Flâneur

Remains of the so-called Temple of Apollo at Hadrian's Villa, Tivoli, from Views of Rome

Giovanni Battista Piranesi, 1768

Etching on heavy ivory laid paper

Woman before an Aquarium

Henri Matisse, 1921–23

Oil on canvas

In the first two decades of the 20th century, Henri Matisse visited exhibitions of Islamic art and traveled to Algeria and Morocco, where he collected pottery, textiles, and tiles. Years later while living in Nice, France, Matisse reflected on these experiences, integrating visual elements he encountered, such as the patterned textile screen, into his paintings. In Woman before an Aquarium, the...

Fishing Boats with Hucksters Bargaining for Fish

Joseph Mallord William Turner (English, 1775–1851), 1837–38

Oil on canvas

English artist J. M. W. Turner was fascinated by the sea. Here, a crowded fishing boat rides atop rolling, tumultuous waves. A smaller boat occupied by hucksters, or peddlers, navigates the churning waters as it approaches the larger vessel to negotiate the buying of fish to sell back at port. A steamship chugs along in the background, signaling the new industrial age. This painting dates from a...