The paintings thread

[MC Prussian]

For the art lovers and connaisseurs...

 

My favourite (sadly not available outside the US as a print; and it's very pricey): The Ghosts of Vimy Ridge (war memorial in Vimy, France) by Australian William Longstaff. Hangs in the Parliament building in Ottawa, Canada.

[bovril]

Probably my favourite painting is Fra Angelico's annunciation in Florence and I try and see it once every couple of years.

 

 

Also the incredible medieval pieta in the pantaleimon monastery above Skopje, from an unknown artist.

 

 

I love Ravillious' paintings of the West of England 

 

And Nash's of Norfolk, who I think was probably influenced by Ravillious

 

[MC Prussian]

Big fan of Japanese ukiyo-e (woodblock print). Most of you know "The Wave" by Hokusai.

 

Here's a famous one: The tryptich Takiyasha the Witch and the Skeleton Spectre by Kuniyoshi.

[Spudulike]

Paul Delaroche (1833).

 

I've always been traumatised by this portrayal of 17-year old Lady Jane Grey execution. Perhaps because of knowing the story since a kid and the Bradgate Park connection. Artistic licence has been used and was painted almost three centuries after the dreadful event. Can only imagine what it must've been like. Awful.

 

[Foxdiamond]

53 minutes ago, MC Prussian said:

For the art lovers and connaisseurs...

 

My favourite (sadly not available outside the US as a print; and it's very pricey): The Ghosts of Vimy Ridge (war memorial in Vimy, France) by Australian William Longstaff. Hangs in the Parliament building in Ottawa, Canada.

Very appropriate for 11/11

[MC Prussian]

Ilya Repin's Ivan The Terrible and His Son Ivan also has that haunting quality:

[Zear0]

My office is absolutely covered with Lowrys (not originals...). Going to the Mill being my favourite. It amuses me as I sometimes feel as the characters look. 

 

[Vacamion]

 

I was in Dresden over the weekend and saw this bad boy (The Sistine Madonna, 1512) by Raphael at the Old Masters collection in the Zwinger.

 

The two lads at the bottom seem familiar 

 

 

My favourite works were the Rubens, although Willem Claeszoon Heda: Breakfast Table with Blackberry Pie, 1631, was one that made you gasp at its technical level of excellence:

 

 

 

 

 

[Trav Le Bleu]

 

 

Surprised! by Henri Rousseau.

 

This was on display in New Walk Museum several years ago. You can't see it from this image, but the brush work gives the picture real energy and it looks wet, like it's genuinely a window and on the other side it's raining.

 

A great painting actually owned by Leicester Museums is this 

 

 

The Foolish Virgins; too late ye cannot enter now, by Frank Bernard Dicksee.

 

Based on Jesus' parable of the ten virgins, these are the five who didn't prepare ahead, had to go back for oil in their lamps and so missed out.

 

I just love the depth of darkness. You can only clearly see in detail one figure as the furthest virgins are swallowed into the night, thereby showing the necessity of keeping their lamps alight.

 

 

Edited 11 November 2025 by Trav Le Bleu

[Libertine]

 

Grainger Street by Louis Grimshaw. Saw this in the Baltic up in Newcastle when we went a few years back.

 

 

[oakman]

Pandemonium by John Martin. Painted in 1841.

[Foxdiamond]

6 hours ago, Libertine said:

 

Grainger Street by Louis Grimshaw. Saw this in the Baltic up in Newcastle when we went a few years back.

 

 

I like Grimshaw's work

[oakman]

Louis Grimshaw is really good but I think his dad, John Atkinson Grimshaw, is even better.

[Foxdiamond]

1 minute ago, oakman said:

Louis Grimshaw is really good but I think his dad, John Atkinson Grimshaw, is even better.

Thank you. Didn't realise the father/son connection. John did some wonderful art

[foxfanazer]

58 minutes ago, oakman said:

Pandemonium by John Martin. Painted in 1841.

