History: the Ultimate Fandom

jabberwockysuperfly:

Well done. Well fucking done!

(Source: alternativecoreworkout)

(Source: raoqwerty)

lostsplendor:

The Louvre, Paris c. WWII

ancientart:

Mummy Portrait of a Bearded Man, Egyptian, ca. AD 170-180 (Roman Imperial), made of encaustic on wood.

Prior to the Roman Period, the likeness of the deceased on the mummy mask, coffin, and sarcophagus was an idealized representation that conformed to the general style of the period.

With the arrival of Roman rule in Egypt, mummy portraits became increasingly naturalistic. The new style of portraiture was sometimes rendered in two-dimensional paintings on a wood panel or on linen.

The panel portraits were made in either tempera paint or in encaustic, like this example. Encaustic painting is a technique in which the pigment is dissolved in wax before it is applied to the surface.

Courtesy & currently located at the Walters Art Museum, USA

inkyparthia:

Here is a Napoleon for Miss oneangrypixie! I regret there is no Josephine though :[ But that just leaves options for the future!

I have really wanted to do something with Jacques Louis David for a while now; he’s one of my favorite artists and artists’ obsessions are sometimes quite amusing. Like David’s fascination with Napoleon’s “classically structured” face. Hear, hear, this artist certainly agrees; young Napoleon’s portraits are pretty rawr

lostinhistory:

scoldylox:

thusspakekate:

scoldylox:

npr:

The woman, in her 80s, was reportedly upset at the way the fresco had deteriorated and took it on herself to “restore” the image.

BBC Europe correspondent Christian Fraser says the delicate brush strokes of Elias Garcia Martinez have been buried under a haphazard splattering of paint.

The once-dignified portrait now resembles a crayon sketch of a very hairy monkey in an ill-fitting tunic, he says.

via BBC News - Spanish fresco restoration botched by amateur

I feel really bad for this lady, though. She meant well, even though she obviously should not have done this. :[

The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Quite literally in this woman’s case.

But actually, I don’t feel sorry for her. This is why we can’t have nice things. Fucking amateaurs man. 

Say my car was broken and some dude I didn’t know decided he wanted to sneak into my garage and fix it for me overnight, but ended up fucking up the transmission beyond repair. I wouldn’t feel bad for him; I’d be suing the everloving shit out of that prick.

I just do not understand what compels a person to go “Well, I have absolutely no training or experience in this highly complicated technique, but I will take it upon myself to do it anyway without seeking any form of guidance or authorization.”

I mean, my god. WHO DOES THIS?!Q?!?! 

I’m not saying it wasn’t a mistake for her to do this or that she shouldn’t be accountable for it, but I’m sympathetic to her right now, considering that this is now international news. People all over the world are making fun of her for her mistake. I imagine that being an international laughing stock feels pretty shitty. 

This is why we have experts.  Those white marks on the first picture? Are believe to be where she scrubbed the paint off before creating the monstrosity on the right.  The painting may not be salvageable.  I honestly don’t care what her intentions were, she has likely permanently destroyed something that was valued by the people of the area.