I wanted to do a thread of stunning, spooky and/or sad paintings I love, so that's exactly what I'm going to do.

Starting with 'Moonlit Landscape with Fishermen' - Pietro Giacomo Palmieri (1737 - 1804)
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#gothic #fineart #painting #darkart #inspiration #gloomy #spooky

Caspar David Friedrich is possibly best known for 'Wanderer above the Sea of Fog', but the contained simplicity and warmth of 'Willow Bush under a Setting Sun', (dated somewhere between 1832-1835) makes it a favourite of mine.

Anything with barren trees and wintery landscapes by Caspar David Friedrich is worth investigating tbf. The Tree of Crows, (1822) is one such example.

#art #crows #trees #winter #artthread #CasparDavidFriedrich #barren

As I've been on a literary monk binge recently (Lewis, Maturin, Chekhov), this haunting piece by Hermann David Salomon Corrodi, 'Walk of the Monks to the Mountain Monastery of Athos' (1905) is definitely worth including.

Oswald Achenbach (1827–1905) was a renowned & acclaimed part of the Düsseldorf school & his landscapes are considered among the best of the era. They tend to be heavy & foreboding, but the almost monochrome simplicity of his 'Romantic Forest Landscape in Moonlight' is amazing

The swell and the squall, the screaming in the darkness. It's all so viscerally present in Marcus Larson's Nocturnal Marine with Burning Ship (circa 1855).

Marcus Larson (1825-1864) was a Swedish landscape painter, whose dramatic and captivatingly intimidating images displayed the ultimate power of nature, and the truly diminutive stature of the individual amongst it.

The balance of clouds & moonlight against fiery reds is a common tonal theme to Larson's work. Possibly a visual representation of the two worlds (heaven & hell), or a balance between the presence of humans upon a vast, natural expanse. Many of his best paintings depict the night

Marcus Larson's paintings of ships often show them being cast around by the ferocity of the waves, or else as doomed flaming wrecks, being thrust towards an unforgiving shore. In 'Burning Steamer' (1858) the balance of moonlight and fire used once again to great effect.

It's now officially autumn, which is a suitable time in which to become more familiar with the work of German landscape artist Karl Buchholz (1849-1889), whose paintings of stripped trees and autumnal scenes create a warm sense of bittersweet resonance. This is 'Autumn Day'

This is 'Late Fall' (1979), also by Buchholz. Heavier than the [previous example; more imposing. The air razor sharp with chill and the shadows creeping in at an earlier hour. I absolutely love this painting.

#art #painting #fineart #dark #gothic #autumn #landscape

A slightly more apocalyptic mood this morning with John Martin's 'The Great Day of His Wrath' (1851–3). Larson's colour schemes brought this one to mind. Martin was a painter of epic, destructive, yet lonely and hopeless scenes. He'd have fared well today.

#painting #art #paint

More John Martin. The sky is literally falling down in 'The Destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum' (1822 - restored 2011) - A frantic, absolute vision of nature's ultimate dominance & control over an advanced and powerful empire. Something I imagine we shall all witness again.

(The Evening of) The Deluge (1828) is one of John Martin's better known works. The painting is the very definition of foreboding and all-encompassing.

John Martin (1789-1854) was also known for his engravings, which were no less impactful than his paintings. The print version of The Deluge shows the fragility of the human figures against the vast and violent nature of their surroundings.

'The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah' (John Martin - 1852) speaks for itself, but all I'll add is that his dragging and blending of the paint to represent the unstoppable wrath of cavernous flames is so masterful it stops me in my tracks.

Albert Bierstadt's 'Mount Vesuvius at Midnight', (1869) is a great comparison piece to those of John Martin, which I posted last week. There's something more open and barren about this painting which I adore. A cataclysmic present balanced against past ruins in the foreground.

Many of Bierstadt's landscapes were far more relaxed than the Vesuvius painting, but there was still a lurking threat in each one. 'Puget Sound on the Pacific Coast' (1870) shows the diminutive presence of humans upon a rugged and seemingly uninhabited coastline.

Despite many outstanding portrayals of North America's stunning wilderness, It's when Bierstadt hones in on the details which really stuns me. Paintings such as 'Winter in Yosemite'

'Rocky Mountain Sheep or Big Horn, Ovis, Montana' (1884) by the German / American painter Albert Bierstadt is going to serve as my motivation for the day. Many of his animals were portrayed from a distance, which makes this close-up study a real treat.

The final, later painting from Albert Bierstadt is 'The Blue Grotto, Capri', which is deceptively simplistic, haunting and delightfully gloomy.

