In 1884, Georges Seurat was only twenty-four years old when he completed this picture.

The location depicted in the portrait was just from the center of Paris only short of four miles. The figures shown in the painting on the river bank were actually not in the commune of Asnieres but it was in the Courbevoie. Courbevoie was a commune bordering Asnieres to the west and the figures of the bathers were on the river bank called Seine. Most of the left hand side drawn by Georges Seurat contains a formation of slope which was originally known as the Cote des Ajoux. The slope, Cote des Ajoux was situated on the northern bank of the river Seine, near the end of rue des Ajoux. In this painting, one can notice the island of la Grande Jatte which was opposite to the slope and to the east tip of which is the slope. The right side of which is shown by the trees.

The work can be viewed at National Gallery, London.

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There was a second version of the portrait Madame Moitessier by Ingres which shows her standing. The work was completed in 1851.

Marie Clotilde Ines de Foucauld was the daughter of a civil servant who worked in the department of forests and waterways. She married to a rich banker and lace merchant Sigisbert Moitessier who was a widower twice of her age in 1842 thus becoming Madame Moitessier. Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres was approached through an intermediary, in 1844 with the idea of painting her portrait. He considered portraiture to be a lower form of art at this stage in his career than history painting and initially he refused Sigisbert’s request for portrait commissions. However, when Ingres the artist met Madame Moitessier personally, he was struck by her beauty and agreed to produce a picture of her.

The picture was left unfinished by Ingres and after waiting seven years the sitter complained. Ingres painted a standing portrait of Madame Moitessier in 1851(currently, National Gallery of Art, Washington) before returning to the seated portrait, the second version which he finally completed in 1856. The original intention of Ingres had been to include the sitter’s daughter Catherine who was little by the time Ingres came to complete the portrait she had grown up and thus Ingres left her out of the portrait.

The painting is influenced by the art of antiquity and the renaissance. The pose of Madame Moitessier with the hand touching her cheeks is derived from Herculaneum, an ancient Roman fresco of a goddess. To Ingres, Madam Moitessier represented the ideal of classical beauty. Titian’s famous painting ‘Portrait of a Lady’ inspired Ingres to add the mirror in the background of this painting.

The work can be viewed at National Gallery, London

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One of the most enigmatic and controversial paintings, and has been considered as specific historical reference.

Painting is a double portrait, but contains a number of symbolic objects that are very important for understanding the overall context. The figure on the left side of the painting is Jean de Dinteville, the French ambassador in England, and on the right side is Georges de Selve, the bishop of Lavaur and French ambassador. The painting is created in a crucial historical moment for England. It was a moment when King Henry VIII had decided to separate the Church of England from the catholic world. Objects that are presented between the two figures are scientific instruments, for example globe and quadrant. Anamorphic skull is also on the painting, below the ambassadors, but it is only visible from a certain angle. Although, speculations about the painting’s meaning are numerous, it is pretty clear that the anamorphic skull recalls the Latin sentence memento mori.

The work can be viewed at National Gallery, London, United Kingdom.

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This painting is considered as one of the prominent masterpieces of Italian Renaissance paintings.

Bacchus and Ariadne, one of his most famous paintings, tells the story of Ariadne, daughter of King Menos of Crete, who had subsequently been left on an island by her lover Theseus.  Bacchus, god of the grape harvest finds her leading a band of merrymakers with cheetahs pulling her in a chariot.  In his wisdom, he flies down and attempts to save her from possible death.

The scene, at first glance, seems somewhat chaotic, but if you look closely, you will see some defining areas that tell the story clearly.  Bacchus and Ariadne are separated from the group of revellers and brought into focus with the blue of the sky behind them.  While Bacchus is still partially pinned close to his companions, you can see his heart wishes to be with Ariadne.  Later, we learn that he marries her and gives her immortality.

The work can be viewed at National Gallery, London

Originally, an advance payment was given to Raphael for producing the subject of Triumph of Bacchus. But, Raphael died in 1520 and at that time only a preliminary drawing was completed. The commission was then handed to Titian

The scene, at first glance, seems somewhat chaotic, but if you look closely, you will see some defining areas that tell the story clearly.  Bacchus and Ariadne are separated from the group of revellers and brought into focus with the blue of the sky behind them.  While Bacchus is still partially pinned close to his companions, you can see his heart wishes to be with Ariadne.  Later, we learn that he marries her and gives her immortality.

The composition is divided diagonally into two triangles, using the expensive ultramarine pigment which depicts blue sky and the two lovers caught in movement. Other is a riot of the movement, which uses green and brown. Pigments used by Titian have been undertaken for analysis by scientists at the National Gallery in London. Titian had been working on Bacchus and Ariadne for almost three years, as recorded in the history

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The National Gallery of London and The National Gallery of Scotland together successfully campaigned to acquire the painting Diana and Actaeon from the Bridgewater Collection for 50 million Euros.

Diana and Actaeon is one of seven large mythologies, famous canvases named as 'the poesies' depicting mythological scenes from Ovid's Metamorphoses. Titian produced seven large mythologies from 1549 to 1562 for King Philip II of Spain when Holy Roman Emperor, Maximilian II had declined Titian's offer to paint them for him. Titian first met Philip in Milan in 1548 and then at the Imperial Diet at Augsburg in the winter between 1550 and 1551 seems that the project has been conceived during both occasions as Titian also painted the prince’s portrait. This painting portrays the moment in which the goddess Diana meets Actaeon. The dimensions of the painting are 185 cm × 202 cm (73 in × 80 in).

The work can be viewed at National Gallery, London

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The Entombment is an unfinished painting by Michelangelo of the placing of the body of Jesus in the garden tomb.

Apart from Jesus, there is some disagreement over the identity of the various other figures represented in the painting ‘The Entombment’. Michelangelo shows Christ’s body being carried to his tomb but the identity of the two figures on the right is uncertain. The center of the painting portrays Christ being carried up to the sepulcher. The area of the sepulcher is empty and researchers think it was intended to be painted in the blank area at the top right of the work. The older man with beard behind him is probably Joseph of Arimathea, who gave up his tomb for use as Christ’s sepulcher. The man wearing a long orange-red gown and a long-haired figure on the left is probably Saint John with one of the Mary’s probably Mary Magdalene kneeling at his feet.

The two unidentified figures in the paintings range from Nicodemus to one of the Mary’s while the figure on the far right is a Holy woman maybe Mary Salome. The large unfinished area at the bottom right in the painting was intended to be used for Virgin Mary in kneeling form. The painting was intended to be viewed from below and thus this explained the floating appearance of some of the figures.

There were many unfinished parts in the painting The Entombment such as the cloak of the missing Virgin. The painting was in short supply and it would have required quantities of the expensive lapis lazuli blue and it could be the reason as to why this was held up for completion which explains the fact as to why it was unfinished. However, even if this was the reason behind the unfinished painting, it would not explain why the artist not completed many other parts of the painting The Entombment that did not require any expensive lapis lazuli blue.

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