The Exhibition
Love's joys and pains have provided rich subjects for artists over the centuries.
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Although this young woman is alone, it seems that her beloved is present in her thoughts. Behind her, a painting shows Cupid, Roman god of love, holding up a single playing card. This image was probably meant to show faithfulness to one true love.
The woman is playing a virginal (an instrument that sounds rather like a harp). Music was often associated with love in the Netherlands of Vermeer's own time. The empty chair near the woman may be ready for her loved one's arrival.
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The man in this scene is flirting suggestively with the woman by offering her an oyster. This shellfish was thought to stimulate feelings of desire. The woman holds a wineglass, and her relaxed pose suggests that she has already been drinking. In seventeenth-century Netherlands, drunkenness was seen as leading to sin, including sexual misbehaviour.
Steen has suggested a possible next stage of the relationship by placing another couple beside the bed in the background.
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The Italian master Tiepolo has shown Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, holding a splendid banquet. The impressive display was part of her courtship of Mark Antony, a Roman general. Cleopatra holds up one of her magnificent pearls, which she is about to dissolve in wine and then drink. Mark Antony leans back in amazement in his seat.
Antony and Cleopatra's love affair ended tragically after they were defeated in battle against Roman forces. Cleopatra killed herself with the bite of a snake, and Antony fell on his sword.
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Goya shows an upper-class Spanish couple, dressed in splendid yellow silks. They have apparently begun a flirtatious picnic. However, the young man is now lying on the ground, seemingly drunk. An empty wine bottle lies beside him.
Another man is now making advances to the young woman. He is one of a group of majos, who were townspeople known for their bold manners and distinctively Spanish fashions. Another man in the group turns away, showing his long hair tied in a net; a style often worn by majo men.
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In this image, the artist Rabindra Singh shows the emptiness of celebrity worship. A young man is pictured despairingly in love with the long-dead American movie star Marilyn Monroe.
The picture's theme of longing for a loved one was inspired by traditional Indian music. However, its title is a quote from an American pop song. The painting is one of 'The Art of Loving' series by twin sisters Rabindra and Amrit Singh. These scenes explore the influence of romantic music on ideas of love.
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This scene expresses the joy of a young woman preparing to meet her boyfriend. She is shown using modern accessories and products to create a traditional style of beauty. A parrot in flight represents her heart soaring with love. She gracefully turns away from a portrait of the American celebrity Madonna, who has used Indian-inspired decoration simply as body art.
This picture follows a miniature tradition in which figures or scenes represent individual emotions. The pictures link to themes in Indian classical music.
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The ancient legend of Medea told of her deep love for the Greek hero Jason. She helped him win the magical Golden Fleece, which allowed him to become king of Thessaly (the Fleece is shown hanging from trees behind Medea).
However, Jason later rejected her for another woman, and Medea took violent revenge. Pre-Raphaelite follower Sandys has shown Medea cursing thread for a dress that will burst into flames when worn by her rival. Shockingly, in the story, Medea then killed the children she had by Jason.
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Two friends are shown waiting together in a splendid Roman villa. Without knowing it (the 'unconscious' of the picture's title), they have apparently set their hearts on the same man. A large statue shows the young Cupid, Roman god of love, taking off a mask. This detail suggests that the women's love rivalry is also about to be unmasked.
London artist Alma-Tadema probably intended the male gallery visitor of the 1890s to imagine himself as the man the women are waiting for.
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An inheritance allowed Thomas Coltman to marry his sweetheart Mary Barlow in 1769, when they were both about twenty-four. Wright has shown them linked by their affectionate gestures. Thomas lays an arm across his wife's lap, while she gazes fondly towards him. Sunshine and carefully harmonised bright colours suggest the pair's well-matched happiness.
Joseph Wright and Thomas Coltman were friends. Their closeness perhaps helped Wright to achieve this fine informal portrait.
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