German Expressionist painting ‘Street Dresden’ (1908) by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner is an important Die Brücke work. Showcasing the anxieties and isolation of modern urbanization, Kirchner brings viewers into the unease he tapped into when creating this painting.

Manet’s Luncheon on the Grass is one of the most transformative pieces of art, paving the way for other artists to experiment. Henri Matisse’s The Joy of Life and Pablo Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d'Avignon were two important artworks following Manet, continuing to challenge the public on societal and artistic standards.

Lucian Freud’s 1947 painting Girl with a Kitten is a haunting, emotionally charged portrait of his first wife, Kitty Garman. With its muted palette and tightly cropped composition, the work reflects the psychological intensity that defined much of Freud’s art. The image of Kitty gripping a kitten (symbolically linked to herself) suggests themes of self-sabotage, inner turmoil, and emotional entrapment, revealing the complex layers of their fraught relationship and Freud’s deeply personal artistic process.

Pedro Orrente’s The Crucifixion, on display at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, is a powerful example of 17th-century Spanish Baroque painting. Deeply influenced by Caravaggio’s dramatic realism and tenebrism, Orrente brings the biblical scene of Christ’s crucifixion to life with intense emotion, symbolic use of color, and striking contrasts. This oil on canvas composition invites viewers to witness not only the sorrow of the moment, but the spiritual weight and artistic mastery behind its creation.

Artwork analysis of an ancient Egyptian work. Written for the Savannah College of Art and Design by BFA student Carmela Andreozzi.