Why did Jules Bastien-Lepage paint Joan of Arc in 1879?
– 400 years later – Joan of Arc became a hero
– The 100 years war parallels the Franco-Prussian war
– A saint in the backyard … surrounded by angel messengers
What makes Philip Guston’s painting Stationary Figure a masterpiece?
– Passage of time and imminent death
– A child’s drawing… of pooling blood
– Preposterous solidity in a puff of smoke
What makes Joan Miro’s painting Bleu II so groundbreaking in the art history canon?
– Miro breaks the Bourgeoisie’s guitar
– A red slash stops abstract traffic
– The vast, cobalt sky highlights our insignificance on Earth