# This Might Be Fun: Post A Link To Your Favorite Work Of Art **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 16, 2004, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-might-be-fun-post-a-link-to-your-favorite-work-of-art/255441 "2004-07-16T16:25:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![PussyCow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/22d042/32.png) [@PussyCow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PussyCow)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2004, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-might-be-fun-post-a-link-to-your-favorite-work-of-art/255441/21 "2004-07-16T20:18:25Z")
Who: Terry Pond What:[Belly up to the Wiener Bar](http://www.wiener-dog.com/weinerbar.html) When: ? Where: ? Why: I’m a wiener dog nut. I’m particularly smitten with the sunbathing wiener dog girl painting in the background. ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2004, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-might-be-fun-post-a-link-to-your-favorite-work-of-art/255441/22 "2004-07-16T20:18:34Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Titian’s [Young Englishman](http://www.artprints-on-demand.co.uk/noframes/titian/portrait_englishman.htm)…Makes the _Mona Lisa_ look like a big, steaming pile o’ crap. Not to mention the fact it puts Ofili’s [The Holy Virgin Mary](http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/gallery/image/0,8543,-11504640117,00.html) to shame. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2004, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-might-be-fun-post-a-link-to-your-favorite-work-of-art/255441/23 "2004-07-16T20:30:22Z")
**Who:** Hokusai **What** : [The Great Wave at Kanagawa](http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/hokusai/great-wave.jpg) **When:** 1830-32 **Where:** [The Metropolitan Museum of Art](http://www.metmuseum.org/Works_of_Art/viewOnezoom.asp?dep=6&zoomFlag=0&viewmode=0&item=JP1847), New York City, NY **Why** :I felt that a non-Western artist ought to be represented here, and who better than Hokusai, whose _Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji_ is generally acknowledged as the masterwork of _ukiyo-e_ (lit. “floating world,” scenes of daily llife) prints. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2004, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-might-be-fun-post-a-link-to-your-favorite-work-of-art/255441/24 "2004-07-16T20:57:36Z")
**WHO** Edouard Manet **WHAT** [A Bar at the Folles-Bergere](http://www.abcgallery.com/M/manet/manet46.html) **WHERE** [Sommerset House, The Strand, London](http://www.touruk.co.uk/london_museums/somersethouse_museum1.htm) **WHY** When I was stressed out as a student at King’s College London, I would take time out to spend a few minutes with this young lady who’s eyes could calm the troubles of the world. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2004, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-might-be-fun-post-a-link-to-your-favorite-work-of-art/255441/25 "2004-07-16T21:01:47Z")
**Who:** Vincent van Gogh **What** : [Wheat Field with Crows](http://www.vangoghgallery.com/painting/p_0779.htm) **When:** July 1890 **Where:** [Van Gogh Museum](http://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/), Amsterdam, Netherlands **Why** :This painting is an incredible Impressionist masterpiece best viewed in person. The brushstrokes are genius, with a lot of emotion evident in the strokes. Plus it’s a bit controversial as some say it was Van Gogh’s image of suicide (although it’s not his last work). As a second, any oil painting which survives from Da Vinci. Especially when compared to other artists of his time, his skill is amazing. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2004, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-might-be-fun-post-a-link-to-your-favorite-work-of-art/255441/26 "2004-07-16T22:06:55Z")
**Who:** Greek sculptor, 100 years BC **What:** the eight feet tall [Winged Victory of Samothrace](http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/art/greek/10_97_5_120.jpg). She once overlooked a Greek harbour, then spent two millenia on the seafloor and was put together fom 100 pieces of marble by a French archeolgist in 1863. **When** : 100 years BC **Where:** The Louvre, Paris, where she has an entire staircase to herself. **Why** : I was prepared to yawn at the statue in inverted snobbery, because it _is_ so world-famous. I couldn’t. I could only look at her, for half an hour, just feeling elated at the grace, the majesty. I felt like _I_ could fly. