#raphael paintings for sale

[maxviciousworldofart]

[mediumsizedpidegon]

Another avenue I want to explore in an Amity Park is Weird scenario is all the niche sub-cultures going on.

There is absolutely NO WAY there isn't a thriving goth community in Amity Park. They're holding picnics every full moon. They're holding crafting sessions in their friends' basements. They're adopting ghost animals left and right: eight-legged dogs and blob-cats, skeletal fish and neon bearded dragons.

There's a young man called Raphael who performs live music every week at a dance club with his band: he's got a myriad of shiny piercings, and a phone camera roll full of his rabbits, Morningstar and Salem. Perhaps those ghosts are bad business like the Fentons say, but the club's never felt more alive.

The scene and emo kids are multiplying at a rapid rate. The punks and grunge folks are doing shit with textiles that makes every quilting grandmother in a five mile radius swoop in to pass on their skills. Josie and Betty, old friends who periodically upload photos online of their handmade lace, suddenly gain an influx of young folks who want to learn how to make their own ghoulish patterns.

There's a new group peeling off from the goths that dress like the embodiment of Halloween– all bones, pumpkin orange and lengths of costume jewelry.

The historical costuming community is alive and well in these times, and they fall upon the few ghosts from times past willing to share knowledge like starving wolves. Their minds are full of patterning-math and fabric prices, and their excitement is, quite literally, infectious.

A revolution starts up in food service: a great many restaurants closed or moved to follow the many people who left Amity after the ghosts first came. A pair of brothers open a restaurant that has the best Polish food around: people politely don't comment on how the owners are dressed in clothes a century out of date or how their eyes gleam. Two cat cafes open, one space themed and another with loose definitions of what counts as a "cat." Assorted coffee and tea shops dot the landscape: some serve donuts, some have cupcakes, and others have breakfast wraps, sandwiches or savory hand pies.

People that can't afford to open a restaurant sell food out of their homes, advertised by cardboard signs with phrases like CAKES FOR $10, and BARBEQUE RIBS FOR SALE painted on them in gigantic bright letters. High school students bring in bags of cookies they made the night before and completely sell out of stock before the day is done. One woman's house has no signage and yet is known by word of mouth to be a herbalist, selling tins of homemade tea blends, flowers, assorted plant clippings, and cough drops.

Someone down the street of Casper High sells small batches of eco-friendly soap at a nearby corner store.

During summer time, lemonade stands are everywhere. Some of the lemonade is made with the strange fruits from one of the parks: no one dies, so it's fine.

The Farmer's Market has gotten... intense.

[bhaalble]

I keep thinking about the portraits. Gortash has so many of them all over the city, a lot of them unique poses too. All of them seem to be painted in very similar style, meaning that he's likely commissioning one artist in particular and then farming out reproductions of that artist's work. We see him sitting for yet another in the Act 3 opening cutscene with Orin.

I keep thinking about when Orin talks to him in Act 3. The artist runs off when she stabs the canvas, but Enver keeps posing. Every time he shifts to reprimand or address her he eventually returns to posturing for no one at all.

I keep thinking about the House of Hope being covered in Raphael's portraits. What it must've been like growing up there, feeling the eyes of the master of the house follow you everywhere, seeing his visage rendered big and glorious while you are small and dirty and kicked.

I keep thinking about how the largest, most ostentatious portrait I've found is at his parent's shop, hanging right behind his father's head. Gazing down at his thralled parents, looming over every sale they make. Everything they do from this point forward, in his shadow, in his name.

I keep thinking about the impulse to be seen in order to know you are real. I keep thinking about the impulse to be surrounded by your own image, to be sure you are welcomed and known and revered everywhere you go

[bitethedevil]

A Portrait of A Cambion

Link to this fic on AO3

Summary: Raphael rejects his icky mortal feelings for Tav because he remembers what happens when one is distracted by matters of the heart. He reminisces about a woman who taught him how to paint and who stole his non-existent heart over a thousand years ago.

(This is essentially a sort of 'origin story' headcanon that I ended up writing into a fic because people were asking about my dark headcanon that Raphael has experienced love before, but Mephistopheles took it from him. It ended up as a fic because I had a very specific image in my head of how Raphael fell in love for the first time and how he lost that love. Also cambions don't have a heart. Source?: Pulled it out of my ass.) TW: Mention of Death, Blood, Abusive Relationship with Parent (although that should almost be a given with Mephistopheles in the tags)

Another nightmare about Tav. This time it had not been about her and her fellow adventurers besting him. Instead, he had dreamt about her dying a cruel death.

He shouldn’t care and he didn’t, but his mind was sabotaging him and in the midst of the dream, he had felt fear for her. It shook Raphael awake from his nightly meditation and made him sit up in his bed.

He rubbed his eyes and sneered at that disgusting mortal feeling that still lingered in his chest. He had to remind himself that she was no more than a means to an end.

He could not afford such distractions, especially now when the crown was so close…

Raphael’s eyes drifted to the right-hand portrait in his boudoir, the one where he hid his safe behind.

There it was again. That stabbing feeling in his chest. He could not even remember the face of the painter that had made the portrait, but looking at that painting was just the reminder he needed: Distractions will cost you dearly.

It was over a thousand years ago that he had met her. It was before he had even laid his eyes on the Crown of Karsus and witnessed Netheril’s fall. He was still perfecting his art when it came to soul collecting. Back then he mainly went after the most desperate of the desperate and this girl could not have been more perfect.

Her name was Lucienna and she lived in Westgate, a city known for its history with criminal organizations and piracy. The young human woman had managed to make herself quite unpopular with the group of mercenaries that ruled the city then.

She was on the run with two of Westgate’s best killers at her heels when Raphael unceremoniously whisked her away to the Hells. Back then he still lived in Cania under his father’s rule.

The young woman took in her new surroundings while she tried to catch her breath. She looked up at Raphael who was still in his human form.

“Where am I?” she wheezed, out of breath. “And thank you, I suppose.”

“The Eighth Layer of the Hells,” Raphael explained smoothly. He found no reason to pretend when her contract was already as good as signed with the circumstances, she found herself in.

“…Oh,” she said a bit too calmly for Raphael’s liking and nodded.

