Must-see paintings and sculptures
Apollo Belvedere – the greatest work of art from among all the works of antiquity
Benrnini’s Apollo and Daphne – a rock animated by love
Raphael’s Woman with a Unicorn - an image of a virgin marked by virtue
Bernini’s David – a sculpture testifying to the power of faith and humility
Caravaggio’s David with the Head of Goliath – a victor filled with sorrow
Bernini’s The Ecstasy of St. Teresa – an anthem on the subject of bodily union with God
Gaul Killing Himself and his Wife – meaning, praise of an honorable suicidal death
Laocoön Group – the dramatic story of one arm and its lack
Pietro da Cortona’s The Story of Aeneas – meaning where the pope searched for his roots
Bronzino’s John the Baptist – between cold eroticism and refined devotion
Caravaggio’s St. John the Baptist – a work of art, sacrilege, or child pornography?
Caravaggio’s Judith and Holofernes – a refined mixture of violence and desire
Raphael’s Fornarina – a mysterious love interest or perhaps…
Antoniazzo Romano’s Legend of the True Cross – miraculousness told in a Renaissance way
Domenichino’s The Hunt of Diana – a painting about spying and its unfortunate results
Jacopo Sansovino’s Madonna del Parto – between a saint and a maid
Madonna delle mani – an indecent work, damaged and found anew
Caravaggio’s Madonna of Loreto - the sanctity of dirty, coarse feet
Andrea Sansovino’s Madonna and Child with St. Anne – a work praised by poets
Giovanni Lanfranco’s Apparition of the Virgin to St. Lawrence – a thematic painting yet not bereft of artistry
Bronzino’s Madonna with Child, St. John the Baptist and St. Anne – meaning a song of love sentenced to suffering
Caravaggio’s Madonna and Child with St. Anne – a work despite and against itself
Caravaggio’s The Martyrdom of St. Matthew – death among onlookers and terrified passersby
Caravaggio’s The Crucifixion of St. Peter – a painting on the banality of evil
Michelangelo’s Moses – the remains of a tragic work
Mosaics in the Church of Santa Pudenziana – how the Good Shepherd became a lawgiver
Melozzo da Forlì’s Musical angels – Christ among songs, music and dance
Caravaggio’s Conversion of St. Paul – meaning how Saul became Paul
Domenichino’s The Last Communion of St. Jerome – a work about the superiority of communion under one kind
Pasquino – snide, mean and still today irreplaceable
Antonio Canova’s Pauline Borghese as the Venus Victrix – remember me like this for ages
Michelangelo’s Pietà – an astonishing story of silent suffering
Guercino’s The Funeral of St. Petronilla – a difficult topic, masterfully solved
Velázquez’s Portrait of Pope Innocent X – a real, perceptive and effective portrait
Portrait of Pope Clement IX – a subtle image of a delicate pontifex
Bronzino’s Portrait of Stefano Colonna – a picture-perfect condottiero
Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s The Rape of Proserpina, meaning sanctioned rape
Pietro da Cortona’s Rape of the Sabine Women – all is well that ends well
Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius – a symbol of imperial harmony and peace
Ludovica Albertoni – a masterpiece in the shadow of a moral scandal
Bernini’s Statue of St. Bibiana – meaning how to present a virgin in the moment of bliss
Stefano Maderno’s Lying St. Cecilia – a miracle or an elaborate mystification?