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2004, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-might-be-fun-post-a-link-to-your-favorite-work-of-art/255441/27 "2004-07-16T22:08:25Z")
**Who:** [Georges Seurat](http://www.artic.edu/aic/exhibitions/seurat/seurat_selected.html) **What:** [Sunday Afternoon on the Isle of La Grande Jatte](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Sundayafternoon.JPG) **When:** 1880ish **Where:** [The Art Institute of Chicago](http://www.artic.edu), 111 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL USA. **Why:** The look on the face of the little girl in the middle of the painting. It’s haunting. The painting is also an emotional touchstone in one of my favorite movies: _Ferris Bueller’s Day Off_. ---
**Author:** ![PucksRaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecd19e/32.png) [@PucksRaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PucksRaven)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2004, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-might-be-fun-post-a-link-to-your-favorite-work-of-art/255441/28 "2004-07-16T23:01:52Z")
Cool topic. Like an art history tour. Who: Dante Gabriel Rosseti What: Proserpine [http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/rossetti/prosperine.jpg](http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/rossetti/prosperine.jpg) When: 1874 Where: Tate Gallery, London Why: I’m a nut for Post-Raphelite art to begin with as well as classical myth. There’s something about her eyes in this . . . sorrow and loss and self-blame. She knows she’s trapped in the Underworld and it’s her own fault for eating the pomegrante (in her hand). I have a small copy that hangs in my room and one day I want to by a good sized print as well. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2004, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-might-be-fun-post-a-link-to-your-favorite-work-of-art/255441/29 "2004-07-16T23:18:38Z")
Who: Hans-Werner Sahm What: [Waterfall](https://www.sahm-bilder.com/warenkorb/vorlage-h.php3?bildnummer=0048&language=1) Why: I like all of Sahm’s stuff, but this is currently my favorite. His works take me away to fantasy worlds where light is nearly palpable and things are never quite what they seem. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2004, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-might-be-fun-post-a-link-to-your-favorite-work-of-art/255441/30 "2004-07-16T23:30:25Z")
> [@JohnBckWLD](#): > > Why: It’s difficult to say. I have to stare whenever I see it. If I had to whittle it down; I guess it’s the blend of beauty and sorrow. Unlike most pieces, it’s easy to identify with - the subject of the piece is from Dante’s Inferno; where Count Ugolino & his children were imprisoned without food & eventually offer themselves as food for their father. So, did he eat them??? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2004, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-might-be-fun-post-a-link-to-your-favorite-work-of-art/255441/31 "2004-07-17T00:11:02Z")
Who: Franz Xaver Winterhalter What: [Portrait of Leonilla, Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn](http://www.getty.edu/art/collections/objects/oz910.html) When: 1843 Where: The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles Why: Every time I’ve been to the Getty, I simply can’t leave the room this painting is hanging in. I have to stop and just stare at her. Part of it is sheer technical excellence. The play of light and shadows in the folds of her dress are amazing. You half expect that you could feel the texture of the silk if you touched the painting. But mostly, it’s her face. Her expression looks half-bored, like she’s an educted, witty woman who’s slightly put-out with having to have her portrait painted. And, goddamn, if she isn’t the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Her freakin’ _eyebrows_ are sexy. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2004, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-might-be-fun-post-a-link-to-your-favorite-work-of-art/255441/32 "2004-07-17T00:37:10Z")
Who: Van Eyck What: [The Betrothal of the Arnolfini](http://www.artchive.com/artchive/V/van_eyck/arnlfini.jpg.html) When: 1434 Where: National Gallery, London Why: I love the lighting, the detail, the people … it makes me feel as if I really once was there (perhaps in another life?) P.S. **gum** : I _love_ Hopper and “Gas” in particular. ---
**Author:** ![vl\_mungo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc8723/32.png) [@vl\_mungo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vl_mungo)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2004, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-might-be-fun-post-a-link-to-your-favorite-work-of-art/255441/33 "2004-07-17T00:51:01Z")
[Bats](http://www.ralphsteadman.com/images/00art/art02/02batscolor.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2004, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-might-be-fun-post-a-link-to-your-favorite-work-of-art/255441/34 "2004-07-17T00:53:53Z")
At the risk of starting a precedent that everyone so far has resisted, I feel compelled to submit my “other favourite”. Who: Dali What: [Metamorphosis of Narcissus](http://www.ug.bcc.bilkent.edu.tr/~mcaliska/1937_Metamorphosis%20of%20Narcissus.jpg) When: 1937 Why: In addition to loving its usual Dali dream-like quality, and its stereotyped but pleasing visual _double entendre_, I am enthralled by this image on a much deeper level. Whenever I see it, I am simultaneously repelled and intrigued by what I will call its “visceral sexuality”. Dali seems to understand, at some fundamental and visual level, the centre of a man’s sexual being. ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2004, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-might-be-fun-post-a-link-to-your-favorite-work-of-art/255441/35 "2004-07-17T01:06:49Z")
