Alchemists

Alchemy, a proto-science practiced since antiquity, included elements of chemistry, astrology, magic, mysticism and others. It intended to accomplish several goals, like the transmutation of metals into gold, the elixir of a long life or panacea, the creation of artificial life (homunculus). It had a great development in the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

A alquimia, proto-ciência praticada desde a Antiguidade, compreendia elementos de química, astrologia, magia, misticismo e outros. Propunha-se realizar vários objectivos: transmutação dos metais em ouro, elixir da longa vida ou panaceia, criação de vida humana artificial (homúnculos). Teve grande desenvolvimento na Idade Média e Renascença.

David Ryckaert III (1612-1661)-'the alchemist in his laboratory'-oil on canvas   Madrid-Museo del Prado

Jan van der Straet or Giovanni Stradano (1523-1605)-'alchemist's laboratory (distillatio)'-oil on canvas   Firenze-Studiolo di Francesco I

Cornelius Pieterszoon Bega (1631-1664)-'alchemist'-oil on panel-1663   Malibu-J. Paul Getty Museum

William Fettes Douglas (1822-1891)-'the alchemist'-1853   London-Victoria and Albert Museum

Thomas Wick (1616-1677)-'the alchemist in his laboratory'-oil on panel   St Petersburg-Hermitage

Colonization and defense of Brazil

During the war of religions in France, Villegagnon settled in Rio de Janeiro. The Dutch settled in the Northeast. The Battle of Guararapes against the Dutch (19th April 1648) marked the withdrawal of the invaders.

Durante o período da guerra das religiões em França, Villegagnon instalou-se no Rio de Janeiro. Os Holandeses instalaram-se no Nordeste. A Batalha de Guararapes contra os Holandeses (19 de Abril de 1648) marcou o afastamento dos invasores.

Fray Juan Bautista Maino (ca 1578-1649)-'the recapture of Bahia in 1625'-oil on canvas-(1634-1635)   Madrid-Museo del Prado

Benedicto Calixto de Jesus (1853-1927)-'departing of Estácio de Sá in São Vicente in 1565'-oil on canvas   Rio de Janeiro-Palácio de São Joaquim

Benedicto Calixto de Jesus (1853-1927)-'foundation of Santos'-oil on canvas-1900   São Vicente-Prefeitura Municipal

Oscar Pereira da Silva (1865-1939)-'foundation of São Paulo, 1554'-oil on canvas-1909   São Paulo-Museu Paulista ('Museu do Ipiranga')

Victor Meirelles de Lima (1832-1903)-'batalha de Guararapes'-oil on canvas-1879   Rio de Janeiro-Museu Nacional de Belas Artes

Notre Dame of Paris

The construction of this catholic basilica, on the 'île de la cité' started in the year 1163. Next to the building site of the basilica there was 'Saint Etienne' raised by Childebert around 528.

Construíram esta basílica católica na 'île de la cité' a partir do ano de 1163. Junto do local da edificação existia a basílica de 'Saint Étienne' levantada por Childebert cerca de 528.

Johann Barthold Jongkind (1819-1891)-'river Seine and Notre Dame of Paris'-oil on canvas

Johann Barthold Jongkind (1819-1891)-'Notre Dame of Paris, seen from the pont de l'Archiveché'-oil on canvas-1849

Albert Lebourg (1849-1928)-'bedside of the Notre Dame of Paris'-oil on panel-ca 1900   Private collection

Constantin Kousnetzoff (1863-1935)-'morning light on Notre Dame of Paris'-oil on canvas   Private collection

Hippolyte Sebron (1801-1879)-'christening of the count of the Paris in the church May 2, 1841'-oil on canvas-1842   Versailles-Musée National du Château et des Trianons

Joos de Momper (II) (1564-1635)

This Dutch painter worked with his compatriot Jan Brueghel (1568-1625) on some occasions. He chose diverse themes.

Este pintor Holandês trabalhou por vezes com o seu compatriota Jan Brueghel (1568-1625). Escolheu temas diversificados.

