Some Masterpieces from the Public Domain

Other Painters

Albrecht Altdorfer

Albrecht Altdorfer lived from 1480 to 1538 in southern Germany. I've toned down the obviously false super-saturation of the Wikipedia Commons image file as much as I dared. This version is at least within the realm of possibility as to what oil-based pigments can do; but I'm certainly no historian so can't say how appropriate it is to the period:

Fig. 8-1: Recovering the Body of San Sebastian, Albrecht Altdorfer, date unknown

Bernardino Luini

Wikipedia entry for Bernardino Luini

Wikipedia tells us Luini lived from appprox. 1480 to 1532 in northern Italy and was a student of Michelangelo. Historians seem to be in uncertain whether this painting was intended to represent the Old Testament Susanna or the New Testament Maria Magdalena. Either way it's a honey of a picture:

Fig. 8-2: Maria Magdalena, Bernardino Luini, circa 1515-1524

Michelangelo Caravaggio

Wikipedia entry for Caravaggio

In Caravaggio, a century after Altdorfer, we can see the astounding difference in realism that had grown in Europe. Caravaggio's two paintings below could easily be mistaken for photographs, and his choreography would due credit to a modern cinema director's.

Fig. 8-3: Burial of Christ, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, 1602-04

Fig. 8-4: Birth of Christ with Hl. Lorenz and Hl. Franziskus, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, 1609

Peter Paul Rubens

Wikipedia entry for Rubens

There's a lot more of Ruben's huge output available on the web. This is the only one I've done so far. The scan file here seems pretty believable, so I didn't adjust the colours. I can't explain either the vertical or horizontal dark streaks in the sky, but they seem to be in the painting itself, so I left them alone.

The patchwork of little cameos scattered throughout this (very large) canvas, such as the cattle trapped over the falls, and the group of people on the right, is reminiscent of Breugel. To me this suggests Rubens was attempting to entertain his viewers in much the same way a wandering story-teller might dramatize a familiar tale for alms. This is the same approach to visual story-telling we'd see in a Biblically-themed canvas, but here done secularly, and therefore with no attempt at solemnity.

But what strikes me most about this picture is how strongly the colours and almost sketchy brushwork echo the Cezannes that were to follow. This is probably more an artifact of the reproduction than the painting itself, but since I haven't seen the painting in person, I can't rightly say.

Fig. 8-5: Peter Paul Rubens: Landscape with a Thunderstorm, Philemon, and Baucis, c. 1630

Francisco Collantes

Wikipedia entry for Francisco Collantes

Apparently little is know of Francisco Collantes, except that he lived from 1599 to 1656 in Spain. We have a superb image file from the Wikipedia Commons to work with, and that combined with Francisco's skill makes for a superb reproduction:

Fig. 8-6: St. Onuphrius, Francisco Collante, 17th century

Given the presence of so many saints and halos, I'm compelled to confess a sin. The original of this image file is peppered with dozens of watermarks reading Museo Nacionale del Prado. Wikipedia is careful with its copyrights, so presumably this reproduction really is in the public domain; but if they have it wrong, so did I in removing them.

Wybrand de Geest

Wikipedia entry for Wybrand de Geest

De Geest lived from 1592 to 1661 in Holland, a contemporary of Rembrandt's and married to Rembrandt's sister-in-law. As with St. Onuphrius, the beauty of this painting definitely does not emanate from the beauty of its subject. I marvel that His Worship permitted De Geest to paint with such relentless realism...

Fig. 8-7: Ernst Casimir van Nassau Dietz, Wybrand de Geest, 1635

Willem van de Velde

Wikipedia entry for Willem van de Velde

Willem (the Elder) lived from 1611 to 1693, moving from Holland to England toward the end of his life. Wikipedia tells us "He was the official artist of the Dutch fleet for a period"; what's obvious from the following painting is how perfectly his encyclopedic knowledge of naval craft is married to an equally awesome skill as draftsman. The reproduction we have is exceptionally large and has the unfortunate duty to reflect in excruciating detail the degree of damage this picture acquired over the centuries, which you can see by downloading the original.

The technique, called grisaille, is new to me, but apparently refers to painting on canvas in monochrome or very limited palatte rather than full colour. It took me dozens of hours to repair the original image file. At first I was convinced the painting was done on parchment or leather, but after a few days it became clear that the crack-and-groove texture was due to the condition of the undercoat or overcoat of glaze; the weave of the canvas does show through in various places. Here are two versions of the picture. The first is from an intermediate stage in my restoration with only actual damage removed; print this one if you prefer a stronger reminder of the passage of time:

Fig. 8-8: Dutch Flagships at Sea in a Moderate Breeze under Easy Sail, Willem van de Velde, 1672 (minimal restoration)

The second reduces the maze of cracking, warping, and discolouration to arrive at something I hope is much closer to what the artist would have seen upon finishing his epic labour:

Fig. 8-9: Dutch Flagships at Sea in a Moderate Breeze under Easy Sail, Willem van de Velde, 1672 (extensive restoration)

The original is some 44 by 80 inches; and the image file fully repays perusing at even 200% mag. Every one of the cast of thousands has a distinct face; and several of the ships, detailed right down to the nail heads, have been identified from other records. I personally printed this on matte paper at 16 by 33 inches: roughly the maximum size possible from my printer.

Consider, for example, this small detail from the right of Fig. 8-9, which incidentally you're seeing here at roughly the same scale as the original:

Fig. 8-10: Detail from Fig. 8-9

I had no idea Dutch battleships were so ornately decorated. At the rate all wooden vessels went down, whether from storm or from battle, investing so much effort and expense seems almost madness. Nor did I realize such ships had stern hatches. What are the two sailors in the two open hatches doing? Bailing water? The entire image is chock-full of such fascinating vignettes.

Willem van de Velde II

Wikipedia entry for Willem van de Velde II

Son of the previous painter, Willem II lived from 1633 to 1707, again first in Holland, then England. Based on these two exquisite canvases from his last year, history has served him very poorly indeed. To my eye, Willem II is a true heir not just to the nautical knowledge of his father but to the masterful brushwork of Rembrandt – which is high praise indeed considering the prices Rembrandts fetch:

Fig. 8-11: The Canon Shot, Willem van de Velde II, 1707

Fig. 8-12: A Ship in Need in a Raging Storm, Willem van de Velde II, 1707

Others (Pre-1800)