“Quite a mess you’ve found yourself in, dear,” Raphael said with a smile. “Was it worth it? The protesting, I mean?”

Lucienna narrowed her green eyes at him.

He had done his research. The whole reason that she was on the hitlist of the mercenary government of Westgate, was all because of some posters, she had made and plastered around the city. They criticized the government and called the population to protest.

“It was actually worth it, yes,” she said with defensiveness in her voice. “And I’d do it again.”

She crossed her arms and looked at him. Raphael looked her up and down with a smile on his face.

“I saw your work before they were all taken down and burned,” Raphael said. “You are clearly talented. As a great admirer of the arts, it would pain me to see someone with so much to offer the world dead in a ditch somewhere. Which is why I have a proposal for you…”

“Whatever you are selling, I don’t want any,” she said and interrupted his sales-pitch. “Who are you anyway?”

“Oh, do forgive my manners. I am Raphael,” he said with a bow and in a flash of fire he was in his cambion form. “Very much at your service.”

Her eyes widened for a moment at the reveal of his true nature, but she quickly gathered herself.

“I mean…” she said. “I suppose I could have guessed since you said we were in the Hells, but…”

She looked him up and down, studying his form for a moment before looking back at his smug face.

“I still stand by what I said,” she said stubbornly. “Especially if my soul is the price.”

Raphael’s smirk faltered. He had been so certain that this would have been an easy deal.

“Perhaps you don’t grasp the severity of your situation,” Raphael said with a dramatic hand gesture. “I can make this whole mess disappear if you simply sign my contract. If you do not, I will simply send you back to the exact spot I found you to be hunted for sport by the best killers Westgate has to offer.”

She nodded slowly.

“I’ll take my chances,” she said with a shrug.

Raphael’s brow furrowed. That was not what he wanted to hear.

“Suit yourself,” Raphael said with a sneer and snapped his fingers to send her back to where she came from.

If the little idiot so desperately wanted to walk into her own grave, Raphael would not stop her. However, it did infuriate him that she did not even seem the least bit interested in even hearing his offer. If she did, by some miracle, survive, she could be certain that Raphael was not done with her.

Raphael followed her movements through the city closely. Luck seemed to be on her side because she did eventually make it out of the city in one piece. He tracked her to a house in the middle of nowhere out on the countryside. He kept an eye on her little hiding spot for a couple of weeks before approaching her.

He manifested in a room where a small fortune in painting supplies laid scattered everywhere. There were paintings leaning up against every wall. His person of interest sat in the middle of the room. She looked up from the canvas she was working on and jumped at his presence.

“Are you ready to accept my kind offer or do you intend to hide here for the rest of your days?” Raphael asked with a smile.

“Shhh,” she hushed and put a finger to her lips. “Please, lower your voice. My father might hear you.”

She was bold, he would give her that. Raphael huffed in annoyance but complied.

“Well?” he asked in a more hushed voice.

“I’m perfectly content here, thank you,” she said while her focus returned to the painting she was working on.

Raphael could not believe what he was hearing.

“Please correct me if I misunderstand,” Raphael said. “You would run from the very city that you have been fighting to protect from tyranny, to stay here? You are aware that the mercenaries of Westgate do not forget a face and that you getting out of the city does not mean that you are safe?”

“I understand just fine,” she said calmly. “I did what I could, and it wasn’t enough. I know I’m not safe but that doesn’t mean I want to hand over my soul to you...No offense, of course.”

Her stubbornness was getting on his nerves. Perhaps, it would just be easier to leave her alone, as it seemed he was getting nowhere with her. She was a hopeless case.

“Raphael, was it?” she asked and looked at him.

Raphael nodded with a tired look in his eyes.

“I had a feeling that you would be back, so I have something for you, Raphael,” she said and got up from her chair. “If you don’t like it, I won’t take offense.”

Raphael’s brow furrowed as he watched her go pick up a painting. This was new.

She picked up the canvas that was almost as big as her and turned it around so he could see it. His eyes softened, despite himself.

It was a painting of him in his cambion form, painted in shades of orange. He was wearing armor and was holding a flame in one hand in the painting. He looked imposing yet regal. It was beautifully done.

“The likeness isn’t perfect,” she said with a shrug. “But I also only ever met you that one time, so…”

Raphael blinked and tried to hide how impressed he was with her work.

“Why did you do this?” he asked and looked at her.

“My little trip to the Hells was long enough for the people chasing me to lose my trail,” she explained. “So, if it hadn’t been for you, I probably would be dead.”

His eyes drifted back to the painting.

“Besides, I’ve never seen a devil before,” she said. “I thought you looked quite impressive, so I guess I got inspired. You did say that you were an ‘admirer of the arts’, so I thought it could be compensation for saving my life.”

He was flattered, even though he would never admit it. He could not remember ever receiving a gift willingly from a mortal like this.

“Do you like it?” she asked softly, as if she was half-expecting a ‘no’.

“It’s beautiful,” he said with a nod. “You are quite talented, like I said when we first met.”

“It’s yours, if you want it,” she said with a smile.

“Thank you,” he said briefly, smiling back at her. He snapped his fingers and teleported the painting to a safe location in his house.

They were quiet for a moment. For once, Raphael was not sure what to say. There was no more business to talk about, but it also felt wrong to simply leave after receiving such a gift. It was Lucienna that ended up breaking the silence.

“So, do you paint?” she asked.

“No, I do not,” he answered and cleared his throat. “I’m afraid it is one of the few things that I have never sat down to properly learn. Although, I do see the appeal and I certainly do appreciate the art.”

“Do you want to learn?” she asked. “I’ve taught students before, you know…”

Although the idea of some mortal teaching him anything did not fill him with joy, he was tempted. Perhaps he could gain her trust and make her sign his deal anyway, as he had already wasted too much time on her. It also gave him an opportunity to study this odd mortal who did not seem to fear him.

“Hm,” he hummed in thought. “Yes, why not?”

They kept meeting in her father’s basement as Lucienna taught him how to paint. Raphael started enjoying the sessions. There was something about it. It brought him a sense of peace to paint. He did not mind the compliments to his progress either. She was good at teaching him without ever being condescending.

