Reclining Female Nude by Svetoslav Peruzzi at the National Gallery of Slovenia in Ljubljana

May 22, 2024

I travelled to see Reclining Female Nude by Svetoslav Peruzzi at the National Gallery of Slovenia in Ljubljana. Come join me there too. Welcome to Art, Culture & Travel with me, Anthony King. Svetoslav Peruzzi was born on October 17th1881 and gained prominence in Slovenian art with his sculptural works. Notably, he created the Emperor Franz Joseph I monument in Ljubljana and won acclaim for his innovative designs. His participation in competitions, such as the one commemorating the 1895 earthquake, showcased his talent and vision. Critics observed a shift in Slovenian sculpture towards more modern approaches, with Peruzzi navigating between tradition and innovation. His contributions mark a pivotal moment in Slovenian art history, highlighting the emergence of new artistic directions and the blending of traditional

Cupid And Psyche By Sir Joshua Reynolds which is currently at the Courtauld Gallery in London

May 22, 2024

I travelled to see Cupid And Psyche By Sir Joshua Reynolds which is currently at the Courtauld Gallery in London. Come join me there too. Welcome to Art, Culture & Travel with me, Anthony King. Sir Joshua Reynolds was born on the 16th July 1723 in Plymouth, England. This is an incredible painting, don’t you think? It’s style is neoclassicism and the oil on canvas was painted around 1789. Psyche, a mortal of extraordinary beauty, caught the attention of Cupid, the god of love, in Roman mythology. Venus, Cupid’s mother, grew jealous and sent him to make Psyche fall in love with a vile creature. Instead, Cupid fell in love with her. After overcoming numerous trials set by Venus, Psyche was granted immortality by Jupiter,

The Strawberry Girl By Sir Joshua Reynolds at The Wallace Collection, London

May 22, 2024

I travelled to see The Strawberry Girl By Sir Joshua Reynolds at The Wallace Collection in London. Come join me there too. Welcome to Art, Culture & Travel with me, Anthony King. Sir Joshua Reynolds was born on the 16th July 1723 in Plymouth, England. Painted between 1772 and 1773, “The Strawberry Girl” is a prime example of Reynolds’s ‘fancy pictures,’ a genre characterized by children dressed in sentimental and theatrical attire. The painting draws inspiration from a real strawberry seller, yet Reynolds transforms her from her typical urban environment to one where she dons an exotic outfit, highlighted by an unusual turban. During the 1770s, Reynolds created at least four versions of this artwork. Notably, this piece was not a commissioned work and stayed

Dancer Looking at the Sole of her Right Foot by Edgar Degas at the Courtauld Gallery, London

May 21, 2024

I travelled to see Dancer Looking at the Sole of her Right Foot by Edgar Degas at the Courtauld Gallery in London. Come join me there too. Welcome to Art, Culture & Travel with me, Anthony King. We previously visited a version of Dancer Looking at the Sole of her Right Foot at the Oxford Ashmolean Museum. Following Degas’s death in 1917, his studio revealed over 150 sculptures, primarily crafted from delicate materials like wax and clay with many in poor condition. Only a handful had been preserved in plaster copies. Despite Degas’s preference against permanent materials, his heirs allowed for bronze casting to conserve and commercialize the works. Sculptor Paul-Albert Bartholomé, alongside a famous Paris foundry prepared 72 figures for casting. Each bronze underwent

August Blue By Henry Scott Tuke at the Tate Britain in London

May 21, 2024

I travelled to see August Blue By Henry Scott Tuke at the Tate Britain in London. Come join me there too. Welcome to Art, Culture & Travel with me, Anthony King. Henry Scott Tuke was born in Cornwall, England in 1858. He painted this Oil paint on canvas, August Blue between 1893 and 1894. The Tate tell us that this is one of many pictures Henry Scott Tuke painted of boys bathing around Falmouth Harbour, a common scene at the time. Tuke worked from life and photographs, and he idealised the scene. Its poetic title (from Algernon Swinburne’s poem ‘The Sundew’) reflects the colour that suffuses the composition. Tuke grew up in Cornwall and helped found the Newlyn School, a group of artists based in

Sava Spa Art by Otto Antonini

May 20, 2024

I travelled to see The Sava Spa artwork by Otto Antonini at the Zagreb City Museum in Croatia. We’ll also be looking at some of his other 1920s and 30s incredible work. Come join me there too. Welcome to Art, Culture & Travel with me, Anthony King. The Sava Spa by Otto Antonini was created in 1926. This poster is actually a template for the front page of the weekly “Svijet”, no. 6 of 7 published August 1926, celebrating the opening of the city swimming pools. This was a printed special bathing issue dedicated to bathing life. The Zagreb pools at the time could apparently accommodate 5,000 members of the public. Otto Antonini was born in Zagreb in 1892. He was trained as a fresco

Stone Gate Shrine in Zagreb, Croatia

May 20, 2024

I travelled to see the Stone Gate Shrine in Zagreb, Croatia. Come join me there too. Welcome to Art, Culture & Travel with me, Anthony King. You’ll see people praying and contemplating if you visit the The Stone Gate which is supposed to have existed since 1266 but was first officially recorded in 1492. In the 17th and 18th centuries, it was damaged by fires in 1645, 1674, 1706, and 1731. The city, mainly built of wood, experienced frequent fires. During the 1731 fire, the Stone Gate was severely damaged, but a painting of the Virgin Mary with Baby Jesus remained intact. Widow Modlar, the painting’s owner, built a chapel inside the Stone Gate for it. Today, “The Virgin and Child” is still there, protected

High School in Križanićeva Street By Antun Masle at the Zagreb City Museum in Croatia

May 19, 2024

I travelled to see High School in Križanićeva Street By Antun Masle at the Zagreb City Museum in Croatia. Come join me there too. Welcome to Art, Culture & Travel with me, Anthony King. This oil on canvas was painted in 1939. The museum tell us that the school complex in Križanićeva Street was built 1932. If you visit the street now you will see that it’s almost the same to this day and I believe that the building is still a college. Although this is a very simplistic painting it’s got great colour and is a very good piece of art. Antun Masle was prominent in Dubrovnik where he was born in 1919. In fact, some of you might remember his work from when