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Capitol Building
Dr. William Thornton of Scotland entered the contest to design the U.S. capitol building, proposing the domed central section and two rectangular wings (one for the Senate and one for the House). President Washington said the plan had "grandeur, simplicity and convenience," and laid the cornerstone on September 18, 1793. The work continued until 1830 after Congress, the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress, and the federal courts moved in to begin working in 1800. -
The Flood
One of Clodion’s most important late works, "Scéne du dèluge" depicts a father carrying his son against the water, seeking elevation. Clodion intentionally selected a heroic subject to secure a larger commission from the newly appointed Napoleon Bonaparte. He earned a first-class medal for his works, but the commission was never given. This work is a strong foray into the popular Realism of the 19th century. -
The Coronation of Napoleon
Jacques-Louis David, Napoleon's patron painter, created the 33' x 20' oil painting depicting the coronation of Napoleon I at Notre-Dame de Paris. He had attended the coronation himself, so he knew that Napoleon had actually crowned himself while facing the congregation, rather than allowing the pope to do so, symbolizing his independence from the Church. Jacques-Louis David decided to show Napoleon crowning his wife, Josephine, to show the two in a light of more humilty. -
Fur Elise
Translated to "For Elise," one of Beethoven's most famous compositions was not published until nearly 40 years after his death, leading many to wonder if it is indeed one of his works at all. Also in question is who the elusive Elise is. Many believe it was translated incorrectly, and is actually Therese Malfatti (featured in photo). It is believed that Beethoven planned to write a cycle of bagatelles (short, light pieces of music) that "Fur Elise" would have been a part of. -
The Raft of Medusa
French Romantic painter, Theodore Géricault, painted "Le Radeau de la Méduse" at the age of 27, and it became iconic in the Romantic movement. The huge painting depicts the wreck of the French naval frigate Méduse in 1816. The 15 who survived endured dehydration and starvation which led to cannibalism. Géricault endured much criticism of the visceral work after interviewing two survivors, and visiting hospitals and morgues to study the the flesh of the dying and dead to accurately create it. -
Saturn Devouring His Son
Spanish artist Francisco Goya painted this Greek myth of the Titan Cronus as part of the series of "Black Paintings" painted directly on the walls of his dining room, in his villa Quinta del Sordo (Villa of the Deaf Man) between 1819 and 1823. It was transferred to canvas after Goya's death. Goya was increasingly ill and angry about the social unrest in Spain at the time, and the paintings were macabre ones representative of his moods, never meant to be seen by the public. -
Liberty Leading the People
"La Liberté guidant le peuple," painted by Eugène Delacroix, is a painting of the popular Realist Movement. The painting shows the day of the Revolution that the people of France rose and fought for their freedom. The painting was used as a political poster for the revolution, as Delacroix himself was a member of the National Guard. He painted himself into the painting as the man on the left (wearing a top-hat). -
Wedding March from A Midsummer Night's Dream
Felix Mendelssohn's "Wedding March" is one of the best known movements from the suite of music he wrote to accompany Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. It is now one of the most frequently used wedding recessionals. The first wedding Mendelssohn's piece was used for that of Dorothy Carew and Tom Daniel in June of 1947,performed by organist Samuel Reay. However, it became popular after Queen Victoria's daughter selected it for her wedding to Prince Frederick of Prussia in January 1858. -
The Gleaners
An extremely large oil painting by Jean-François Millet, The Gleaners shows three peasant women gleaning grains of wheat after the harvest. The painting is famous for angering the French upper class, as it features the lowest class of the French rural society in a sympathetic way, using a large medium typically reserved for depictions of mythology or religious stories. -
Battle Hymn of the Republic
Written by Julia Ward Howe, using the music from the song “John Brown’s Body," this song was also commonly known in the song's conception as "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory." The song was first published in The Atlantic Monthly, and links the biblical judgment of sin with the American Civil War. Julia Ward Howe heard the soldiers singing "John Brown's Body" and changed the lyrics to reflect Union support, and God's hopeful intervention on the side of good. -
