Spot! A Work of Art in 20 Minutes - a guide to the interpretation of a work of art from the Städel Collection

Odilon Redon paints the Samaritan Woman and Christ immersed in a kind of moiré light, devoid of references in time and space and relieved of all narrative implications.  An isolated figure but a great name in the history of modern art, Redon was a visionary artist capable of dipping into the world of dreams, initially through drawings and etchings predominantly in black and white, and la [...]

For the first time, in this crucial work, the artist addresses the theme of the ballerina that was to become such a central feature of his artistic output. One of the leading figures in the Impressionist school, Degas has chosen an unusual and intriguing viewpoint for this picture.  We see exactly what the musicians, seen from behind against the light, would have seen as they observed th [...]

Circus figures are huddled together in a tight space, each one shown with different accoutrements that push the painting's significance way beyond that of a genre scene.  The claustrophobic, almost stifling scene takes place under the very eyes of the painter, who appears to extend his stern gaze also on us, the spectators.  Beckmann, an exemplary figure of the Expressionist trend whose [...]