I couldn’t imagine having enough patience to paint nearly 70 square feet with just dots! But I loved the effect they created in this masterpiece. Seeing people and pets relaxing in shade by the riverbank here was calming, especially after visiting the city’s silver bean. Maybe I should spend some time by the water before I head to my next destination?

After lunching on a traditional pea soup with sausage and bread, I stopped by the city center to visit this painting that inspired a novel and Oscar-nominated film. I loved the simple composition that highlighted its namesake jewelry accent, and could also see why it garnered comparisons to the “Mona Lisa” - I was similarly impressed with that painting during my previous stop! Noting the late hour, I regretfully moved on.

I traveled across the pond to visit a regal museum. Wandering around, I came across this large greyscale painting, chaotic and surreal. I likely wasn’t able to understand all of the symbolism, but the daggers and dismembered corpses definitely conveyed the horrors of wartime violence.

I only had time to visit one of the other museums in the golden triangle, which I walked several minutes north to reach. After admiring the statue of a seated artist outside the museum’s entrance, I then headed inside to search for his famous masterpiece. My eyes were able to observe all the details up close and I thought it was quite bold of him to include himself alongside the other members of the court, but it did make for an interesting perspective!

At my next destination, I stopped for a while to admire this allegorical painting. Even though it was another one that depicted fallen bodies, this revolutionary charge with a flag held high evoked much more positive sentiments than that of a civilian bombing.

I was enamored by the bright and relaxing atmosphere in this light-filled Impressionist painting! Each of the painter’s friends and eventual wife looked like they were having a fun time on the restaurant’s balcony, and I wished I could join them at their casual gathering (or at least play with their small dog.)

While my attention was initially drawn to the gods and graces milling around the garden in this painting, a closer inspection revealed the inclusion of hundreds of plant species - quite an aptly named artwork! I noticed the artist didn’t use the oil paints I had observed in my previous stops, though the colors and fabrics were masterfully layered. Heading out, I treated myself to some gelato to celebrate a very satisfying finale.

Continuing my clockwise tour, I made my way southeast to visit this golden masterpiece showing two figures embracing each other. While I had seen the painting referenced in multiple films, I loved being able to examine it in person. The duality between the three-dimensional faces and the two-dimensional robes was fascinating, and I spent some time admiring its geometric and floral patterns.

No museum trip would be complete without visiting this famous painting that depicts melting objects! Though the main subjects were familiar from popular references, seeing it up close allowed me to examine more details such as the insects in the foreground and the cliffs in the background. Delighted with the first half of my journey, I took a short break before continuing on.

Though the artist was most famous for a nighttime painting, I liked this daytime landscape of grapevines near the village where he spent his final two months. Red poppies and roofs added splashes of color to the largely green-hued piece, and the tangled brushstrokes were quite lively. I passed a famous steel monument on my way out of the city, and found it somewhat amusing that my travels took me in the opposite direction from the one for which the structure is known.

I skirted the south side of the lake and continued my eastward trip. Although my following stop would take me to the city where the original is housed, I wanted to take the chance to see this smaller, more vertically composed replica of this painting by an American artist. Though the creature wasn’t quite anatomically correct, I liked the harbor waves and dynamic positions of the rescuers. Painting all these copies must have taken tons of effort!

After visiting the city’s famous painted Victorians, I headed downtown to kick off my two-part road trip of famous paintings. While it was controversial back when it was painted, I was excited to see this depiction of the painter’s wife, a hallmark of its art movement. Loose brushstrokes and strong, non-natural colors were on full display here, and I thought it was extremely expressive.