The last moment of Socrates, oh, the mysterious last moment that have plagued scholars, made the best of philosophers scratch their heads. Why did Socrates urged his followers to pay the debt to Asclepius? After all, Asclepius was the Greek God of healing. What did Socrates want to be healed of after dying? Isn't after dying you don't need to be healed of anything? Didn't Socrates, the father of western philosophy, know that? Or, was it that Socrates, according to Friedrich Nietzsche, wanted to be healed of life! "What a coward!" surely Nietzsche would have said. Whatever might have been the ..read more

Henry Scott Tuke - Midsummer Morning (1908) The English artist, Henry Scott Tuke beautifully depicts the atmospheric light of a high summer morning, evoking the pleasurable feeling of the hot sun, the refreshing cooler water, the light of the sea, and the unashamed natural freedom of male nudity. The skin tones and the cragginess of the rocks are deftly depicted by a skilled hand. We witness the delightfully innocent pre-war nude youths enjoying the simplicity of line fishing, the action of disgorging the fish and the idea of their possible later culinary delights, a reward from the sea. Afte ..read more

Gustave Courbet, 'The Woman in the Waves' Realism school Painted in 1868, oil on canvas. Dimensions:65.4 cm x 54 cm Alexandre Cabanel, 'The Birth of Venus' - Painted in 1863 Dimensions: 106 cm x 182.6 cm "Courbet courted controversy painting prostitutes by the Seine, images of lesbianism and probably the most controversial of all, 'The Origin of the World'.", which still evokes powerful emotions today, possibly even more. Realism emerged in France around the 1840s rejecting the previous art movement of Romanticism and lofty historical paintings with its emphasis on exotic exaggerated emotions ..read more

A new exhibition by renowned Manchester artist Jen Orpin will be presented at the Saul Hay Gallery in Manchester. The exhibition will explore the significance of the journey, how it links us to the people we love, and the feelings it arouses. The exhibition, which will be on display from March 4 through March 26, honours the car ride by examining its highways and landmarks as well as how it compels each of us to confront our past and let our thoughts venture beyond the boundaries of our immediate surroundings. Jen says: “My current practice focuses on one of the fundamental elements of human ..read more

Lebrun, Charles. Atalanta and Meleager. 1658, oil on canvas. 212.5 x 280.5cm. On Display: Walker Art Gallery iconographical analysis Story of the painting This painting is based on the Greek myth called Atalanta and the Calydonian Boar Hunt. This myth is about the hunt of a boar and the story's heroes. In this story, there are two major characters, Meleager the leader of the hunt and Atalanta, the woman whom the hero falls for her. In some versions of the myth Atalanta participates in the hunt. Within the story Calydonia, is a city in which the goddess Artemis, sends in a big and wild boar as ..read more

Title of Artwork: "The Adoration of the Shepherds" Artwork by Giorgione Year Created 1505 - 1510 Summary of The Adoration of the Shepherds Giorgione, an Italian Renaissance painter, finished The Adoration of the Shepherds in 1505–1510. The painting is sometimes still referred to as the Allendale Nativity, after a previous owner. Although the attribution is now generally accepted, it is not universally held; the other common opinion is that it was painted by an early Titian. Without a doubt, it is a work of art from the Venetian school. This piece is on view in the National Gallery of Art in Wa ..read more

Title of Artwork: "Cunnawa-bum" Artwork by Paul Kane Year Created 1856 Summary of Cunnawa-bum This painting by Kane, titled Cunnawa-bum, is the first in a series of one hundred he completed depicting Native Americans of North America. The young Metis woman of Plains Cree and British origin shown in the book serves as a sort of cover girl for Kane's life project, despite the fact that her picture is just one of several in the painted cycle. All About Cunnawa-bum The young lady who Kane met at Fort Edmonton is described as holding her swan's wing fan "in a very coquettish manner" and as the sour ..read more

Title of Artwork: "The Path" Artwork by Erin Hanson Year Created 2014 Summary of The Path Imagination and beauty await you at the end of this route surrounded with California oak trees. Using free and vivacious brushstrokes, the artist captures a dynamic dance of colour and light among the oak limbs ..read more

Title of Artwork: "The Agony in the Garden" Artwork by Giovanni Bellini Year Created c.1459 - c.1465 Summary of The Agony in the Garden Giovanni Bellini, an Italian Renaissance painter, painted The Agony in the Garden around 1459–65. To see it, head to London's National Gallery. It shows Jesus praying while Peter, James, and John rest nearby on the Mount of Olives. A comparable painting by Bellini's brother-in-law Andrea Mantegna can also be found in the National Gallery. Both were probably inspired by a sketch made by Jacopo Bellini, the elder. The treatment of morning light plays a larger ro ..read more

Title of Artwork: "Pygmalion and Galatea" Artwork by Jean-Leon Gerome Year Created 1890 Summary of Pygmalion and Galatea Jean-Léon Gérôme painted Pygmalion and Galatea in 1890. The French title is Pygmalion et Galatée. The motif is based on a scene in Ovid's Metamorphoses, in which the sculptor Pygmalion embraces his statue of Galatea, made of ivory, after the goddess Venus has given her life. Pygmalion and Galatea was painted by Jean-Léon Gérôme in the summer of 1890. In 1891, he sculpted the same subject out of marble, which may have been based on a plaster model that was also used for the p ..read more