“You’re a natural at this, you know,” she said, leaning on his shoulder as she watched him work. “The only note I have is to work on the colors. This part isn’t actually red. It’s brown.”

She pointed to the bowl of fruit on the table.

“Are you telling me that red apples are not red?” Raphael said with a chuckle.

She smiled as she mixed some colors onto a piece of paper and held it next to the apple.

“That’s because you use your head too much and not your eyes,” she said. “This is painting. Not writing.”

Raphael huffed. She was right, of course. He could see when she held the paper next to it.

Whenever he practiced at home, it was always the same motif: her. He was determined to eventually pay her back for the gift she gave him. He noticed that Lucienna’s hair was not red either, but rather nuances of brown, orange, and gold. Her eyes were also not entirely green, but rather shades of brown, green and yellow.

Somewhere along the way, the contract was brought up more as an excuse to be in her presence, rather than him actually wanting her soul. In the end it was not brought up at all. Raphael knew that she was too stubborn to sign it anyway, and perhaps she was right: perhaps she was truly safe in this peaceful little haven away from everything.

He enjoyed her company, though he loathed to admit it. The way she would lean on his shoulder when she was watching him work. The way that she looked almost insane when she was deep in concentration, with a paintbrush in her mouth or stuck in her hair as she painted like her life depended on it. The way that they could be in each other’s presence for hours without even saying a word to each other.

He knew that she liked him, but for some reason he did not want to exploit it in the same way he had done with earlier clients. It would have been all too easy to manipulate her into a deal by playing on her feelings, yet he never did.

Lucienna became an indulgence. Someone to take him far way from the endless clients and the toiling for his ungrateful father. Away from all the devils in the Hells that loathed him and away from all the mortals that feared him. Just for a moment.

It was the day when he finally decided to give her the portrait that he had painted of her that their relationship furthered into unknown territory for Raphael.

After he had made endless excuses about him not being as talented as her, he had shown her the painting that he had been working endlessly on from home. Her face brightened up and she pulled him into a kiss. After the initial shock, he wrapped his arms around her and melted into it.

Raphael was far from new to the concept of sex, although those below the Archdevils were not supposed to indulge in such things. The difference was that most of his sexual experiences had been with the incubi and succubi of his father’s palace, or rehearsed manipulation tactics he had used to lure clients. Both of which were exceptions that were acceptable for a devil of his lower rank.

This was new and most definitely forbidden, because this bordered on that awfully mortal feeling: love. Sex with her was so different from the almost theatrical performance of the incubi and succubi that he had been with during his longer visits to his father. Raphael also found no desire to put on a rehearsed performance himself.

Sex with Lucienna was clumsy and imperfect in a highly intoxicating way. They got completely lost in each other and nothing else mattered in that moment. It was heated and passionate, but in such a genuine way that it took Raphael’s breath away.

When they were done, Lucienna rested her head on his chest. Raphael was brushing his fingers through her hair when he suddenly felt her tense up a bit.

“What is it?” he asked softly.

“Your heartbeat…” she said and pressed her ear to his chest again. “You don’t have one…”

Raphael chuckled and smiled.

“I don’t have a heart, dear,” he explained. “It works differently for devils.”

“Hm,” she said and nuzzled her head against his chest. “Maybe you don’t have a literal heart, but you won’t convince me that you don’t at least have one metaphorically.”

“Oh, how dare you?” Raphael chided jokingly. “I have a reputation to uphold.”

“Mm…you can’t fool me,” she said and smiled. “It is slightly unsettling though…To not hear anything when you expect to.”

“I’m sure,” he said, tracing the soft skin of her arms with his fingers.

She got off his chest to lay down on her back. She patted her chest with a hand, inviting him to lay down on it.

“Here, listen to mine,” she said with a smile.

Raphael hesitated. The vulnerability of such an act did not sit well with him, but he had quickly found that he had a hard time denying this woman of anything.

He put his head on her chest and listened to her heartbeat. She held him close and rested her chin on his head. It would have looked comical for an outsider to see this much bigger man being held by this small woman, but Raphael found that he did not care.

He would never admit it to anyone, but he felt safe. Loved even. Perhaps, for the first time in his long life. There was a feeling, a flutter, in the place where his heart would have been, had he been a mortal man. They fell asleep like that together.

When he finally returned to his house in Cania in the morning, it was difficult to wipe the smile from his face. He could not stop thinking about her. He sat down to write, to try and clear his mind and record this feeling of happiness that he had not tasted for years.

“Mephistopheles missed you last night,” a voice said.

Raphael looked up to find one of Mephistopheles’s warlocks leaned against the wall, watching him. Raphael had forgotten everything about the meeting that he had promised to attend.

“Care to explain?” the warlock asked.

“I was working, Lestor,” Raphael replied coldly.

“All night? What a dutiful boy you are,” Lestor said with that shit-eating grin that Raphael had gotten so used to seeing.

It took everything to not lose his temper and tear the warlock apart for having the nerve to call him ‘boy’. Raphael knew the consequences if he did. Mephistopheles enjoyed sending mortal warlocks to spy on his son, simply to remind Raphael that he was not even worth sending another devil for.

“There were complications,” Raphael said through gritted teeth. “Please, do send Mephistopheles my deepest apologies.”

“Complications, eh?” Lestor said with a knowing smile that made Raphael slightly paranoid. “I will make sure to tell him how deeply sorry you are. Remember that you are needed at the palace these next couple of days. Whatever ‘work’ you have can wait.”

Lestor left his house. Raphael’s paranoia grew when he was left alone. Lestor couldn’t have known, could he? He had been so careful, and no one knew where she lived…

There was nothing that Raphael could do about it now. He had to get through the next couple of days before he could return to her, or he would feel his father’s wrath.

Five days later, Raphael finally had time for himself, and he decided to visit the woman who had occupied his mind ever since he returned to the Hells.

The first sign that something was wrong was that the door to the house stood open. Lucienna’s father was a paranoid man who always locked his doors.

Not two steps into the house, was the old man that he had only spoken to a couple of times during his visits. He laid sprawled on the floor, ripped apart and covered in his own blood.

Raphael’s blood in his veins turned to ice, as he saw the sigil of the mercenaries of Westgate smeared in blood on the wall.