#paint #painting #fineart #landscapes #darkart #gloomy #spooky

Caravaggio was born on Sep 29th, 1571 in Milan, Italy, so it's only just that today we pay tribute to the violent and the sublime that is 'Judith Beheading Holofernes' (c1598-1602). This painting can be found on display at the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica in Rome.

Another version of this painting (depicting the subject of this gruesome biblical tale) was discovered in a French attic in 2014, but the legitimacy of its origins remains in question. The Louvre turned down the opportunity to buy it and it was then sold to a private collector.

Caravaggio's Medusa (two versions exist), depicting the vicious and shocking moment of her defeat and subsequent demise, still maintains the power to shock and amaze. Brutality and intricacy were hallmarks of his technique.

#Caravaggio #Medusa #FineArt #Art #Painting #Myth

Caravaggio died young, at the age of 38, in 1610, and it has since been suggested that this was as a result of an injury sustained in a duel.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/caravaggio-may-have-died-infected-sword-wound-not-syphilis-180970374/ (c/o @SmithsonianMag)

Image is 'The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew' (1599–1600)

#Caravaggio #Duel #History

'Expulsion - Moon and Firelight' (1828) by Thomas Cole (1801-1848) is a representation of the setting in which Adam and Eve were cast out of paradise. Cole was a painter of American landscapes, using their magnificence and expanse as inspiration for such engulfing scenes.

There's something almost prehistoric to Cole's representation of North American landscapes in the 1800s. Untainted majesty and seemingly limitless natural beauty. 'Autumn Twilight View of Copway Peak (Mount Chocorua, New Hampshire)' (1834) is a strong example of this.

'The Tempter' (1843) by Thomas Cole is almost indescribably powerful. It's like staring at the last thing you will ever see before the eventual, final darkness falls.

That figure.

The mystery and the magnificence.

It sold at auction for $110,500 in 2012.

Thomas Cole's 'Tornado In The Wilderness' (1835) is another portrayal of the infinite weight that nature possesses. Ragged, broken trunks framed by leaf-heavy trees being pushed to the limits of their elasticity. All under threatening, leaden skies.

The spooky season is upon us and so it's definitely time to share some more of Caspar David Friedrich's work. This 1832 painting, 'Ruins of Oybin Monastery' is one of several which Friedrich painted of this location.

#fineart #Germany #monastery #ruins #painting #artist #art

Czech painter Jakub Schikaneder (1855-1924) has a keen eye for twilight, shadows and darkness, as well as all which occurs in between. This is 'The Last Journey' (c1880)

Stillness, sunlight and sadness. Jakub Schikaneder' 'Utonulá' (Drowned Woman) (1893) is a pastel on cardboard painting and can be found at the Národní galerie v Praze, Prague, The Czech Republic. It's the epitome of haunting beauty.

Death is never far from the images contained in the paintings of Jakub Schikaneder. Sometimes, death's presence becomes more visible than any other, such as in 'Symbolic View' (1895-97), a rough, expressive, but pensive and thoughtful piece.

Schikaneder is arguably best known for his 1890 painting 'Murder in the House', and it's clear to see why. Classically composed, with clearer structural links to the Renaissance masters, this oil painting can also be found at the Národní galerie v Praze. #art #painting #thread

It was a close call between this or 'Contemplation' for my final choice from Schikaneder's works, but I've gone with 'All Souls’ Day' (1888), because of its seasonal relevance and stunning tones, as well as the sheer amount of story which this image contains.

A more claustrophobic and stormy morning out there, and so I'm drawn to the work of English artist Abraham Pether (1756-1812). He specialised in night scenes and ruins. Whilst not his most complex work, 'A Ruined Castle on a Moonlit Coastal Storm' is all that I need for now.

Sebastian Pether (1790–1844) was able to covey so much light and gentle movement amongst the stillness in his night scenes. 'Moonlit Lake With a Ruined Gothic Church' is a magnificent example of the complexity he could achieve while representing the hours of darkness.
#fineart

The figures which busy themselves in the midnight hours (that often appear in Pether's work) always fascinate me. You can see some late night activity by the riverbank in 'View of Pendragon Castle by Moonlight', which once again highlights the artist's deft use of light & shadow

For anyone revisiting 19th century Russian literature at the moment (there's comfort to be found there amid today's chaos), it may also be worth examining some of the painters of that era and region too, such as Yefim Volkov (1844-1920) - 'Winter Landscape' (1876)

While he also worked as a bureaucrat, Yefim Volkov was a keen landscape painter whose barren, snow-heavy scenes contain a unique sense of peace, isolation and sadness. 'Cell' (1889)

#painter #arttrober2020 #russia #painting #ArtistOnTwitter #paintingoftheday #winter #cell

Yefim Volkov was only briefly accepted as an artist before political changes led to his ostracisation and eventual poverty-induced death. Not every vision he created was utterly bleak however. There's a certain restrained joy to be found in 'The Party In The Summer Garden'

Polish-Belarusian landscape painter and illustrator Henryk Weyssenhoff (1859-1922) mixed dark, barren landscapes with fantastical musings on death and the supernatural. 'Przeczucie / Premonition' (1893) is one such example.

