Jun 3
The monthly ArtSmart Roundtable brings together some of the best art-focused travel blogs who all post on a common theme. This month we are discussing great paintings! Below are links to the rest of the group’s posts this month. I’m curious to see what everyone picked!
John Everett Millais, “Ophelia”, 1851-1852, Tate Gallery, London
In recent years, my travels have focused on the Mediterranean with trips to Greece, Turkey and Italy. I love ancient Roman art and the Italian Renaissance, but I thought it was time to diversify a bit. With a trip to Amsterdam and Belgium, I thought I could now finally spend some time with Dutch Primitives, also known as the art of the Northern Renaissance. And then look what I find tucked away in the Low Countries: a real Michelangelo!
Michelangelo’s Madonna of Bruges at the Church of Our Lady in Bruges (Adapted from Jean-Pol Grandmont on Wikimedia)
Some people travel to new countries to expand the percentage of the world they’ve seen. Some less adventurous but equally ambitious travelers try to visit all 50 US States, all the Major League baseball parks or some other coherent list of places. Personally, I travel to see art. Jan van Eyck’s Ghent Altarpiece was high on my “To Do List”. Sadly, efforts to protect and preserve the work really interfered with my enjoyment of the painting, making this art pilgrimage a little disappointing.
My favorite panels are the three mystic figures in the upper central section of the altarpiece – Mary, God the Father/Jesus, and St. John the Baptist (shown). (Photo: Wikicommons)
The monthly ArtSmart Roundtable brings together some of the best art history-focused travel blogs with a post around a common theme. This month we are discussing artists you should look for on your travels. Below are links to all the group’s posts this month.
Hidden face believed to be a self-portrait of Hieronymus Bosch in “The Garden of Earthly Delights” (Museo del Prado, Madrid)
You know the cliché about the incredible man or woman who turns heads as they enter the room? Somehow they have a power, beauty or shear presence that cannot be ignored. That’s essentially my experience seeing Jan van Eyck’s The Madonna and Child with Canon van der Paele at the Groeningemuseum in Bruges. As many times as I left the gallery and walked back in, I couldn’t escape it. The painting glowed with a brilliant depth of color and mesmerizing realism. It was a window into some heavenly scene surrounded by dull and simple paintings – which is particularly impressive considering the gallery was filled with works by Hans Memling and even a few small van Eyck’s! This painting is simply a masterpiece.
Jan van Eyck – “The Madonna and Child with Canon van der Paele”
Daydream Tourist 