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" is an African American spiritual potentially written by Wallis Willis and inspired by the biblical story of Elijah being taken to heaven on a chariot. Some claim that this song's lyrics referred to the Underground Railroad. Alexander Reid, a minister at a boarding school, heard Willis singing and transcribed the words and tune, then sent the music to the Jubilee Singers of Nashville, TN. They began to sing it on their tours, and recorded the first copy of it in 1909. -
Impression, Sunrise
Impression, Sunrise, was created by Claude Monet from a scene in the French port of Le Havre. A critic who attended the first exhibition of the painting wrote the infamous article in which the term "Impressionist" was first used, based on the painting's title. The term went on in history to define the genre of art arguable that became the most famous of the 19th century. -
Pictures at an Exhibition
Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky wrote "Kartínki s výstavki," a suite of ten piecee featuring a varied Promenade refrain. The piece details walking through a museum, and looking at paintings. It was inspired by Mussorgsky's friendship with artist/architect Viktor Hartmann, who gave him two of the painting referenced in the composition ("In the Corner" and "Scene by a Fountain"). Mussorgsky composed his piano suite as a memorial after his friend's sudden death at age 39 due to a brain aneurysm. -
The Gates of Hell
Rodin received a commission to create a pair of bronze doors for a new Paris museum. The museum was never built, but "The Gates of Hell," inspired by Dante's "Inferno," became Rodin's defining work for 37 years. He continually altered more than 200 human figures that appear and were removed from the doors. Some of his most famous works, like "The Thinker" and "The Kiss" were originally created for "The Gates of Hell" and were later removed and enlarged to become independent pieces. -
Little Dancer of Fourteen Years
"La Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans" is a sculpture of Belgian ballet student Marie van Goethem, studying at the Paris Opera House.The sculpture is two-thirds life size and sculpted in wax-- an unusual medium. The dancer is dressed in an actual costume bodice, tutu, and slippers of the opera, and her wig is made of real hair. Everything other than the hair ribbon and the tutu is covered in wax. Dega's skill with form can be seen, and the sculpture is one of the first to be called "modern art." -
A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte
One of Georges Seurat's most famous works, "Un dimanche après-midi à l'Île de la Grande Jatte" is the most well-known pointillist painting. Inspired by emerging sciences of optical effects and color theories, Seurat contrasted miniature dots of colors that the human eye perceived together as a single shade or hue, believing that this effect would make the colors more brilliant. -
The Reichstag
Deutscher Bundestag Plenarbereich Reichstagsgebäude located in Berlin, Germany, was constructed to house the Reichstag of the German Empire.The Raczyński Palace was purchased and demolished for the Reichstag to be built in its place. It opened in 1894 and was used until 1933, when it was severely damaged after being set on fire. Adolf Hitler and his supporters have historically been suspected of the arson. -
Statue of Liberty
In 1865, French anti-slavery activist Edouard de Laboulaye suggested that a statue symbolizing liberty be built for the United States, to honor their centennial of independence and alliance with France. French sculptor Auguste Bartholdi agreed, and designed the statue in 1870. The Statue arrived in New York Harbor on June 17, 1885, but the pedestal for the Statue was not finished being built. The entire structure was reassembled on Bedloe's Island in 1886. -
The Starry Night
Perhaps one of the most famous Impressionist paintings of all time, Vincent Van Gogh painted The Starry Night a few years after moving to France, inspired by nature and the impressionist painters in the city during that time. “This morning I saw the countryside from my window a long time before sunrise, with nothing but the morning star, which looked very big,” wrote van Gogh to his brother Theo, in 1886. -
The Thinker
Auguste Rodin originally created a smaller version of the now famous sculpture "The Thinker" to sit above his career defining bronze doorway "The Gates of Hell." The sculpture was meant to be a visual of Italian poet Dante Alighieri pondering his composition of "The Divine Comedy," the infamous epic poem of entering the Inferno. However, in 1889 Rodin recast a larger model, and exhibited the new sculpture seperately from "The Gates of Hell," giving it the title "The Thinker." -
Maple Leaf Rag
"Maple Leaf Rag" is one of the earliest ragtime pieces, composed by Scott Joplin. It became the model for of ragtime for subsequent composers, and is one of the most famous and enduring ragtime piano works, Joplin soon becoming known as the "King of Ragtime." The song made its debut in African American clubs at the turn of the century, and may have been the first sheet music in American history to sell one million copies during its composer's lifetime.