#paintingoftheday #poland #artthread #artist #painting

I love this forest scene by Henryk Weyssenhoff, but am unable to find a title and am unsure if one ever existed. He often included glimpses of nature into his landscapes (bears, moose, birds) and there was always a harshness to the locations he depicted. #nature #landscape #woods

Weyssenhoff's family were involved in the January Uprising and were subsequently exiled to Siberia, where Henryk learned to paint. He would later move to Paris to pursue his artistic career. 'Belarusian Cemetery in Rusakowicze' (1889) is one of my favourites. #cemetery #artwork

It's autumn, and the evenings are drawing in, so it's seasonally appropriate to take some time to examine the work of John Atkinson Grimshaw (1836 – 1893) - This is 'October Gold' (1889)
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#october #artthread #artistoftheday #forest #painting #landscape #art

Renowned Victorian painter John Atkinson Grimshaw was a master at creating eerie and atmospheric, nocturnal scenes, such as 'Figure in the Moonlight'.
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#fineart #moonlight #forest #eerie #spooky #art #painting #Victorian

It was with his urban scenes that John Atkinson Grimshaw's talents really shone through. The overwhelming radiance of 'Autumn Morning' is one example of how he could encapsulate so many sensations within one of his paintings. Crispness, light and cold.

Oscar Parviainen (1880-1938) was a Finnish painter who liked skeletons. Here is 'The Tombstone of the Capyrines' (1914) which features two bleak, shadowy portals; each entrance to the void guarded by a grim spectre of death and decay. Seems fitting for the day that's in it.

Ivan Fedorovich Choultsé (1974-1939) was a Russian landscape painter. A celebrant of the natural world, it is when his eye was cast upon the darker hours that his talents come to life. This is 'On the Banks at Twilight' (1923)

#Painter #ArtThread #Twilight #Russia #France #Art

'Sevanavank Monastery on Lake Sevan' by Ivan Fedorovich Choultsé (1974-1939) is another example of how isolated, ancient religious structures and moonlight are like catnip to artists.

Ivan Fedorovich Choultsé's 'Moonlit Sea' - Choultsé moved from Russia to France in later life, using the vast, striking countryside as inspiration for his work.

There's a fierceness to 'Sunset on the Lake' by Ivan Fedorovich Choultsé (1874-1939) which is both humbling and brutal.

Given the Christmas card sentimentalism of much of Ivan Fedorovich Choultsé's other work (his snow scenes, for example, can be somewhat trite, if technically admirable), it's paintings like 'Maquette pour un Décor Grotte Arctique' which come out of nowhere, both in tone and style

'Ruins in a Moonlit Landscape' by Swiss painter Arnold Böcklin (1827-1901). An artist who is hard to categorize, his work is full of mythology-inspired symbolism and brooding landscapes.

#art #painting #artist #fineart #artthread #ruins #moonlight

Arnold Böcklin is possibly best known for his 'Isle of the Dead' paintings, of which he made numerous versions. In each one, a white clad figure leads a boat, bearing a coffin, into shore as cypress trees, known for their association with mourning, tower above.

#MythologyMonday

The Plague (1898) by Arnold Böcklin was painted just a few years before he passed away, but is unflinchingly violent, terrifying and overbearing in both tone and execution.

Death was never far away from Arnold Böcklin. His first fiancee died young and he would outlive eight of his children, five of whom perished as infants. 'Self-Portrait with Death Playing the Fiddle' (1872) showcase the artist's obsession with mortality and impermanence.

Julius von Klever (1850-1924) was a Russian painter with no shortage of noteable admirers, including Tsar Alexander III. Primarily a landscape artist, he captured the darkness of nature in that inimitable, late 19th century manner that the Russian masters excelled at.

'Erlkönig' (1887) by Julius von Klever is based on a poem by Goethe which 'depicts the death of a child, assailed by a supernatural being, the Erlkönig'
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#painting #darkart #newgothic #romantic #lore #supernatural #Russia #gothic #artthread

'Forest sunset' (1895) by Russian painter Julius von Klever (1850-1924)