Who: Henri Fantin-Latour (1836-1904) What: [Roses and Larkspur](http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/paintingflowers/full_res/roses_larkspur_fantin-latour.shtml) Although this is not the same painting I saw it’s very close. I first heard of Fantin-Latour while attending a traveling exhibit at the Speed Museum in Louisville. It was of Impressionists and I was more than bit overwhelmed at being surrounded by works of Millet, Matisse, Monet, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cassat, etc. At the back of the exhibit I stopped dead in my tracks in front of this marvelous work of flowers. It looked so simple yet so rich and vibrant. All I could do was look at it and murmur “wow” to myself. As I stood there a woman walked by, stopped suddenly, and exclaimed “Wow!” I almost laughed out loud with delight that someone else saw what I did. ---
**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2004, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-might-be-fun-post-a-link-to-your-favorite-work-of-art/255441/36 "2004-07-17T01:16:47Z")
The El Greco painting “Portrait of a Cardinal” is one of my favorites. When I saw it I was a teenager and I remember a placard saying that the cardinal had been an inquisitor. If that was the case, you only have to take one look at his facial expression to know why it was not a good thing to get into trouble with the Inquisition. [http://www.abcgallery.com/E/elgreco/elgreco14.html](http://www.abcgallery.com/E/elgreco/elgreco14.html) ---
**Author:** ![Hoops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoops/32/6408_2.png) [@Hoops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoops)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2004, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-might-be-fun-post-a-link-to-your-favorite-work-of-art/255441/37 "2004-07-17T01:29:07Z")
What a cool thread! I don’t have a contribution yet, but if I may be allowed a brief hijack, for those viewing this under Mac OSX–hey, it could happen!–there is an underadvertised feature which can make viewing the images cooler. Go to System Preferences-\>Universal Access-\>Seeing and Turn On Zoom. Now you can zoom in on the images with option-command+ and zoom out with option-command- (that’s a minus on the end there). Sorry for the hijack, but I use this all the time and it has come in especially handy with this thread. And now, back to the art! ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2004, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-might-be-fun-post-a-link-to-your-favorite-work-of-art/255441/38 "2004-07-17T01:35:00Z")
Who: [Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema](http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/alma-tadema_sir_lawrence.html) **What** : [‘_Unconscious Rivals_’](http://cgfa.sunsite.dk/alma/p-alma11.htm) When: 1893 Where: Bristol Museum and Art Gallery. Why: The richness of the colors, the detail and the implicit question and backstory lurking within the image. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2004, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-might-be-fun-post-a-link-to-your-favorite-work-of-art/255441/39 "2004-07-17T01:47:50Z")
Even though I’m one of those “I don’t know art, but I know what I like” types: Who: Dali What: [Persistence of memory](http://www.usc.edu/schools/annenberg/asc/projects/comm544/library/images/341.jpg) When: 1931 Why: Tough to say. Who: Pierre Auguste Cot What: [Le Printemps](http://www.hearts-ease.org/featured/01/springtime.jpg) When: 1873 Why: I just like the expression on the girl’s face. ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2004, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-might-be-fun-post-a-link-to-your-favorite-work-of-art/255441/40 "2004-07-17T02:31:49Z")
Andrea del Sarto, Protrait of a Young Man [http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/cgi-bin/WebObjects.dll/CollectionPublisher.woa/wa/work?workNumber=NG690](http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/cgi-bin/WebObjects.dll/CollectionPublisher.woa/wa/work?workNumber=NG690) In the National Gallery, London. I first saw this painting in an art history class where the classroom was kitted out with huge rear-projection slide screens – up until that point, it had all been landscapes and Renaissance renderings of churches and Madonnas – I was absolutely riveted by this young man, because he looks a heck of a lot like my beloved oldest brother – especially the ‘What?!’ look on his face, as if his wee sister was bugging him again. The lecturer was only flipping through a few of these paintings quickly, so I never caught the painter’s name – so I was a tiny bit surprised to be in the National Gallery 15 years later to come face to face with this painting – I had been searching for it for years any time I came across an art book. Now every time I am at home and wish to be comforted or just feel a bit lonely, I trot down to the Gallery and have a bit of a sit with him. Sometimes I feel he knows exactly what I’m thinking. But the first time I go into the Sainsbury Wing and clap eyes on him after a long abscence, it really is like suddenly seeing an old friend again. Silly, I suppose! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-might-be-fun-post-a-link-to-your-favorite-work-of-art/255441.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-might-be-fun-post-a-link-to-your-favorite-work-of-art/255441.md?page=3)