“No…” Raphael mumbled to himself and ran to the basement.

There she was. A paintbrush in her hair, exactly where she always put them when she was focused on working. Her green eyes, that weren’t really green, stared emptily up into the ceiling above her.

“No…no…” Raphael said and fell to his knees beside her.

He leaned his head down to her chest. He knew there was no way she would be alive with the way she had been torn apart, but he had to check. The comforting pitter-patter of her heart that he had fallen asleep to just five days earlier, was gone. Raphael cried for the first time in a millennium.

“I told you…you stubborn woman…” he said angrily and brushed his fingers gently through her red hair. “You weren’t safe…”

He held her in his arms while he sobbed. He was spiraling. The emotional walls that he had used hundreds of years to build up had crashed down around him, and for a moment he was experiencing a millennium worth of pure mortal grief and sadness all at once.

He looked at her. At all the paintings that were stacked around him. He noticed that the portrait he had given her had already been hung up on the wall, and it sent a sharp pain through his chest where his heart would have been.

His eyes finally locked unto the sigil that was painted with blood on the wall, with the words under it: “Westgate does not forget”. His sadness slowly boiled into anger. Anger overtook every ounce of his being when he heard a familiar grating voice behind him:

“Mephistopheles wants to talk to you, boy,” Lestor said.

He could practically hear the smug smile in the warlock’s voice. That little shit had known, and he had informed Westgate of her whereabouts. Something in Raphael snapped.

Raphael spent that afternoon doing unspeakable things to his father’s warlock. When he was done, he burned the whole house down. He burned the all the paintings in there, the mangled corpse of Lestor, Lucienna’s father, and Lucienna, the one woman who ever loved him. A part of Raphael burned away in that fire as well. If he could, he would happily have burned down to ash with them. He felt dead inside as he returned to Cania to face his father.

“You spit in my face by not showing up to our meetings and now you arrive late yet again. I sent Lestor to collect you five hours ago. Where is he?” Mephistopheles voice boomed throughout the throne room.

“Lestor is dead,” Raphael answered.

“Dead?” Mephistopheles asked in a dangerously low voice and leaned forward on his frozen throne. “Why? Because he did his job and informed me that you were too busy fucking mortals instead of doing your job of collecting their souls?”

Raphael inhaled slowly, trying to calm the rage inside him.

“I promise you, son,” Mephistopheles said the word ‘son’ as if it was a joke to him. “Fucking mortal women isn’t worth the headache. It’s how you end up with useless fucking half-breed bastards like you.”

Raphael swallowed hard and looked at the ground, as the devils in his father’s court snickered and laughed at him.

“You have high thoughts about yourself,” Mephistopheles said. “But let me remind you that you are not even close to a rank where you are entitled to stick your cock in anything or to keep consorts! Those privileges are reserved for Archdevils exclusively, which you are not. The only reason you are alive, is because I see use for you. I will not tolerate you getting distracted from your purpose. You work for me! Is that clear?”

Raphael hated that his father could still make him flinch, just by yelling at him. He nodded.

“Yes, my lord,” Raphael said quietly, still grinding his teeth in frustration.

“Good, my boy,” Mephistopheles said with a smile that would make anyone uncomfortable.

Raphael bowed his head and turned to leave.

“One last thing,” Mephistopheles called out. “I have a gift for my little would-be lordling.”

Raphael took a deep breath and turned around. Whatever this was, it could not be good. Mephistopheles smirked at him and snapped his fingers. Someone entered the throne room and Raphael’s closed his eyes in embarrassment at the sight.

One of his father’s incubi that Raphael had slept with during one of his visits to the palace, walked through the door. They were wearing Raphael’s form. They sauntered into the room, wearing skimpy leather clothing.

The throne room was filled with roaring laughter. Even Mephistopheles was laughing from his frozen throne.

“A fitting consort for you, wouldn’t you say, boy?” Mephistopheles chuckled. “Since you only ever seem to think about yourself. Their name is Haarlep. Give it a few nights with them and you won’t even remember that little mortal bitch you seemed so obsessed with.”

Rage was threatening to overtake him. He wanted to kill every last laughing devil in the room. He wanted to give his father the most excruciating death he could think of. Raphael also knew that he was no match for any of them. He had to bide his time, and that time would come someday. He would make sure of it.

“What do you say then?” Mephistopheles said, looking down on him from his throne.

Raphael looked at the incubus with disdain and then at his father. Raphael wanted to say many things in that moment: That he would one day take his father’s throne. That Mephistopheles would one day cower at the feet of his son. That he did not care if he had to wait millennium after millennium for him to finally get his revenge.

Raphael took a deep breath and bit his tongue, though it took everything in him to do so.

“Thank you, my lord,” Raphael said through gritted teeth.

“Good boy,” Mephistopheles said with a smile. “Now get out of my sight. I hope you have learned something from this.”

Raphael was sitting in his bed, looking at the right-hand painting in his boudoir. The painting that Lucienna had gifted him all those years ago. He had spent so much money throughout the years on getting it carefully restored.

He couldn’t remember her face anymore, but he could remember all those colors he studied when he looked at her. Her red hair, that was not red, but rather nuances of brown, orange, and gold. Her eyes that were not entirely green, but rather shades of brown, green and yellow. He heard the sound of her heartbeat in his mind each time he went to rest.

When he looked at Tav, that stubborn whelp, he sometimes found himself wondering what her heartbeat sounded like. Wondering which colors he would use if he were to paint her hair and her eyes. And there it was again that flutter where his heart would have been if he had one. Lucienna’s words echoed in his mind.

“Maybe you don’t have a literal heart, but you won’t convince me that you don’t at least have one metaphorically.”

No. He didn’t and he couldn’t. That part of him was dead and gone and it would remain that way. Raphael shook his head and crushed that feeling in his chest. No more distractions. Not when he was so close to the crown. Not when he was so close to finally getting his revenge.

[pwlanier]

Picked up a nice etching by American, WPA artist Raphael Soyer (1933-1989) at a garage sale this morning.

Sorry for the poor photograph, it is under glass.

“Protected” was created in an edition of 250 in 1938.