Joos de Momper (II) (1564-1635) and Jan Brueghel (1568-1625)-'village street in winter'-oil on canvas   Hanover-Niedersächsisches Landesmuseum

Joos de Momper (II) (1564-1635) and Jan Brueghel (1568-1625)-'harbor landscape with storm-fixing'-oil on canvas      Hanover-Niedersächsisches Landesmuseum

Joos de Momper (II) (1564-1635)-'Spring' 'Fruchling' oil on canvas   Braunschweig-Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum

Joos de Momper (II) (1564-1635)-'Flemish village fair'-oil on canvas     Nancy-Musée des Beaux-Arts

Joos de Momper (II) (1564-1635)-'Helicon or Minerva's visit to the Muses'-oil on panel   Antwerp-Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten  

Philoctetes

Sophocles and other Greek writers tell the story of this prince of Thessaly, an Argonaut and a companion of Heracles. Bitten by a snake when he was leaving for the Trojan War, he ended up abandoned on the island of Lemnos. His captivity ends (Homer in the Iliad) when Odysseus and Neoptolemus visited him because the Greeks thought they would only win the war if they had the arrows poisoned with Hydra’s blood received by Heracles.

Sófocles e outros autores gregos contam a história deste príncipe da Tessália, argonauta e companheiro de Héracles. Mordido por uma serpente quando embarcava para a guerra de Tróia, acaba abandonado na ilha de Lemnos. O seu cativeiro termina (Homero na Ilíada) quando recebeu a visita de Ulisses e Neoptolemo porque os gregos pensavam que só venceriam a guerra ao estar de posse das flechas envenenadas no sangue da Hidra de Lerna, recebidas de Héracles.

Nikolaj Abraham Abildgaard-'the wounded Philoctetes'-oil on canvas   Copenhagen-Statens Museum for Kunst

Achille-Etna Michallon (1796-1822)-'landscape with Philoctetes on the island of Lemnos'-oil on canvas   Canberre-National Gallery of Australia

François-Xavier Fabre (1766-1833)-'Ulysses and Neoptolemus taking Hercules' arrows from Philoctetes'-oil on canvas

Vincenzo Baldacci-'dying Philoctetes on the island Lemnos'-(1802-1813)

Jean-Germain Drouais (1763-1788)-'Philoctetes on Lemnos'-1788   Chartres-Musée des Beaux-Arts

Florence

The past of this city is characterized by medieval problems like the plague and wars of the Guelphs and the Ghibellines. The city is also known by its sailors, bankers, plastic artists and Renaissance writers, as well as queens from France and popes.

No passado desta cidade há problemas medievais como a peste e as guerras de Guelfos e Gibelinos. Também há navegadores, banqueiros, artistas plásticos e escritores renascentistas; rainhas de França e Papas.

Thomas Cole (1801-1848)-'view of Florence from San Miniato'-1837

Antonietta Brandeis (1849-1910)-'Ponte Vecchio'-oil on canvas

Fabio Borbottoni (1820-1902)-'Florence: Piazza del mercato'   Firenze-Cassia di Risparmio

François-Xavier Fabre (1766-1833)-'Allen Smith seated above the river Arno contempling Florence'-oil on canvas-1797   Cambridge (UK)-Fitzwilliam Museum

Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574)-'siege of Florence'-fresco-1530   Firenze-Palazzo Vecchio (sala Clemente VII)

Vladimir Ilyich Ulianov (Lenin) (1870-1924)

He manifested his opposition to the Czar’s regime since his youth in Kasan. He was part of the founders of the Communist Party. After the 1917 revolution he became President of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR. He has been considered one of the most influential politicians of the 20th century.

Revelou-se adversário do regime do Czar desde a sua juventude em Kasan. Pertenceu aos fundadores do Partido Comunista. Após a revolução de 1917 tornou-se Presidente do Conselho dos Comissários do Povo da URSS. Tem sido considerado como um dos políticos mais influentes do séc. XX.

