The Transit of Venus

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1883, children, John George Brown, painting, transit of venus

The Transit of Venus by John George Brown (1883)

Private collection (found it here and here)

Venus and Anchises

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anchises, mythology, painting, venus

William Blake Richmond’s Venus and Anchises (1889 or 1890).

Anchises major claim to fame in Greek mythology is that he was a mortal lover of the goddess Aphrodite (and in Roman mythology, the lover of Venus). One version is that Aphrodite pretended to be a Phrygian princess and seduced him for nearly two weeks of lovemaking. Anchises learned that his lover was a goddess only nine months later, when she revealed herself and presented him with the infant Aeneas. Aphrodite had warned him that if he boasted of the affair, he would be blasted by the thunderbolt of Zeus. He did and was scorched and/or crippled.

The storm spirits

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allegorical painting, crashing waves, dark wings, Evelyn De Morgan, Lightening, oasis of calm, painting, Rain, Spiritualism, Symbolism, Thunder, Thunderclouds

the storm spirits by Evelyn De Morgan (1900)

Evelyn De Morgan often chose to portray the elements within her work. Here, Rain, Lighting and Thunder are personified as strong, beautiful women with billowing drapery.

To the left, dressed in yellow, is the spirit of Rain pouring grey water from a never-ending vial. To the right, Lightning – a red-winged figure with winged feet, hurls lightning bolts into the storm.  At the top centre is the spirit of the Thunderclouds, dressed in dark blue with her dark wings and draperies merging into the thunderclouds around her. In the centre is a small oasis of calm, showing a seashore not yet affected by the storm that these spirits are raising and offering hope for a calmer future.

http://www.demorgan.org.uk

Paris and Mercury

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Italy, mercury, mythology, painting, paris, rome

Paris and Mercury by Annibale Carracci (1597) at Farnese Gallery, Rome

The Pleiades

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art, mythology, painting, pleiades

The Pleiades by Elihu Vedder (1885)

Falling Star

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falling star, painting, sky, star, starry sky

Falling Star, 1884

by Witold Pruszkowski (Polish, 1846—1896)

First Touch of Winter

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allegory, painting, seasons, summer, winter

At the First Touch of Winter, Summer Fades Away

by Valentine Cameron Prinsep, 1897

Priestess of Delphi

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Delphi, divination, John Collier, painting, priestess

Priestess of Delphi

The priestess of the oracle at ancient Delphi, Greece. (1891)

John Collier (1850–1934)

In the painting, “Priestess of Delphi” by The Honorable John Collier, a priestess – the Pythia – is depicted in a trance state, seated over a fissure in the rock through which vapors rise from the underground stream. In her left hand is a sprig of laurel – in Greek mythology, Apollo’s sacred tree – and in the other hand a bowl meant to hold some of the water from the stream containing the gases.British artist and writer John Maler Collier (1850-1934) was born in London and painted in the Classicist and Pre-Raphaelite styles. He studied under Sir Edward Poynter in Paris and was influenced by the work of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema and Sir John Everett Millais. During his lifetime he was named an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) – granting him the title “Honorable” – and was one of the 24 founding members of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters established in 1891.

Children of the planet Sun

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children, Jan Breughel II, planet, sun

Jan Brueghel the Younger – Children of the planet Sun

God creating the Sun, the Moon and the Stars

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creation, god, jan brueghel II, moon, painting, stars, sun, zodiac signs

Jan Brueghel the Younger – God creating the Sun, the Moon and the Stars(17^th century)