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MWW Artwork of the Day (2/21/25) Claude Monet (French, 1840-1926) La Gare Saint-Lazare (1877) Oil on canvas, 81.9 x 101.1 cm. Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge MA

Monet often painted the same scene or locale multiple times, sometimes even from exactly the same point of view at different times of day to illustrate the contrasting effects of light (e.g., Rouen Cathedral, London's Westminster and Houses of Parliament). In 1877, Paris' main train station, the Gare St. Lazare, was his idée fixe, the subject of seven renditions, albeit from different locations in and around the station. This canvas was one of three St. Lazare pictures exhibited at the Third Exposition de Peinture organized by his fellow Impressionists, and the one the critics liked best.

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MWW Artwork of the Day (2/20/25) Sandro Botticelli (Florentine, c. 1445-1510) Portrait of a Young Man (c. 1482-83) Tempera on panel, 41 x 31 cm. National Gallery, Washington DC

In this portrait Botticelli goes beyond the mere tracing of physical appearance and penetrates into the world of human emotion. He uses the turn of the head, glance of the eye, and form of the hand to create a reflective mood in which one can sense the presence of mixed emotion -- that most delicate of human experiences -- which is felt as youth passes into manhood, the mingling of expectation and sadness. Features of this piece include his interesting expression and elegant hand gesture, which some have interpreted as an early depiction of juvenile arthritis or Marfan syndrome.

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MWW Artwork of the Day (2/19/25) Edmonia Lewis (African-American, 1845-1907) Old Arrow-Maker and his Daughter (1866/1872) marble sculpture, 54.5 x 34.5 x 34 cm. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC (Gift of Joseph S. Sinclair)

This sculpture was inspired by Lewis's Native American heritage. An arrow-maker and his daughter sit on a round base. They are dressed in traditional Native American clothes and the male figure has recognizable Native American facial features. Lewis chose to "whitewash" the facial features of her female figures, removing all facial features associated with "colored" races. Lewis pushed the limits with the accuracy of her sculptures. She wanted to be as realistic as possible.

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MWW Artwork of the Day (2/18/25) Henry Ossawa Tanner (African-American, 1859-1937) Portrait of the Artist's Mother (1897) Oil on canvas, 74.3 x 100.4 cm. The Philadelphia Museum of Art

Henry Ossawa Tanner's portrait of his mother is both a tribute to Sarah Elizabeth Miller Tanner, the central, stabilizing figure in her large and distinguished African American family, and a celebration of her son's recent professional success. The painting also stands as a reminder of Tanner's success in his chosen career, in which he had persevered despite initial opposition from his parents. Tanner's portrait of his mother has none of the cool austerity of Whistler's picture, however. Instead it is an affectionate portrayal of a strong, sensitive, thoughtful personality.

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MWW Artwork of the Day (2/17/25) George Peter Alexander Healy (American, 1813–1894) Abraham Lincoln (1869) Oil on canvas, 187.3 x 141.2 cm. State Dining Room, The White House, Washington DC

In this painting, a contemplative Lincoln is observed alone, leaning forward in a chair, with his elbow on his knee and his head resting on his hand. Lincoln's pose was inspired by Healy's 1868 painting, "The Peacemakers," which depicts Lincoln and others in an historic 1865 strategy session of the Union high command, during the final days of the American Civil War. Healy was one of the most prolific and popular painters of his day, and his sitters included many of the eminent personages of his time.

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MWW Artwork of the Day (2/16/25) M.C. Escher (Dutch, 1898-1972) Puddle (February 1952) Woodcut in black, olive and brown, printed from three blocks, 23.9 x 32 cm.

Since 1936, Escher’s work had become primarily focused on paradoxes, tessellation and other abstract visual concepts. This print, however, is a realistic depiction of a simple image that portrays two perspectives at once. It depicts an unpaved road with a large pool of water in the middle of it at twilight. Turning the print upside-down and focusing strictly on the reflection in the water, it becomes a depiction of a forest with a full moon overhead. The road is soft and muddy and in it there are two distinctly different sets of tire tracks, two sets of footprints going in opposite directions and two bicycle tracks. Escher has thus captured three elements: the water, sky and earth.