It is in the collection of most major museums including the Smithsonian and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Once dubbed the “East Side Degas,” Russian-Jewish émigré and social-realist painter Raphael Soyer depicted ordinary men and women in contemporary settings. While studying at the Art Students League of New York under Guy Pène du Bois, he was influenced by the Ashcan School’s faithful representations of daily life in New York City’s poorer corners. Soyer rejected abstract art, stating, “I choose to be a realist and a humanist in art.” In sympathetic renderings of the unemployed during and after the great economic crash of 1929, many of Soyer’s paintings came to embody the Depression, as in the drawn, weary face and soft eyes that gaze out of Portrait of Walter Broe (1932). Soyer also painted women in large numbers and various forms throughout his career, including nudes, shop-girls, prostitutes, and pedestrians, displaying a love for and fascination with the manifold faces of humanity. WIKI

Moses and Raphael Soyer were identical twin brothers. Born in Russia, they immigrated with their family to America in 1913. They both studied art in New York, and went on to become successful figurative painters. During the 1930s, the brothers became involved with the Works Progress Administration and worked together on several large projects, including a mural for the Kingsessing Station Post Office in Philadelphia. Both Raphael and Moses were influenced by the Depression and painted many realistic scenes that expressed their concern for America’s poor and unemployed citizens. SMITHSONIAN

[xtruss]

Baring It All: Breasts Take Center Stage At This Major Exhibition

— By Jacqui Palumbo | Monday April 22, 2024

"Breasts" runs from April to November at the 60th Venice Biennale international art exhibition. Eva Herzog

(CNN) — What is one of the earliest and enduring subjects in art and media — as well as one of the most censored? Breasts. First carved large onto small “Venus” figurines some 25,000 years ago as totems of fertility, they’re now seen (or hidden) as a potent symbol of desire, motherhood, feminism, sexism, beauty ideals, defiance, controversy or illness, depending on context.

And these are all themes explored broadly in the exhibition “Breasts,” a robust survey on display at the 60th Venice Bienniale. Hosted at the Palazzo Franchetti, the show includes artworks by household names such as Cindy Sherman, Robert Mapplethorpe and Salvador Dalí, as well as early-career artists including Anna Weyant, Chloe Wise and Lakin Ogunbanwo. Divided into five rooms against the building’s art deco designs, the artworks are meant to be in conversation with one another — and with exhibition-goers — according to the show’s curator Carolina Pasti.

“It’s very intimate, so it’s perfect for international artists to develop a dialogue with each other,” she said in a video call.

One of the first juxtapositions visitors encounter is between the exhibition’s earliest work, an early 16th-century Madonna and child by Bernardino del Signoraccio, and a self-portrait by Sherman which depicts the artist draped in prosthetic breasts and a pregnant belly. Both images of motherhood feature exaggerated anatomy — the baby Jesus in Del Signoraccio’s panel painting exposing his mother’s rigid bosom, while Sherman displays a hyperreal silicone torso in her riff on the Raphael painting “La Fornarina” — and sets the stage by showing how Renaissance artists have continued to influence our attitudes around breasts today.

Left: Bernardino del Signoraccio, "Madonna dell' Umiltà," ca. 1460-1540 Courtesy Flavio Gianassi/FG Fine Arts Ltd. Right: Cindy Sherman, "Untitled 205," 1989 Cindy Sherman

From there, the show winds through painting, sculpture and design, photography, commercial advertising and video art, exploring the ways that breasts have been seen and represented through both the male and female gazes.

“It goes back to cave paintings — we’ve always been fascinated with the human form, and particularly the female form, which has this incredible allure and mystery,” said the artist Teniqua Crawford, who is exhibiting a delicate rendering of the breast as landscape. “Artists keep going back to it.”

“It’s been a wonderful moment to contemplate my own relationship with the meaning of breasts,” she added of the show.

“Breasts” was staged, in part, to promote breast cancer awareness, and marks a partnership with the medical research non-profit Fondazione IEO-MONZINO, which will receive a portion of its catalog sales. It’s a theme apparent throughout the show, with a vivid pink staging and backdrops inspired by the color of the cause. That includes a passageway designed by Buchanan Studio, “Booby Trap” which is draped in pink fabric and features 35 anatomical lights from above.

And the opening night treats? All according to the theme, of course, with suggestively shaped chocolate bon bons and burrata.

Lakin Ogunbanwo "Untitled (2 girls)," 2013 Courtesy Whatiftheworld

Top: Teniqua Crawford, "Fragment Horizon," 2024 Todd White Bottom: Anna Weyant, "Chest," 2020 Courtesy private collection, Europe

Left: Allen Jones, "Cover Story," 2015 Courtesy the artist/Galleria d'Arte Maggiore Right: Allen Jones, "Cover Story," 2015 Courtesy the artist/Galleria d'Arte Maggiore

Top: Laura Panno, "Alfabeto del corpo (Ceramica Blu)," 1990 Courtesy the Artist Bottom: Christopher Bucklow "Tetrarch (Claudia-Schiffer)", 2010 Christopher Bucklow

Giorgio de Chirico "Nudo di donna," 1930 Courtesy private collection, Turin

Louise Bourgeois "The-Reticent Child," 2005 Courtesy private collection, Italy

Masami Teraoka, "Breast on Hollywood Hills Installation Project," 1970 Courtesy Catherine Clark Gallery

[ottawavalleycreations]

What's in Progress

Ah, the holidays. The Season of Giving, and a time for spending time with family, friends, and all manner of loved one. One could wax and wane poetic about the various high holy days of the holidays, or speak to more secular approaches to the season, or even the outright marketable approach regarding the consumerist society in which we find ourselves bombarded with the pressures of sales and selling. While there is much I myself could say about this season and much more that could be complained about regarding the aforementioned market pressures from every conceivable angle to either buy or sell or provide the best "deals" on the latest hot ticket item or otherwise fad-tastic happening, I'd like to take a moment to talk but briefly about the things I am working on, or otherwise procrastinating working on by writing this blog post.

