We stroll through the halls of museums again and again, admiring the beautiful works of art, gazing intently at each canvas. The magnificent portraits, still lifes, and landscapes seem so enchanting to us that the personalities of famous artists appear flawless; to us, they are models of purity and beauty. We have become accustomed to perceiving renowned artists through brief explanations of their paintings and concise biographical details, which are easy to find in libraries and across the internet. This renders their images almost ethereal. As if there was nothing in their lives besides their creativity, and their paintings immediately became sacred classics. But artists were full-blooded individuals. Their creativity sometimes provoked bewilderment, and their actions – condemnation. In reality, a vast number of famous painters had, at the very least, complex personalities or engaged in socially disapproved relationships by mutual consent. And the stories behind the creation of certain masterpieces can sometimes be shocking. What can we do – the rich imagination of geniuses, on one hand, drives progress, while on the other hand, pushes its bearers toward completely reckless actions. So it turns out that genius and villainy are compatible? In this book, we will show you artists from another, unexpected side, and you will answer this question for yourself. 35 engaging, sometimes shocking stories, including: The romantic escapades of a monk-artist and his muse from the monastery A female artist-hater The multifaceted love of Burne-Jones and Morris How a bunch of asparagus appeared among the wonderful flowers in Édouard Manet's still life Michelangelo's one true love Ruskin's 'White Marriage' The Italian woman who captivated Bryullov, Ivanov, Gogol, Turgenev The amorous Picasso and his seven unfortunate muses Raphael's secret marriage The 'betrayed' and crucified love of Camille Claudel How to become a model for Gabriel Rossetti and survive Peter Paul Rubens – portraitist, spy, and diplomat
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