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MWW Artwork of the Day (2/15/25) Katsushika Hokusai (Japanese, 1760-1849) Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji #21: Tsunami off the Coast of Kanagawa (c. 1831-33) Polychrome woodblock print, ink and color on paper, 25.1 x 37.5 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Rogers Fund)

This print is Hokusai's most widely reproduced work, and one of the cornerstones of his international reputation. Its popularity can be attributed, in addition to its sheer graphic beauty, to the compelling force of the contrast between the wave and the mountain. The turbulent wave seems to tower above the viewer, whereas the tiny stable pyramid of Mount Fuji sits in the distance. The eternal mountain is envisioned in a single moment frozen in time. Hokusai characteristically cast a traditional theme in a novel interpretation.

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MWW Artwork of the Day (2/14/25) Giuseppe Casciaro (Italian, 1861-1945) The Artist Painting on the Beach, Ischia (c. 1910-14) Oil on board, 35 x 45 cm. Private Collection

Giuseppe Casciaro was orphaned at the age of twelve, and raised by his uncle, who provided his education in the hope Casciaro would learn medicine. However, Casciaro enrolled in the Neapolitan Academy of Fine Arts, where he focused on surrounding shorelines. Many of his works were conducted in pastel and watercolour. In the present oil painting, the artist has depicted his shadow before us, consumed with the act of his artistic endeavor, as if his presence was part of the natural scenery of the shoreline.

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MWW Artwork of the Day (2/13/25) Valerius de Saedeleer (Belgian, 1867–1941) Einde van een sombere dag (End of a Gloomy Day)(1907) Oil on canvas, 96 x 110.5 cm. Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Ghent

In close contact with the simplicity of country folk and of nature, De Saedeleer injected new substance into his art. This landscape here is witness to an almost mystical experience of nature. De Saedeleer emphasised the infinity and timelessness of the landscape in a pure and sober linear style related to the art of the Flemish primitives, with whose work he became acquainted at a major exhibition in Bruges in 1902. With decorative and rhythmic areas of colour and thorough stylisation, in "End of a Gloomy Day" De Saedeleer reduced the landscape to its essential form.

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MWW Artwork of the Day (2/12/25) Michelangelo Buonarroti (Italian, 1475-1564) St. Matthew (1503-05) Marble statue, 271 cm. (8 ft 11 in.) high Galleria dell'Accademia, Florence

Michelangelo arrived to Florence right after Florence was declared a Republic in 1501 and he spent four years there being busy with commissions. The last commission he received was for a collection of twelve Apostles to adorn the Choir of the Cathedral. The figure of the apostle is torqued around its central axis, a spasm of movement far different from the quite traditional pose of Michelangelo's David. Even in its unfinished state, Matthew's massive musculature suggests a deep reservoir of pent-up energy and divine inspiration.

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MWW Artwork of the Day (2/11/25) Vincent Van Gogh (Dutch, 1853-1890) Flowering Branch of Almond Tree (Feb. 1890) Oil on canvas, 73 x 92 cm. Rijksmuseum Kröller-Müller, Otterlo

Flowering trees were special to Van Gogh. They represented awakening and hope. He enjoyed them aesthetically and found joy in painting flowering trees. The works reflect Impressionist, Divisionist and Japanese woodcut influences. On January 31, 1890, Theo wrote to Vincent of the birth of his son, whom he had named Vincent Willem. Van Gogh, who was extremely close to his younger brother, immediately set about making him a painting of his favorite subject: blossoming branches against a blue sky. The gift was meant to hang over the couple’s bed. As a symbol of this new life, Vincent chose an almond tree, which blooms early in southern regions, announcing the coming spring as early as February.