I am in the process of writing a Journal Entry for the membership site over at Ottawa Valley Creations and have been continuing to repost The Venture Series, the latest page having been just uploaded today. The in-progress Journal Entry is one that I have been wanting to write for some time and is actually in no way related to the holidays, though there is another too that will be written that may be more thematically appropriate-- at least in the interest of dates and specific days. The entry currently in progress is in regards to a certain ancient world deity that I have been tracking through various sources and papyri to render but a small snapshot look at in my own words and writing, so too, at the people that may have worshipped this deity in question.

Another thing I've been working on for Ottawa Valley Creations is getting together more items to take literal snapshots of so to post them within the store. I am also in the process of developing several paintings of a large size and heavier detail of others that have already been listed, though in all honesty, this is entirely dependant upon overcoming the frustrations, depression, and melancholy which seems to afflict many this time of year with the Vitamin D deficiencies prominent in countries of the Northern Hemisphere this time of year. This being said, however, there is also a smaller project painting that I am very nearly finished with which will be being posted and available both as the original canvas and as prints, this painting being a long time in the works and of the Angel Raphael, the young Tobias, and his bride, Sara. Just a sweet little portrait attempt based upon the apocryphal story, laced of course, with my usual bunches of abstract symbolism.

There is plenty in the works, as one can see, and aside from the seemingly ever wilding turmoil that is the battlefield of attempting to achieve mental wellness, it is business as usual over here with Ottawa Valley Creations. I personally cannot in good faith make my time with the holidays a completely secular and capitalist greed machinist attempt to swindle the masses with promises of sales and discounts to make up for the black hole of lacking purpose except but to consume and purchase without thought or concept of ethics and morality; but we are still here, still live, and still avidly working on new art and getting old art posted for the enjoyment of viewing. And perhaps if I can plant the seed of supporting an artist, and historian, who is trying very hard not to be too cynical about too many things, then all the better.

I appreciate any that have taken the time to read this and thank any and all for their support. My thanks, and well wishes, always,

M.R.Reid

Ottawa Valley Creations

[the-firebird69]

the Chrysler ME 412

watch. to be issued shortly. high strength titanium alloy wher the Bradley GT is gold, black Gold and other Golds.

the bevel is the shape of the steering wheel the Chrysler Symbol embossed behind the bevelled glass. and the three dials white as seen here. the watch silver really titanium colored. and fully digital too. redundant. tons will use it ok.

and the price

14,500 and due to the precise work and machines required

Hera Zues

good work you two we do this now and all watch out for knock offs this is reaal titanium alloys and some gold and white gold at that. an the other all golds. ok and different per colors and not paint golds yes

Thor Freya

matches the gold inside and we do make them now.

Hera Zues

Olympus and all on sale now. and we place them now

we follow up with ours and make them our way our styles.

Raphael and Bugatti God and Goddess of Italy

us too

Black God and Black Goddess Germany we make ours that way too and yeh Porche and BMW

[biddingart]

Unearthing the Beauty: Exploring the World of Antique Paintings

Explore the world of antique paintings, exploring their timeless elegance and captivating artistry. Discover the rich history behind these treasured works, uncovering the secrets within their intricate details and vibrant hues. Discover their significance in the art world and their profound impact on cultural heritage. Experience the sheer beauty and artistic brilliance of these age-old masterpieces, transporting you into a realm of artistic wonder where art transcends time.

The History and Significance of Antique Paintings

Antique paintings have a rich history, dating back to prehistoric times. The Renaissance period saw the rise of artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael, who created masterpieces. Oil painting gained popularity due to its versatility and realistic nature. Different art movements emerged, each with its unique style and approach, offering insight into artistic trends and societal changes.

Types of Antique Paintings - Oil, Watercolour, and Acrylic

Antique paintings come in three main forms: oil, watercolor, and acrylic. Oil paintings use pigments mixed with oil, resulting in smooth blending, vibrant colors, and rich textures. Watercolor paintings use pigments suspended in a water-based solution, creating delicate washes and subtle gradations. Acrylic paintings, created using pigments mixed with an acrylic polymer emulsion, range from realistic to abstract. Understanding these mediums helps art enthusiasts appreciate the nuances and skills involved in creating these timeless artworks.

Identifying and Authenticating Antique Paintings

Authenticating antique paintings is crucial due to the rise of counterfeit artworks. Factors such as provenance, style and technique, signature, and expert opinion can help determine the authenticity of a painting. Understanding the techniques used by artists, studying their style and signature, and seeking expert opinions can help art enthusiasts identify and authenticate genuine pieces. By analying various aspects of the artwork and seeking expert opinions, art enthusiasts can gain confidence in identifying and authenticating antique paintings.

Tips for Preserving and Caring for Antique Paintings

To ensure the longevity and enjoyment of antique paintings, follow these preservation and care tips: handle them with clean hands, display them away from direct sunlight, extreme temperatures, and humidity, choose proper framing, clean them by professionals trained in art conservation, and store them in acid-free paper or boxes. These precautions help preserve the beauty and value of these valuable artworks for generations to come.

Where to Find and Buy Antique Paintings

To add antique paintings to your collection, explore various options such as art galleries, auctions, online marketplaces, and antique shops. Art galleries showcase curated collections from various artists and periods, while auctions attract collectors and art enthusiasts. Online marketplaces like Artsy, eBay, and Etsy offer a vast selection of artworks from different eras and artists. Antique shops and dealers specialize in selling various items, offering a treasure hunt with the possibility of discovering antique paintings for sale like hidden gems. When buying antique paintings, research authenticity, condition, and provenance to make informed decisions and align with your taste and collection goals.

The Value and Investment Potential of Antique Paintings

Antique paintings hold both artistic and financial value, making them attractive investments for collectors and art enthusiasts. Factors like artist reputation, rarity, condition, provenance, and market demand influence their value. Researching market trends and historical significance helps identify potential appreciation. Investing in art should be driven by genuine passion, considering risks, and consulting art advisors for guidance.

Famous Antique Paintings and Their Stories

Antique paintings have left an indelible mark on the art world, with famous masterpieces like the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh, and The Scream by Edvard Munch. Each painting has its own story, reflecting the artist's vision, emotions, and societal context. These masterpieces have captivated audiences for centuries and continue to inspire artists today.

