Salome has inspired so many artists over the centuries.

Evidently, I'm no exception. One wonders what personality and charm she possessed---and how she actually dressed, looked---and danced. We can only imagine...and the powerful music she danced to.

I've always been a huge fan of classical painting. To me, it's like the classic game of chess. There's so many ways to play the game and strategize---and win---within strict rules. That's why it takes a lifetime of study.

  The rich merchants, cardinals and popes---in their personal quest for traditional Roman glory, hired the best artists and artisans to decorate their palazzi---this led to the birth of the Rennaisance in Italy. 

The artists looked back to the classics for inspiration. Many of the surviving  hedonistic mosaics and erotic murals in ancient Greece and Pompeii are still amazing even today. And most of Classic Roman art was inherited from Hellennistic Greece... Mythology, Sculpture and Architecture---for sure.

As you know, the three giants---Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Rafael dominated the period. I personally  like the work of Guido Reni. I  think he too had a powerful sense of form and I share his taste in idealizing women. 

Among the Venetians, my favorite is Titian---for his color and composition. 

A singular master of masters is the great Rembrandt. This guy makes me glad I pursued classical painting. He's as perennial as ever.

         Exotic Dancer