Isaak Izrailevich Brodsky (1883-1939)-'Lenin in front Smolny'-oil on canvas

Isaak Izrailevich Brodsky (1883-1939)-'Lenin in ront Kremlin'-oil on panel   St Petersburg-Isaak Izrailevich Brodsky House Museum

Wladimir Aleksandrovich Serow (1910-1968)-'Lenin conversing the peasants'-oil on canvas

Aleksei Aleksandrovich Vasiliev (20th century)-'Lenin and Stalin'-oil on canvas

Piotr Petrovich Beloussov (1912-1889)-'Lenin with delegates to the 3rd Komsomol-Congress-oil on canvas-1920   Moscow-Central Revolutionary Museum

Religious Italy by Karl Bruloff (1799-1852)

Some of the reasons which explain the interest of Italians’ in religion were reflected on Karl Bruloff’s paintings (1799-1852).

Alguns motivos do interesse dos Italianos pela religião ficaram registados na pintura de Karl Bruloff (1799-1852).

Karl Bruloff (1799-1852)-'pifferary in front of Madonna'-oil on canvas-1825   Moscow-The Tretyakov Gallery of Fine Arts

Karl Bruloff (1799-1852)-'pilgrims at the entrance of Lateran Basilica'-oil on canvas-1825   Moscow-The Tretyakov Gallery of Fine Arts

Karl Bruloff (1799-1852)-'confession on an Italian woman'-watercolor on paper-(1827-1830)   St Petersburg-Russian Museum

Karl Bruloff (1799-1852)-'Nun's dream'-watercolor on paper-1831  St Petersburg-  Russian Museum  

Karl Bruloff (1799-1852)-'Italian woman lightning a lamp in front of the image of Madonna'-watercolor on paper-1835   Moscow-The Tretyakov Gallery of Fine Arts

Golden Age

Some mythologies associate human existence on earth to four ages (gold, silver, bronze and iron). For some Greeks, the golden age would be located in Arcadia. In Greco-Roman culture it appears in Hesiod (Works and Days), Virgil (Georgics, I) and Ovid (Metamorphoses, I).

Algumas mitologias associam o homem a quatro idades (ouro, prata, bronze e ferro) da sua existência. Para certos gregos, a idade do ouro localizar-se-ia na Arcádia. Na cultura greco-romana surge em Hesíodo (Trabalhos e Dias), Virgílio (Geórgicas, I) e Ovídio (Metamorfoses, I).

Joachim Antoniszoon Wtewael (1566-1658)-'the golden age'-oilon copper-1606   New York-Metropolitan Museum of Arts

Frank Pauwel (1540-1596)-'love in the golden age'-oil on canvas   Wien-Kunsthistoriches Museum (Gemäldegalerie)

Jacopo Zucchi (1540-1586)-'the golden age'-oil on wood-1570   Firenze-Galleria degli Uffizi

Hendrik van Limborch (1681-1759)-'the pleasure of golden age'-oil on canvas-1718   Paris-Musée du Louvre

Pietro Berretini or da Cortona (1596-1669)-'the golden age'-fresco   Firenze-Palazzo Pitti (sala della stufa)

Harpies

The Harpies were avenging evil spirits. Podarge appears in the Iliad (XVI, 150) as the mother of the wind Zephyr.

As Hárpias eram espíritos malignos vingadores. A Podarge surge na Ilíada (XVI; 150) como mãe do vento Zéfiro.

Matthäus Merian the younger (1621-1687)-'Harpies' in Ulisse Aldovandri; Monstruorum historia, Bologna (1643)

Attr. Kleophrades painter-'Phineus and the Harpy'-attic-(red-figure)-(hydria-kalpis)-ca 480 BC   Malibu-J. Paul Getty (Malibu 85 AE 316)

Unknown painter-'Boreads and the Harpy'-laconian-(black-figure)-kylix-ca 550 BC   Roma-Museo Nazionale di Villa Giulia

Leninegrad painter-'Phineus and the Boreads'-attic-(red-figure)-column krater-ca 460 BC-Altamura   Paris-Musée du Louvre (G 364)

Phineus painter-'Boreads pursuing the Harpies'-chlacidians-(black-figure)-eye cup-(530-520 BC)-Vulci   Würzburg-Martin von Wagner Museum (L 164)