Vignettes of Art History Through the Ages

My favourite sculptures in the Bode Museum in Berlin are four statues in limewood by the German sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider (1460 – 1531). He worked during the turbulent times of the Reformation, had a large flourishing workshop in Würzburg, and was one of the first artists working in wood who did not apply paint to…

A big festivity is underway at Mount Olympos. Every God and Goddess has been invited – except Eris, the Goddess of Discord. Suddenly, she  appears and throws a golden apple at the crowd, destined for the most beautiful Goddess among them. Eris disappears and at once Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, Hera, the wife of…

Daily television throws at us images of people fleeing  their homes to go into an unknown. Like Adam and Eve in the bible, they have to leave their country, their “paradise”, however humble it may be. As a child refugee myself I relate to their sorrow. How did artists over time deal with the biblical…

My favourite coffee mug carries  the image of Gustav Klimt´s famous kiss. It occurred to me to find out how other artists might have dealt  with this theme of people kissing – a search that could be very intriguing. In any religious painting, not surprisingly, we will not find images of people kissing – except…

The scripture according to St. John tells the story of Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalen in the disguise of a gardener on the morning after his resurrection. She does not recognize him at first but, when she does, she wants to touch him and at this point “Jesus saith to her: Touch me not; for…