Did You Know?

Natural Ultramarine was as valuable as gold during the Renaissance, costing per ounce more than half the annual rent of a good size studio in Florence. Made from crushed semi-precious stone lapis lazuli, it was considered one of the three purest colors beside gold and vermillion and a reflection of God's glory.  Because of its high cost it was reserved by artists for the most revered subjects such as the robes of Madonna and Christ.

Did You Know?

The “Battle of Gettysburg” is the largest painting in the world.  It was painted in 1883 by Paul Philippoteaux and sixteen assisatants.  It took two and a half years to complete and is 410  feet long, 70 feet high and weighs 11,792 pounds.

Did You Know?

During Renaissance and particularly in 1500s artistic painting was not considered a suitable occupation for a gentleman. Since painting involved working with hands, artists were considered craftsmen and were given the same social standing as tailors or shoemakers. The last thing you parents wanted to hear was that you’d decided to become an artist. Well...I suppose that hasn’t changed much!

Did You Know?

Salvador Dali believed he was his dead brother's reincarnation. There is also a portrait or a silhouette of Dali in every one of his paintings. Shades of Alfred Hitchcock BEFORE Hitchcock!

Did You Know?

Henri Matisse’s painting, “Le Bateau” was put the right way up after hanging upside-down for 46 days without anyone noticing at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, America. It happened to Georgia O’Keefee, too, with “The Lawrence Tree” painting.