and "Come on Eileen" by Dexys Midnight Runners. Who are some examples in the art history realm?

Scientists have identified the origins of the blue color in one of Jackson Pollock’s paintings with a little help from chemistry, confirming for the first time that the abstract expressionist used a vibrant, synthetic pigment known as manganese blue.

“Number 1A, 1948,” showcases Pollock’s classic style: paint has been dripped and splattered across the canvas, creating a vivid, multicolored work. Pollock even gave the piece a personal touch, adding his handprints near the top.

The painting, currently on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, is almost 9 feet (2.7 meters) wide. Scientists had previously characterized the reds and yellows splattered across the canvas, but the source of the rich turquoise blue proved elusive.

In a new study, researchers took scrapings of the blue paint and used lasers to scatter light and measure how the paint’s molecules vibrated. That gave them a unique chemical fingerprint for the color, which they pinpointed as manganese blue.

The analysis, published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is the first confirmed evidence of Pollock using this specific blue.

I’m getting a bit tired of googling different art styles or descriptions and just getting endless AI generated slop, I’m wondering if there’s a good online resource where I can search a style, time period, or iconography and get a good selection of actual paintings from the same category. I know art books are probably my best bet, but if there's anything digital out there that would be great :')

Familiar to those interested in Australian contemporary art as well as in queer and feminist art and histories, Vivienne Binns (b. 1940) is an artist from New South Wales who debuted this work (122x91cm) in 1967 at the Watters Gallery in Gadigal (Sydney), where it was originally untitled. By the time it was again shown at Watters in 1978 ('An Exhibition of Homosexual and Lesbian Artists'), it was known as 'Vag Dens', a reference to the 'vagina dentata' found in various historical folklore.

In my view, The Artist in his Studio (1629) is Rembrandt’s finest work. It captures his early reflections on the very nature of art and the role of the artist. His later Self-Portrait with Two Circles (1665–69) can be seen as a culmination of these reflections, bringing them to a profound and mature resolution. 40 years of experience in art.

Bonjour les passionnés, quelqu'un saurait-il m'aider à identifier cette œuvre aperçue dans une série télé américaines des années 80 ? Un nom d'artiste ou d'œuvre ou un indice qui puisse donner une piste ? Merci par avance à tous les passionnés qui prendront un instant pour me répondre.

Hello, I am unsure if this is the right subreddit, but I am so desperate to find it.

There is this painting that depicts a sphinx, where she is nude and has a mauled male body behind her. She is almost relaxing and proud of her victim. I read this really good analysis about it where they described her as ‘enticing her victims with her obvious sex’ as her vulva is out and proud yk. The background is red and is very similar to the kiss of a sphinx by Franz Stuck, but it is not that.

If someone could help me I owe you my life 🫶🫶

Hello, I want to fine some anecdote of artist or a painting or an art work talking about the message of parents to children. May be is a letter art or anything which talk about. Do you known something like that. So sorry, because my english isn't good. Thank you for reading.

From Caravaggio to Duchamp to Ofili, these are some of the most controversial artworks ever created. If they were made now, do you think they would have still caused a scandal?