Welcome to the Painting Gallery! There are five paintings in this gallery, each special in it's own regard. First, on your left we have A Sunday on La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat. The painting was completed in 1886, and until recently was held in The Art Institute of Chicago. The painting features an afternoon on the Seine River in Paris. The painting features a style known as pointillism. Seurat covered the painting with a layer of dots, that appear as a solid layer when seen from a distance. Take the time to take a close look at the painting and see the dots up close. Second, we have The Bedroom, an incredibly famous painting by Vincent Van Gogh. This painting, which was also held in The Art Institute of Chicago, was completed in 1889, three years after A Sunday on La Grande Jatte. This painting features the inside of the bedroom in The Yellow House, where Van Gogh lived for many years. The house was unique because it housed not only Van Gogh, but numerous "like-minded" artists. One of these artists was another famous one, Paul Gauguin. Van Gogh's stay at The Yellow House in this bedroom would come to an end when he cuts off his ear and fled back to Paris. The third painting hanging in this gallery, straight ahead of us is Painterly Realism of a Football Player. Unlike the first two, this piece is abstract, and was completed in 1915. Through this piece, the artist Malevich and Kazimir Severinovich, loses all relationship to the recognizable world we live in, and focuses solely on the geometric shapes and the relationship between them. Using lines and shapes the painting comes alive and shares a unique relationship with every viewer. Like the first two, this painting was also held in The Art Institute of Chicago until recently. The fourth painting held in this gallery, in the back right corner is The Torment of Saint Anthony by Michelangelo. This beautiful artwork was until recently held in the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. Finished in 1488, this painting is the first painting known to be painted by Michelangelo. It is believed that this painting was painted when Michelangelo was about 12 or 13 years old, which is incredible for someone that young. This painting would start the career of one of the most famous artists to ever walk this Earth. Finally, on your right, hangs the last painting in this Painting Gallery, St. Francis in the Desert. This painting, which was held in the Frick Collection in New York City, was painted by Giovanni Bellini and completed around 1480. This painting is considered to be one of the greatest Renaissance paintings in America, and Bellini's masterpiece. It is said even the most stout nonbeliever is moved by this piece of art. The artist has portrayed St. Francis of Assisi alone in a stony wilderness, stepping forward from his simple shelter into a golden light that seems to transfigure him spiritually. One of the beauties of this masterpiece is something that is not in it, something supernatural in the top left of the work. It brightens the rocks and the trees, it greets a glowing golden light. That is all in the Painting Gallery, please take your time to look at each artwork, for they are all incredible in their own light.