Wow that's incredible 

[EnderbyFox]

 

The Black Prince at Crécy, Julian Russell Story, 1888

 

Quote

This painting portrays the aftermath of the famous Battle of Crécy, fought in France on August 26, 1346. This bloody encounter was a major turning point in the Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453) between England and France. Julian Story portrays a bittersweet moment after the conclusion of the battle. The composition is dominated by the dashing figure of Edward, Prince of Wales, whose dark armor earned him the name “the Black Prince.” His clothes are whipped into a lively silhouette, and the crown atop his armored helmet signifies his position as heir to the English throne. On the right, the lifeless body of King John of Bohemia creates a dramatic contrast to the dynamic Black Prince. Shrouded in a white tunic, King John lies pinned beneath his steed. According to medieval chronicles, King John, who fought as an ally of the French, insisted on participating in the battle despite the fact that he was completely blind. Although he entered the battle surrounded by attendant knights, he was ultimately exposed and died on the battlefield along with approximately 4,000 other men killed in the conflict. Story depicts the Black Prince paying quiet homage to the deceased King John, whom he admired as an adversary. As a mark of respect, the Black Prince adopted King John’s motto, Ich dien (“I serve”), which is inscribed on the breast plate of John’s horse. It has remained the motto of England’s Princes of Wales ever since.

 

 

 

 

[RoboFox]

Joseph Ducreux (1735-1802) was doing YouTube thumbnails before it was cool. 

 

 

 

[VLC86]

Glad this thread has popped up. Does anyone know of any Leicestershire based artists that have created any interesting pieces based on the city?

 

I went round a friends house the other week and he is from Glasgow and had a few amazing pieces local to them and I’d love to see what we have. I’ve searched online but struggled to find much more than Etsy style prints which isn’t really what I was going for.

[Rocket-Ron]

22 hours ago, Spudulike said:

Paul Delaroche (1833).

 

I've always been traumatised by this portrayal of 17-year old Lady Jane Grey execution. Perhaps because of knowing the story since a kid and the Bradgate Park connection. Artistic licence has been used and was painted almost three centuries after the dreadful event. Can only imagine what it must've been like. Awful.

 

My niece recently moved back up to Leicester and is doing her house up.

This is what she wanted for her birthday to hang on her landing.

 

I've always liked Hopper personally 

[Foxdiamond]

1 hour ago, VLC86 said:

Glad this thread has popped up. Does anyone know of any Leicestershire based artists that have created any interesting pieces based on the city?

 

I went round a friends house the other week and he is from Glasgow and had a few amazing pieces local to them and I’d love to see what we have. I’ve searched online but struggled to find much more than Etsy style prints which isn’t really what I was going for.

John Flower was known as The Leicester Artist

[Milo]

Great topic - thanks for starting it @MC Prussian

 

I think I've yet to find an artist/painting that I would consider to be a favourite. I suppose that is half the point of art - it evolves and you evolve. I have spent a fair amount of time in galleries, and one of the (increasingly few) benefits of living in and around London is easy access to some pretty cool exhibitions. 

 

In my 20's I was a little obsessed with Van Gogh and Dali - and managed to see a few works on my travels. Then I thought it might all be a bit twee and I was being duped by hype. But 30's, 40's and beyond bring different perspectives.

 

So I visited some lesser known artists works that were (imo) a bit shite. But I looked at them in a vaguely frowny, critical manner that I assumed showed that I knew what I was looking at.  

 

And many many years on I still have no clue. I am massively impressed with some of the above works and the descriptions/feeling they invoke. On our wall at home we have a couple of copies of Modigliani paintings, a cool graffiti art pastiche of a Mondrian, some scenic originals from local artists and an artists proof of a Rolf Harris that I'm not entirely sure what to do with 

 

I do, however, always come back to... 

 

 

[VLC86]

3 hours ago, Foxdiamond said:

John Flower was known as The Leicester Artist

Thanks, I’ll check him out.

[CornwallFox]

I haven't been down here that long but there's a couple of Cornish artists I rather like so far:

 

John Dyer has a childlike quality to his pictures but I love his work. I'll be buying a bunch of his paintings I'm sure as I love lots of them:

 

 

Julia Prior does atmosphere really well, again can see me buying one of hers:

 

 

 

 

[Foxdiamond]

Really like the John Dyer. As you said child like quality but so joyful and uplifting

[SkidsFox]

This one really had an impact on me. Never mind the Velaquez or Goya classics, this one makes the Prado museum in Madrid a must-visit.