Although Corot has been hailed as the father and inspiration for the Impressionists, he never wanted to impress the viewer by shocking shades of color. Instead, he sought to produce a “harmony of the tones” that made up an overall atmosphere, which had its roots in the landscape schools of the past. Perhaps his style is too bucolic and old-fashioned from a modern perspective, but his best work includes the subtle play of earthy tones and dream-like touches of light that were hailed as timeless by later generations.
More about Corot’s landscapes: query.nytimes.com

Kawase Hasui’s Starry Night at Miyajima follows the shin hanga movement of the 19th century, which sought to continue the ukiyo-e printmaking tradition that flourished during Edo period Japan. Hasui’s style is more intimate that his predecessors, as his compositions are more focused, there few figures in his prints, and he explores light and atmosphere. In that sense, the shin hanga style brings with it a subtle acknowledgment of the popularity and Western fascination with the original Japanese printmaking movement.
More about Kawase Hasui: www.viewingjapaneseprints.net

After the overwhelming success of his first poster for the Parisian actress Sarah Bernhardt, Mucha produced countless prints, paintings, and posters that elaborated on the style that later became known as Art Nouveau. The ornamental patterns and distinct silhouettes were perfect for advertising, while the fluid lines drew a massive following. The commercial and decorative nature of most of his art makes it less rooted in any specific association, as it becomes more a part of popularized iconography.

During the Italian Renaissance, lapis lazuli was alluring not only for the intensity of its pigment but also for its rarity and high price. Extracting the ultramarine pigment is a lengthy and complex process that was developed in the thirteenth century, and involves combining the ground stone with wax, oils, and resins before wrapping the mixture in cloth and placing it in another chemical solution. A conspicuous and striking sign of wealth, lapis lazuli was used in Giotto’s fresco cycle in the Scrovegni Chapel, a private chapel for a moneylender of the time.

Thin layers of light-upon-dark glaze form the main figure of Gainsborough’s The Blue Boy, the silken folds and creases a reference to the artist’s admiration for van Dyck. Gainsborough had studied the Flemish artist’s techniques, gestures, and colors, and applied them to his own portraits, perhaps, as a response to Joshua Reynolds’ subversive criticism of his work.

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