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May 26, 2024 30 tweets 10 min read Read on X
Thread of surreal painting details 🧵

1. Light reflection in the eye Image
2. Napoleon Bonaparte studying at the military academy.

Notice how this lithograph by Jacques de Bréville depicts the young French emperor devouring books, while the shadow of his future self looms over Europe, blending seamlessly with the city's silhouette outside the window. Image
3. This is one of the most extraordinary details in art history.

The mirror in Van Eyck's Arnolfini Portrait is just 5.5 centimeters wide, yet still manages to reflect the entire room: the couple, seen from behind, and two other figures, one of whom may be the painter himself. Image
4. This detail from Diego Velázquez's "Las Meninas" highlights a man in the painting's background, alongside an intriguing artistic nuance: a delicate brushstroke that captures the viewer's attention by infusing the scene with luminosity and depth. Image
5. "The most beautiful lips in art history"

Judith Beheading Holofernes, Caravaggio's legendary painting. Image
6. At first glance, this 1533 painting by Hans Holbein looks like a regular portrait. Yet, upon closer inspection, the unremarkable grey mark at the bottom transforms into a skull when viewed from the right angle. Image
7. Why do the fingers not touch in Michelangelo's masterpiece?

God's finger is fully extended whilst Adam's is not, reflecting our human hesitation. God's hand symbolizes eternal presence, accessible only through our conscious choice—a poignant reminder of our free will. Image
8. This painting shows human aging as you walk by it.

Sergi Cadenas' art is a testament to precision and detail: he uses kinetic optics, painting vertical strips of paint paste on a canvas. Once the paste has dried, he paints the two sides differently.
9. Lucifer after being expelled from Heaven. A single tear falls from his eyes, embodying his burning wrath and resolute defiance.

The Fallen Angel by Alexandre Cabanel (1847) Image
10. Luciano Ventrone was an Italian artist (born in 1942) known as the "Caravaggio of the 20th century".

Notice the remarkable level of detail in this hyper-realistic depiction of a pomegranate. Image
11. "Medusa" by Caravaggio.

This is actually painted on a convex wooden shield. We are meant to see Medusa as Perseus would have seen her, in his shield's mirror.

Caravaggio replaced Medusa's face with his own, allowing him to position himself as being immune to her fatal gaze.Image
12. "Dante and Virgil in Hell" by the French academic painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau. Image
13. Vincent van Gogh's Blues Image
14. A detail from the Primavera (spring) by the Italian Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli. Image
15. In the Renaissance, women were typically portrayed looking downward and rarely smiling. Leonardo Da Vinci broke this tradition with the Mona Lisa, depicting her with a direct gaze and a daring smile—one of the most enigmatic smiles of all time. Image
16. The look of anguish and remorse on Ivan the Terrible's face, after he accidentally killed his son in a fit of anger. Image
17. It seems like the boy is actually climbing out of the picture frame to step into the world outside.

"Escaping Criticism" is an extraordinary example of the art technique called "trompe-l'œil," where the painter creates the illusion of three-dimensionality on a flat surface. Image
18. "The Knight of the Flowers" by Georges Rochegrosse (1894) Image
19. Only Rembrandt could depict hands with such precision. This detail is from the painting "Young Scholar and his Tutor" (1629-30). Image
20. The eyes say it all.

"Fidelity" by Briton Rivière (1840–1920) Image
21. Claude Monet's Blues Image
22. Two Laughing Girls by Pere Borrell del Caso (1880) Image
23. Everyone in this painting is judging you, even the cat.

In a Roman Osteria (1866) by the Danish painter Carl Bloch. Image
24. "Breathe" by David Ambarzumjan
Image
Image
25. Bubble wrap painting by Darian Rodriguez Mederos Image
26. In "The creation of Adam" (1508-1512) by Michelangelo, the section where God is placed has a great resemblance to a human brain.

In 1990, Dr. Frank Lynn Meshberger observed in the Journal of the American Medical Association that the background figures and shapes portrayed behind the figure of God appeared to be an anatomically accurate picture of the human brain.

Detailed analysis revealed correlations with brain structures including major sulci, the cerebrum, brain stem, frontal lobe, basilar artery, pituitary gland, and optic chiasm.

There have been numerous interpretations of this theory over the years, ranging from the idea of God not only granting Adam life but also intelligence, to a sneaky jab at the Vatican by Michelangelo. What is your interpretation?Image
27. Vincent Van Gogh’s brush strokes Image
28. A stunning detail by Sandro Botticelli

"The Birth of Venus" has always been regarded as the quintessential representation of female beauty in art, much like how Michelangelo's David is seen as the epitome of male beauty. Image
Thank you for reading this thread! If you enjoyed it please share the first post and follow me for more art content: @JamesLucasIT
I just got hit with a "search suggestion ban" due to nudity being flagged in a painting I posted in this thread (now deleted). If you see this, a repost would be greatly appreciated 🙏

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More from @JamesLucasIT

Jun 12
Thread of photos you won’t believe are real 🧵

1. The ancient temple of Apollo in Naxos looks like a star gate in this photo by Athan Andreas Image
2. Wheat field in Puglia, Italy.

A 1978 photo by Franco Fontana. Image
3. Mars is so bright it reflects on the ocean as it rises.

Captured by astrophotographer Abdul Dremali in Rhode Island in 2018, this phenomenon won’t occur again until 2035. Image
Read 20 tweets
Jun 8
The beauty of spring around the world 🧵

1. A desert bloom in Utah by Emily Dickey Image
2. Spring in Strasbourg

3. South Kensington, London Image
Read 25 tweets
Jun 7
When Sophia Loren married Carlo Ponti in 1957, he promised her “the most beautiful house in the world.”

A thread about their majestic Roman villa 🧵 Image
1. Villa Sara is a lavish 16th-century mansion in Marino, Italy, just outside Rome, boasting 50 rooms and a grand guest house.

Ponti extensively renovated it, adding a swimming pool and richly ornate furnishings that epitomized extravagance and opulence. Image
2. Designed in Baroque style, the villa combined Roman and Renaissance influences and rivaled any royal residence with its unique decor.

Set on 20 hectares, the couple’s retreat included an art gallery, private cinema, stable, aqueduct, tennis court, and orchard. Image
Read 16 tweets
Jun 6
Thread of colorized historical photos you've (probably) never seen before 🧵

1. D-Day, Normandy, 6 June 1944 Image
2. Evacuee Barrie Peacop eating ice cream on a seamine that washed ashore. Deal in Kent, England, February 1940. Image
3. Jesse Owens salutes during the presentation of his gold medal for the long jump, after defeating Germany's Lutz Long at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Image
Read 21 tweets
Jun 5
Ancient Rome back then vs Rome today 🧵

1. The Roman Forum Image
2. Circus Maximus

It was an ancient Roman chariot-racing stadium measuring 621 by 118 meters and seating over 150,000 spectators.

The Circus Maximus was the largest stadium in ancient Rome and later inspired circuses throughout the Roman Empire. Today, it is a public park. Image
3. The Colosseum

The largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, it remains the largest standing amphitheatre in the world today.

I often wonder what it must have been like in all its former glory. Image
Read 13 tweets
Jun 4
These stunning photographs were taken in Egypt by Maxime Du Camp in 1849-51 🧵

1. Abu Simbel as It stood 175 years ago Image
2. Colossal Monolith of Amenhotep III, Gournah, 1849-1851 Image
3. Peristyle of the Palace of Rameses III, 1849 Image
Read 16 tweets

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