My all time favorite artist is Gustav Klimt!
You wouldn't really guess that based on my current work.
My favorite painting of his is Death and Life (1910)
The relationship between life and death was one of Klimt's main themes.
What I love about this painting is everything is complicatedly smooshed together on the life side. You see a baby curled up with his mother, a man and woman in a seemingly sad embrace, faces with various expressions sprinkled throughout; all joined together like a tapestry.
On the other side is death just standing by, simply. A skeleton draped in crosses, with a club.
Next is Artemisa Gentileschi.
Artemisia Gentileschi was an Italian Baroque painter. She was the first woman to become a member of the Accademia di Arte del Disegno in Florence. At the time, women weren't really being trained in the arts or working as professional artists.
This painting is called Judith Slaying Holofernes.(c. 1614-20). This was a common theme to paint, and there is a Caravaggio painting with the same name. However, his painting showed Judith in a much more delicate, feminine way. Artemisia painted the women with their sleeves up, holding him down with force; blood dripping everywhere.
Easily one of my favorite paintings! It's so realistic and I love the use of light and dark, here (Chiaroscuro). This technique was meant to focus your eyes and symbolized divine intervention or extreme psychological unrest.
Lastly, you know, I couldn't not mention Georgia O'Keefe.
This painting is called Jimson Weed (1936)
Jimson weed (AKA Sacred Datura) grows wild in many places in New Mexico.
Georgia O'Keeffe first traveled to New Mexico in 1929. She first visited Taos, in a studio with a view of the Taos Mountains. After that first visit, she returned to New Mexico yearly, usually staying for months at a time. In 1934, She moved to Ghost Ranch, near Abiquiu. The landscape here inspired some of her most famous paintings.
In this particular painting, I enjoy the swirling white flowers up against the green, rippling leaves and the blue sky dotted with clouds.
I too live in New Mexico, and can confirm it's a place with endless inspiration!