Restoring and Repairing Antique Paintings

Antique paintings may require restoration or repair to maintain their aesthetic appeal and historical value. This involves removing dirt, varnish, and pollutants, revealing original colors and details. Only trained professionals with expertise in art conservation use meticulous techniques and ethical guidelines. Consult with experts and obtain multiple opinions to ensure the restoration enhances the painting's appearance without altering its original intent or detracting from its authenticity.

Conclusion - The Timeless Allure of Antique Paintings

Antique paintings are a unique art form that showcases the power of creativity and the past. From Renaissance masterpieces to modern art movements, these vibrant, intricate, and emotive masterpieces transport us to different eras, evoke emotions, and ignite the imagination. Exploring the world of antique paintings is a journey worth embarking on, allowing the beauty of these masterpieces to transcend time and touch our souls.

[wallpaperpainter]

The Death Of Raphael Paintings | Raphael Paintings

FLORENCE, Italy – (AP) — The Uffizi Galleries, the most-visited building in Italy, is accessible afterwards three months of COVID-19 lockdown, delighting art lovers who don’t accept to jostle with throngs of tourists acknowledgment to new amusing break rules.

Uffizi administrator Eike Schmidt told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the government-ordered cease of museums during coronavirus ascendancy measures meant 1 actor beneath visitors and 12 actor euros ($13.2 million) in beneath acquirement for that period. Now, at best 450 bodies at one time are accustomed in the Uffizi’s abounding galleries, brimming abounding of some of the art world’s greatest masterpieces.

That agency visitors no best accept to bend their way to adore such masterpieces as Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus.”

First in band to access was Laura Ganino. She was belief in Florence back the lockdown was declared in aboriginal March and now was assuredly about to leave the Tuscan city, back Italy on Wednesday alone restrictions on biking amid regions in the country.

Schmidt said tourists from across weren’t accepted to appear to Italy in ample numbers acceptable afore 2021. Ganino took advantage of the abate cardinal of visitors. Crowds, she said, affectation “an obstacle amid me and what I’m observing.”

Right abaft her in band was Patrizia Spagnese, from Prato in Tuscany. With crowds, “I get distracted, I tend to annoy easily,” she said, so with her bedmate she was acquisitive to flavor the beauties central the Uffizi, which she had never apparent in its absoluteness admitting abounding times actuality in Florence.

Schmidt said amusing break heralds a new era in art experience. Afterwards actuality amidst by

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The post The Death Of Raphael Paintings | Raphael Paintings appeared first on Painter Legend.

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[existingforliterature]

A John William Waterhouse study of his Pre-Raphaelite muses. "11x14", oil on canvas.

[maxviciousworldofart]

Leonardo

Michelangelo

Donatello

Raphael

[brooklynmuseum]

Layering a $6.99 price tag over the famed depiction of the Virgin and child from Raphael’s Sistine Madonna

(1512–13), this painting combines Warhol’s reverence for religious imagery with his fascination with consumer culture.

The dualities at play in this illogical transformation of Raphael’s composition speak to the larger tensions at work in #WarholRevelation. There is a sincerity to the repeated mother-and-child theme, illuminated with pinks and blues that echo traditional representations with a modern twist, yet the critical reading of art and religion being for sale hovers nearby in the oversize red price tag. In an American context, religion is commodified like anything else, and, by extension, through Warhol’s work consumerism itself can be understood as a religion, as ritualized, visual, and guiding as faith.

Experience the complex themes and iconic imagery of Andy Warhol: Revelation on view through June 19. Exhibit information and tickets are available below:

🎟 ⁠https://bit.ly/revelationbkm

📷 Andy Warhol (American, 1928–1987). Raphael Madonna-$6.99, 1985. Acrylic and screenprint on linen. The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc., 1998.1.358. © 2021 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Licensed by Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

[daisys-gard3n]

I have no experience in visual arts but if there are music programs… 👀 I could see myself majoring in vocal performance or doing something instrumental in the yandere art school au — Laur 💕

The school has a lovely performing arts program, ranging from orchestra, an arrangement of bands you can play and participate in, music education, music history, theatre, technical theatre, opera, choir, show choir, and even studio mixing!

You already have a relationship with the theatre student, Prosciutto, either you're in the theater program or you just happen to share the same stage like every other performing art does. Being in a fair share of musicals, one notable Phantom of the Opera, he'll be willing to give you tips so that you have a stable voice while projecting to the crowd. You would also have a relationship with him if you were playing some type of instrument since the theatre production have live music performing at the same time. He'll be rather strict and kinda mean if you choose to be under his wing, he's forming you into the perfect performer after all. Oh, but why do others have the gall to talk to you and oogle you? You're still a work in progress, you need to be under his wing still! You simply can't function without him! Prosciutto couldn't imagine a world that you would be separated from him! You need him! You need him!...You'll be with him forever because you need to be taught!

Woodshop students help out tech theatre students, so you can see them bringing in different large wooden set pieces and they paint on set with tarps all over. You'll get to meet Formaggio and Narancia. Formaggio thinks its cool you can sing/play and instrument, things like that were never his forte and he prefers carving at something and then putting up for sale. He likes to flirt with you and show you some things he's been working on set, but he likes to drop by with some lunch for you and call you is 'little song bird/little musician'. Although, as chill as he seems, Formaggio gets easily jealous...Those pests...Dare to come up to you? The more you ignore him and his warnings, the more obsessive he becomes...Maybe he can use his trusty hacksaw...Maybe little birdie doesn't need their vocal cords. Maybe little musician doesn't need their limbs anymore. Narancia is a hyperactive boy who thinks its so cool you perform live, his singing abilities sound like a cat throwing up and he can't play anything but the triangle. He likes to be your little audience when you practice and cheers you on! He also likes to make you little trinkets and toys out of wood and paint them and give them to you, wanting you to praise him for his hard work. But...Why do you treat him like a little kid or a brother when you treat other men differently? He was a man too, he can take care of you too! Narancia hated seeing you surrounded by the attention of other men...No...He was supposed to be your husband! He had a whole family planned out for the two of you! No no no! He won't accept it! Maybe Narancia had been too nice...Maybe...He needed to cage you in.