Caravaggio’s The Calling of St. Matthew – how a sinner becomes the chosen of God
Raphael’s Fire in the Borgo – a hymn on the subject of more than just antiquity
The Transfiguration – the most divine of all Raphael’s works
Michelangelo’s Vault of the Sistine Chapel – a masterpiece born out of doubt and suffering
Raphael’s Stanzas – meaning how the popes had wanted to live
Saint Cecilia Distributing Alms to the Poor– a story of the recalcitrant Roman populace
Carlo Saraceni’s St. Cecilia with an Angel - two musicians
Caravaggio’s Saint Jerome – the Doctor of the Church as a weapon in the struggle against heretics
Melozzo da Forlì’s Sixtus IV Appointing Platina as Prefect of the Vatican Library – pope as an earthly ruler and a patron of science
Raphael’s’ The School of Athens– a fancy riddle or an alternative history
Raphael’s Triumph of Galatea – beauty and the beast in a Renaissance version
Pietro da Cortona’s Triumph of Divine Providence – family apotheosis, meaning painting to the point of breathlessness
Guido Reni’s Crucifixion of St. Peter – meaning a reason for a duel
Dying Gaul – a funeral rhapsody in memory of the Gauls
The Deliverance of St. Peter– between reality and a vision
Giovanni Lanfranco’s Venus Playing the Harp – a tribute to music or perhaps to love?
Bronzino’s Venus, Cupid, and Satyr – a sublime allegory or a courtly jest?
Daniele da Volterra’s The Descent from the Cross – a faded shadow of a great work, meaning the aftermath of vandalism
Caravaggio’s The Entombment of Christ – a perfect work
Raphael’s The Deposition – a painting of suffering, the fragility of life and an unforgettable loss
Antoniazzo Romano’s Annunciation – meaning, how the Virgin Mary can miss the most important moment of her life
Piazza Augusto Imperatore – in the service of historical policy
The ruler of Fascist Italy, Benito Mussolini looked at himself as the heir of Roman emperors, but only one was his favorite. This was Octavius Augustus, who was remembered in history as an example of an excellent leader who ensured his subjects peace and prosperity. And thus the grand exhibition, planned for 1938 was devoted to this ruler as a commemoration of his birthday. Many guests were invited (including Hitler, who was also a proponent of Octavius), while the opening of a square (a new Roman forum), surrounded by new, monumental buildings served as an added attraction. At the center of t...
See moreGiovanni Lanfranco’s Venus Playing the Harp – a tribute to music or perhaps to love?
Who is the semi-nude woman on the canvas? Is it the allegory of music, or perhaps Venus – the goddess of love, with accompanying, reading the score, amoretti? The scarlet and blue fabrics made of satin covering the woman, and hanging behind her back, seduce the viewer with the soft, wavy, and shiny material. Among these is the woman’s beautiful body, with an enormous harp between her legs. The woman is singing, as her mouth is open, and looks at us in a stubborn manner. Intuitively we feel that this work hides some mystery, an anecdote, or maybe just an intriguing ambiguity. And we...
See moreSaint Eustochium (368–419) – a virgin through and through
The history of the Roman Catholic Church is filled with imaginary virgins of legendary provenances, such as Agnes and Cecilia who are particularly venerated in Rome. Probably nobody (apart from a few early-Christian Church historians) has ever heard of Saint Eustochium. It would be worth pondering why the first in Rome, declared virgin and historically documented ascetic remains completely unknown.
See more Zgodnie z art. 13 ust. 1 i ust. 2 rozporządzenia Parlamentu Europejskiego i Rady (UE) 2016/679 z 27 kwietnia 2016 r. w sprawie ochrony osób fizycznych w związku z przetwarzaniem danych osobowych i w sprawie swobodnego przepływu takich danych oraz uchylenia dyrektywy 95/46/WE (RODO), informujemy, że Administratorem Pani/Pana danych osobowych jest firma: Econ-sk GmbH, Billbrookdeich 103, 22113 Hamburg, Niemcy
Przetwarzanie Pani/Pana danych osobowych będzie się odbywać na podstawie art. 6 RODO i w celu marketingowym Administrator powołuje się na prawnie uzasadniony interes, którym jest zbieranie danych statystycznych i analizowanie ruchu na stronie internetowej. Podanie danych osobowych na stronie internetowej http://roma-nonpertutti.com/ jest dobrowolne.
