Flowers in a Crystal Vase, Edouard Manet, oil on canvas, 13 x 19 in. (33 x 25 cm). In the collection of the National Gallery of Art, DC.

Manet is best known for his figurative work, of course, but I particularly enjoy his still life paintings. I’m not always in tune with various styles of florals, but I think Manet’s loaded, brushy paint marks give his subject a vibrant freshness.

Olive Grove, Palermo, Francesco Lojacono, oil on canvas, 33 x 58 in. (84 x 147 cm). Link is to page with access to large image on Wikipedia. I don’t know the location of the original.

Italian painter Francesco Lojacono, who was active from the mid 19th to the early 20th centuries, was known for his landscapes and seascapes. Here, in a wonderful display of light, atmosphere and texture, he paints an affectionate depiction of the gnarled olive trees in a grove near his native Palermo, Sicily.

Hellelil and Hildebrand, the Meeting on the Turret Stairs, Frederic William Burton, watercolor and gouache, 37 x 24 in. (95 x 61 cm), in the collection of the National Gallery of Ireland. Link is to a Wikipedia page with access to a large image.

Taken from a medieval ballad is the story of Hellelil, who falls in love with her bodyguard, Hildebrand. This is to the displeasure of her father, who sends Helleli’s seven brothers to kill Hildebrand. Much unpleasantness ensues.

Burton has chosen a tender and poignant moment of their last embrace. The scene is intimate, almost claustrophobic. We are in the cramped space of the turrest stairs with the fated pair. The emotion is palpable.

The artists has used watercolor and gouache to great effect, in an approach that could be easily mistaken for oil in reproduction. The painting is so popular in Ireland that it is put on scheduled display, unlike most works on paper that are only seen on special occasions years apart.