Shades and Shadows

 The Procession of the Trojan Horse in Troy, 1773, oil on canvas by Giovanni Domenici Tiepolo whose father was Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.

 Domenici was a painter, engraver and etcher and worked frequently with his father as the two influenced Goya.

  In this familiar myth based on the Aeneid by Virgil, the horse was drawn into Troy during the Trojan War, but it hid Greek soldiers who opened the gates in the night and conquered the city.

  Nobelreiter (Fog Riders), 1896, oil tempera on canvas by Albert Welti, Swiss, 1862-1912.

  Welti was a student at the Munich Academy and a pupil of Arnold Bocklin whose influence can be seen here. This artist depicted dreams and nightmares and scenes from Wagnerian operas.

 The painting is in the Basel Public Art Collection in Basel, Switzerland. 

 The Dejected Lady, 1881, oil on canvas by James Ensor, Belgian expressionist painter and printmaker, 1860-1949.

 Critics cited this painting for its use of color and light and it is unlike much of Ensor’s other works. Ensor often posed and dressed skeletons in his studio to paint them in realistic scenes.

 This lady is and a sad and contemplative figure surrounded by light. The viewer has to wonder what she is thinking. It may be found in the Musees Royaux des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, Belgium, where Ensor spent his lifetime.

 Allfaire Benevolent Society, 1863, oil on canvas by Brian Percy Mann, Austrian born in 1800. This painting is in The Library and Museum of Freemasonry in London, England. 

 Benevolent societies were established in 1650 as mutual savings or insurance societies and they flourished during the 18th and 19th centuries. In the event of unemployment, sickness or death, members could apply and receive aid.

 Except maybe here where grim faced, pointing men at the center  disagree on the benefits claimed by the sad little people at the left. The name of the society is also a clue.

  Abandoned, 1903, oil on wood by Luigi Nono, Italian, 1850-1918. 

  This painting of two children which can be assumed to be brother and protective older sister is in the Museo d’Arts Moderna Ca’Pesaro in Venice, Italy.

 Monk Feeding the Poor, oil on canvas by Louis Gallait, Belgian, 1810-1887. This painting is in the Neue Pinakotaek in Munich, Germany.

Gallait was known for his realism in painting, faithfulness to costume of the period and color. He was also a distinguished portrait painter.

 Peace, oil on canvas by George Grosz, German, 1893-1959.

 Grosz was bitterly anti-Nazi and left for America before Hitler came to power. All of his art reflected his despair, hate and disillusionment.. A sad figure, he returned to Germany after the war and died from injuries sustained in a fall down a staircase after a night of drinking.

  In this reflective painting, Grosz shows a man emerging into the light from the rubble of war. The work is in the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, USA.

 The Apparition in the Woods, 1825, by Moritz von Schwind, Austrian, 1804-1871. The scene is a pen and brown ink with brown wash drawing and is in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., USA.

 von Schwind was a painter, graphic artist and designer. He worked on book illustrations and woodcuts for Filegende Blotter, a humorous Munich periodical.  He was also a friend of composer Franz Schubert. 

  The Shades and Shadows Hansom Cab waits on a snowy New York street to welcome followers levanthian, zildastreetart, dj-esusface, malicethroughlookingglass, cripples-n-bits, somethingwickedwhichwaycomes, designrobertdlusher, pink-lemonade-rose, czanghi, amr1885, draklorleah. heroicaction000, clarisajs, h8syndrome, ansperam, despondentmind, thecamical, arsonforest, gurresblood, alwayswithgratitude, puckrobinson, sailghostsail, wehunger, cautionscage, wellingtons-travel-map-blog, keepmymindoccupied, memoryepsilon, gaiapictures, onedaay, adamreale, ameliaarcana, teargasprivileged, whoreofabaddon, chapelofmyrrh, kot-z-cheshire, marcelocalquin, grinchy-m8, depurated, aopium, laboraduvar, gideonjagged, a-r-t-emisia, canoneallaquinta and isobelgowdie.

 Sit back and relax. It won’t take long to reach Washington, D.C. 

  Street Scene with Hansom Cab, 1887, oil on canvas by Frederick Childe Hassam, American impressionist and illustrator.

 Hassam opened his own magazine illustration studio in New work and worked in watercolor, oil, etching and lithograph.

 Fortune Teller, 1630s, oil on canvas by Georges de Latour, French, 1593-1652, Baroque era painter.

 The young, naive man is having his fortune told and his pockets picked for not paying attention. This was a subject popular among Caravaggesque artists.

 This painting is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, USA.