2016-10-28 Fri

Going to the art galleries in the faraway lands cannot be feasible for all..but you can behold some of these beauties in your currency notes! Look for some the famous and beautiful paintings of the world that you may have in your pockets.

5 Marks Germany: A 5 mark note issued in Germany from 1960 to 1990 depicts a beautiful “Portrait of a Young Venetian Woman” painted in 1505 by Albrecht Durer on its obverse. Albrecht Durer was a painter, printmaker and theorist of the German Renaissance. He established his reputation and influence across Europe due to his high-quality woodcut prints. His watercolour paintings also mark him as one of the first European landscape artists.
“Portrait of a Young Venetian Woman” which decorates this 5 mark currency note hangs in Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna today. This painting is a small bust-length oil on elm panel painting, executed along with a number of other high-society portraits by the artist in 1505. Painted in the autumn or in the winter, this painting emanates an extraordinary charm in the hues of brown and gold. The reverse of the note depicts an oak sprig in the centre.

100000 Lires Italy: Michelangelo Merisi de Caravaggio, a famous Italian painter’s paintings adorn the 100000 lire banknote of Italy of 1983 and 1994 series. Caravaggio's technique was as spontaneous and he painted right into the canvas with minimal preparation. He made his paintings appear to be an extension of real space, deliberately making the viewers to feel as if they are taking part in the scene. Sounds like 3D, doesn’t it? His paintings combined the realistic observation of the human state, both physical and emotional with the dramatic use of lighting.
This note sports the portrait of Caravaggio on the obverse along with his famous painting of the “Fortune Teller”. The reverse has his “Fruit basket” with a castle in the background.

To read the previous article click here and stay tuned for more such wonderful paintings!