But for you laur...Leone had been walking past the theatre as you were practicing, he stopped in and peaked to see you performing. You were moving in such a way that not even a raphael painting could capture the sheer beauty and fluidity you had flowing throughout your body and throughout your voice/instrument. He's interested now, and he'll keep an eye on you. He'll strike up conversations with you, considering that he likes music and will have conversations about it and might even show up in the back of the theatre watching you practice like the goth he is. The more he got to know you, the more he saw that smiling face, the more he heard that enchanting music you had...He'll slowly form you into his muse. Venus had been reincarnated into you. Flora was inferior compared to you. He has his...Impulses, Leone will admit it's kinda weird. First, making you in the form of venus for a small project...then he starts making busts he can kiss in private, replicas of your hands, feet, torso, life-sized statues...Breaking each one that doesn't suit his standard. Leone needed something to worship, a goddess who could truly live through his work...Oh, but his insatiable lust for you will grow and grow, starting from simple romanesque nude statues to full sex scenes in relief and even dabbling into silicone making to make makeshift...pocketpussies to replicate you. Oh, how embarrassing if you had walked in and saw him like this. He just wants to worship his goddess, give you his everything and kiss at your feet. Leone was a mere mortal compared to you. His private photography studio filled with images he took of you stalking you in secret, things he collected through your trash, all for his little alter. Oh, if he could touch his goddess and worship you, he would simply die...There was no one in this world who was a better worshiper than him, even if he had to squish these pesky bugs in his way.

[lost-highwayy]

HAPPY 30TH ANNIVERSARY “USE YOUR ILLUSION I,II”!

Use Your Illusion I is the third studio album by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, released on September 17, 1991, the same day as its counterpart Use Your Illusion II. Both albums were released in conjunction with the Use Your Illusion Tour. The album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard charts, selling 685,000 copies in its first week, behind Use Your Illusion II's first-week sales of 770,000.Use Your Illusion I has sold 5,502,000 units in the United States as of 2010, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Each of the Use Your Illusion albums have been certified 7× Platinum by the RIAA. It was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1992.This is their first album to feature former The Cult drummer Matt Sorum, who replaced Steven Adler following Adler's departure in 1990 (although he was featured again on "Civil War", which appeared on its counterpart album), as well as keyboardist Dizzy Reed. This is their first album to be recorded as a six-piece band.

The Use Your Illusion albums represent a turning point in the sound of Guns N' Roses. Although the band did not abandon the aggressive hard-rock sound it had become known for with 1987's Appetite for Destruction, Use Your Illusion I demonstrated a new-found musical maturity, incorporating elements of blues, classical music, heavy metal, punk rock, and classic rock and roll. This is exemplified by the use of piano on several tracks by singer Axl Rose and keyboardist Dizzy Reed, as well as on Use Your Illusion II. Use Your Illusion I contains two of the three songs, "November Rain" and "Don't Cry", whose videos are considered a trilogy.The third song, "Estranged", is on Use Your Illusion II.

Both albums' covers are the work of Estonian-American artist Mark Kostabi.They consist of detail from Raphael's painting The School of Athens. The highlighted figure, unlike many of those in the painting, has not been identified with any specific philosopher. The only difference in the artwork between the albums is the color scheme used for each album. Use Your Illusion I uses yellow and red. The original painting was titled by Paul Kostabi as Use Your Illusion and also became the title of both albums. The album's liner notes hide the message "Fuck You St. Louis" amongst the thank you notes, a reference to the Riverport Riot near there at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in July 1991 during the Use Your Illusion Tour.

[blueiskewl]

Leonardo da Vinci Sketch Sells for $12.2 Million

A tiny sketch of a bear by Leonardo da Vinci sold for over $12 million on Thursday, setting a new auction record for a drawing by the renaissance artist.

Measuring less than 8 square inches, the item is one of only eight Leonardo drawings left in private hands, according Christie's, the auction house behind the sale.

The sketch was made on pale pink-beige paper using silverpoint, a technique -- taught to Leonardo by his master, Andrea del Verrocchio -- that involves marking chemically treated paper with silver rods or wire.

The item has changed hands several times over the centuries -- in fact, it was once sold by Christie's for just £2.50 (about £312, or $430, in today's money) in 1860. Titled "Head of a Bear," the drawing has since been displayed at major institutions including the National Gallery in London, the Louvre Abu Dhabi and St. Petersburg's State Hermitage Museum.

In a press statement following Thursday's sale, the international head of Christie's Old Master drawings department, Stijn Alsteens, described the work as "small but magnificent." He added that it "will undoubtedly be one of the last drawings by Leonardo to ever come to the market."

The drawing, which includes the artist's signature, was initially expected to fetch up to £12 million ($16.82 million). It eventually sold at the lower end of the estimate, at around £8.9 million ($12.2 million).

Notable previous owners include painter Sir Thomas Lawrence and art collector Captain Norman Robert Colville.

The sketch broke the auction record for a Leonardo drawing -- previously held by "Horse and Rider," which sold for £8 million (over $11.2 million) in 2001 -- though the price tag fell well short of the current auction record for an Old Master drawing. In 2009, Raphael's "Head of a Muse," a study for a fresco commissioned by Pope Julius II for the Stanza della Segnatura in the Vatican, netted almost $49 million at Christie's in London.

While Leonardo is best known for oil paintings like the "Mona Lisa" and "The Last Supper," the Renaissance master was also celebrated for his anatomical sketches. His drawing "The Vitruvian Man," a mathematically precise rendering of a nude male, is hailed as one of his greatest accomplishments.

Leonardo was fascinated by the natural world, and he completed many other animal sketches in his lifetime. His drawings of cats and dogs, as well as one of a bear walking, are among those on display at institutions including the British Museum and Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Other Leonardo sketches depicted religious figures and biblical scenes. In 2016, a drawing titled "The Martyred Saint Sebastian" was set to fetch 15 million euros ($16 million at the time) at auction, though the sale was blocked after the French government declared the item to be a national treasure.

Other notable lots at Thursday's auction, which was dubbed "The Exceptional Sale" by Christie's, included a manuscript signed by Isaac Newton and a 17th-century silver inkstand. They sold for over £1.7 million ($2.3 million) and £1.9 million ($2.7 million) respectively.

By Megan C. Hills.