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MWW Artwork of the Day (2/10/25) Johannes Vermeer (Dutch, 1632-1675) Woman with a Pearl Necklace (c. 1662-64) Oil on canvas, 55 x 45 cm. Staatliche Museen Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Berlin

In this painting, along with "Woman in Blue Reading a Letter" and "Woman Holding a Balance," Vermeer attempted a composition in which he showed a single woman concentrating on some kind of occupation. In each case, the woman is shown turning inward with her thoughts, and using some minor physical activity to give herself some countenance. In this case, she gazes into a mirror while holding two yellow ribbons attached to a pearl necklace around her neck. The distance between the solitary figure to the right and the mirror on the wall, next to the window to the left, is filled by a heavy table slightly to the fore.

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MWW Artwork of the Day (2/9/25) Elizabeth Catlett (African-American, 1915-2012) Harriet (1975) Linoleum cut, 31.6 x 25.7 cm. The Museum of Modern Art, New York (Ralph E. Shikes Fund)

Catlett's attraction to Mexican printmaking reflects a social and political concern she shares with the great muralists. Like them she uses her art to advance causes of particular interest to her, including the African-American experience and the plight of the lower classes. Many of her prints show the multidimensional aspects of women as mothers, workers, and activists. She also depicts great women from African-American history, including Harriet Tubman, who is shown here leading slaves to freedom as a "conductor" on the Underground Railroad.

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MWW Artwork of the Day (2/8/25) Ottoman Empire (Turkish, 15th-20th c.) Interior: Sultan Ahmed Mosque ("Blue Mosque")(1609-16) Istanbul, Turkey

The upper levels of the interior of this mosque are dominated by blue paint. More than 200 stained glass windows with intricate designs admit natural light, today assisted by chandeliers. On the chandeliers, ostrich eggs are found that were meant to avoid cobwebs inside the mosque by repelling spiders. The decorations include verses from the Qur'an, many of them made by Seyyid Kasim Gubari, regarded as the greatest calligrapher of his time. The floors are covered with carpets, which are donated by faithful people and are regularly replaced as they wear out. The many spacious windows confer a spacious impression. The casements at floor level are decorated with opus sectile.

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MWW Artwork of the Day (2/7/25) John William Waterhouse (British, 1849–1917) Consulting the Oracle (1884) Oil on canvas, 119 x 198 cm. The Tate Gallery, London

Miracles, magic and the power of prophecy are common themes in Waterhouse's art. In this picture he shows a group of seven young girls, sitting in a semicircle round a lamplit shrine, waiting in excitement while the priestess interprets the words of the Oracle. Contemporary critics remarked on the 'hysteric awe' of the semicircle of women seeking the prophecies of the Teraph and the 'terror' of the priestess as she 'interprets its decrees'. The Illustrated London News featured the picture as one of the principal works of the year and reproduced it across two pages of an extra supplement. It was bought by Sir Henry Tate, who included it in his founding bequest to the nation in 1894.

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MWW Artwork of the Day (2/6/25) Piero di Cosimo (Florentine, 1463-1521) The Visitation with St. Nicholas and St. Anthony Abbot (c. 1490) Oil on wood, 184 x 182 cm. National Gallery, Washington DC (Samuel H. Kress Collection)

The central scene of the eccentric Florentine artist Piero di Cosimo's Visitation depicts the meeting of the Virgin Mary and the elderly Saint Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. Saint Nicholas on the left, identified by his attribute of three gold balls alluding to his charity towards the daughters of an impoverished nobleman, and Saint Anthony Abbot on the right, identified by his cane, bell and ever-present pig, sit in the foreground as studious witnesses to the event.

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MWW Artwork of the Day (2/5/25) Late Medieval Germany (14th-15th c.) Detail: Parable of the Ten Virgins (15th c.) Stone sculptures Erfurter Dom, Erfurt (Germany)

The "Parable of the Ten Virgins," also known as the "Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins," was one of the most popular parables in the Middle Ages, with enormous influence on Gothic art, sculpture and the architecture of German and French cathedrals. The parable appears in only one of the Canonical gospels of the New Testament. According to the Gospel of Matthew 25:1-13, the five virgins who are prepared for the bridegroom's arrival are rewarded, while the five who are not prepared are disowned. The parable has a clear eschatological theme: be prepared for the Day of Judgment.