r/classicalArt

to read and work on in September

It's The Prospect Of Books And Wisdom Which Let Us Face And Witness These Beauties Without Flinching. " Witches' Sabbath " (also known as The Great He-Goat or Aquelarre) by Francisco Goya (1797–1798) is a chilling painting of a massive, crowned he-goat representing the Devil surrounded by a terrified, mesmerized coven.

What Do You Think About it,

Recommend The Book That Comes to Your Mind Aftet Witnessing This

One Who Reads Book Develops Interest in Every Form of Arts.

I Would Love to Know What Art Takes Your Attention Most

Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is one of the world’s most famous paintings. Celebrated for her mysterious smile, delicate expression, and masterful technique, the portrait continues to inspire curiosity and admiration across generations.

Hi! I’m working on Paint Me Back, , a narrative coloring game where you restore famous paintings during one very strange night shift at a museum

There’s currently a free demo you can play directly in your browser, and I’m looking for some feedback from people who use drawing tablets!
If you’d like to try it, you can play the browser version on itch.io or try the demo on Steam.

I’d especially love to know if the coloring feels fun and if the game works well with different tablet brands and models.

If anyone wants to give it a try, I’d really appreciate any feedback!

Me and the Boys

An original figurative composition exploring friendship, presence, and the quiet dynamics of a shared moment.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback on the work.

I was reading in my History book when i came across this painting (Image 1) and instantly my eyes were drawn to the bottom right of the painting in which (you might laugh) i thought to myself "why is there a masked mouse man? (image 2) now i was VERY confused and upon looking up THIS painting i found it is "sigh" an unknown artist, but i did find something interesting. I found this painting (image 3) which i found to be painted by "François Bunel the Younger" and upon close inspection i noticed some similarities. Like in both paintings there appear two small men (maybe children?) with shields (image 4 and 5) aswell as the only "royalty/noble" people in these artworks appear on the far right of the painting (in image one it is a women in White) (image 1-3-5) all this is just evidence that these paintings are i think painted of the same moment, in the same space, same event. But the main focus is back to this "masked mouse man" whereas if you look in painting 2 (image 3) you will see the same masked person, although in this artwork by "bunel the younger" they appear as a women (image 6) and then i noticed the person standing to the right of our masked women, (on her left side) is another women Holding a mask. You see it clearly in Bunel's painting, but I had to look for it in painting one (image 7, circled), so this brings me to my question. WHO are these people, why masked, why the only ones masked. I have only just started researching this in the last hour but thought I'd get the "internet" on it for me. I have many other questions as well. Why the nobles on the right side, in the first painting, the white noblewoman appears to be being grabbed by the man behind her (image 1-2). Why the short people with the shields? I'm sure there's much more in here as well, but my main curiosity is the masked people. P.S. I do NOT believe that "Bunel The Younger" is the unknown artist of the first painting, merely because the faces in Bunel's are, well, emotionless compared to that of the first painting. Now I am NOT an art philosopher or ANYTHING like that, but just looking at the two, there were many small things (the faces being the most notable) that told me they were separate artists

Fall Poem: Ariadne’s Song

Oh, fall, oh fall, not quite the downfall
of my vitality and youth,
caught in the deluge of dried, expired letters
not dared to be sent,
the trees belatedly dispatching with the winds,
signed in whispers: with love, remember me, hope to…
P.S.—
ah, even they forget the lines one saves and savors for post scriptum…

This tumbling fall, where the sky is transparent,
lucid like your eyes,
as the ethers of togetherness,
so tender, the belief
caught in
forgetfulness and forgiveness…

And yet time moves on,
the time allotted by the fall,
till it fades my tresses with white-grey shades of concealing snowfalls…

Fall onto these luscious carpets
of dried foliage, prickly wool,
rains wash the memories clean of rumination:
The deadly Minotaurs waiting for their slayer,
armed with silver-glinting pen instead of dagger—their Theseus.

Be done!
Don’t make me wait too long!
Drag these monsters onto
the spreads, bleached by the sun.
Extract their purple juice and scribble
words that save the world
from madness of the fall!
Make me
write in brooding blood on stubbornness and fortitude.
To spin the scarlet thread she so lovingly rendered to the Hero
to emerge from labyrinthine past
To remember those
who keep us in their prayers,
as sun-chasing storks,
bound to return, carry
the unfaded echoes home
to the laps of Gods.

© Tamar Shengelia, 2026. All rights reserved.

Illustrations:

Ariadne abandoned by Theseus, 1778
Angelica Kauffman RA (1741 - 1807)

Ariadne in Naxos - Evelyn De Morgan (1855–1919) - The De Morgan Foundation