The Odessa Fine Arts Museum, a colonnaded early-19th-century palace, stands almost empty. Early in Russia’s war on Ukraine, its staff removed more than 12,000 works for safe keeping. One large portrait remained, depicting Catherine the Great, the Russian empress and founder of Odessa, as a just and victorious goddess. President Vladimir V. Putin knows that Ukraine’s fate, its access to the sea and its grain exports hinge on Odesa. Without it, the country shrivels to a landlocked rump state.Seen from below in Dmitry Levitzky’s painting, the empress is a towering figure in a pale gown with a golden train. The ships behind her symbolize Russia’s victory over the Ottoman Turks in 1792. “She’s textbook Russian imperial propaganda,” said Gera Grudev, a curator. “The painting’s too large to move, and besides, leaving it shows the Russian occupiers we don’t care.”
Quinta da Regaleira is an exquisite estate located in the charming town of Sintra, Portugal. Designed by Italian architect Luigi Manini, the estate features a palace, chapel, and extensive gardens, all with intricate designs that blend Gothic, Renaissance, and Manueline styles. However, what sets Quinta da Regaleira apart are its extensive gardens, which include a maze, a lake, and a stunning waterfall. The estate's underground tunnels, initiation wells, and grottoes are also a major highlight, offering visitors a glimpse into the mysterious and mystical side of the estate. Quinta da Regaleira was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995 and is a must-visit destination for anyone visiting Sintra.
The exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London presented an extraordinary collection of personal artefacts and clothing belonging to the iconic Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Locked away for 50 years after her death, this was the first exhibition of this collection outside Mexico. Clothes were more than just clothes to Frida Kahlo (1907-1954), the Mexican tyro of Surrealist self-portraiture. This should be underscored by “Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving,” an exhibition — based on one by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London — which opens Feb. 8, 2019 at the Brooklyn Museum.
As an artist, Joaquin Clausell (June 16, 1866 - November 28, 1935) had two periods of production, the first between roughly 1903 and 1910 and the second from 1920 until his death in 1935. He abandoned painting during the Mexican Revolution, mostly likely to concentrate on his law practice. However, his production was most intense in the latter period, becoming something of a vice, with all of his spare money going to supplies and even painting on wood and cardboard when he did not have canvas. In addition, he occasionally disappeared to Mexico’s coasts, especially the area between Mazatlán and Acapulco to return with sketches as the basis of new paintings.
