I came across a striking painting while researching various French museums online. It’s titled “Death and the Maiden” and it’s painted by Marianne Stokes. The painting subject seems to be a popular one from my online search.
Marianne Stokes was an Austrian artist born in 1855. She had artistic ambitions from early on and even won a scholarship to study in Munich and France. She was very much an independent and ambitious woman of her time. She married another artist, Adrian Stokes. They had no children and traveled extensively.
Marianne Stokes focused her interests mainly on portraits. It’s interesting to see how her paintings started out with rustic subjects, but changed over time to include the medieval and biblical themes. Her husband focused on landscapes with themes like hay-harvesting and cottages. She used her portraits to show the fine detail of garments. Several of the paintings provide a valuable historic record of the Slovak culture.
She moved away from oils and worked in tempera and gesso which give the impression of being frescoes on plaster surfaces with the flat compositions.
She won many awards for her paintings and was in several very important exhibits. She was even given an associate membership to the Royal Society of Painters in Water Colours in 1923.
Art history can be a great place to find inspiration. There seems to be an almost endless supply of artist stories, artwork and creativity. My research takes me to new places and allows me to discover artists I’ve never heard of before, learn of styles I don’t really understand and help me grow in appreciation.
Have you found inspiration from art history? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Resources:
https://arthistoryproject.com/artists/marianne-stokes/death-and-the-maiden/
https://arthistoryproject.com/locations/france/paris/musee-dorsay/
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