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Chess became a source of inspiration in the arts in literature soon after the spread of the game to the Arab World and Europe in the Middle Ages. The earliest works of art centered on the game are miniatures in medieval manuscripts, as well as poems, which were often created with the purpose of describing the rules.
- Lewis Chessmen
- Lucas Van Leyden, The Game of Chess
- Sofonisba Anguissola, The Chess Game
- Ludovico Carracci, Chess Players
- Gustaf Lundberg, Portrait of Gustav Badin
- Honoré Daumier, The Chess Players
- Marcel Duchamp, Portrait of Chess Players
- Sir John Lavery, The Chess Players
- Paul Klee, Super Chess
- Why Chess?
Chess is believed to derive from the Indian game of chaturanga. It reached Europe via Persia and Arabia in the 9th century, through the Umayyad conquest of the Iberian Peninsula. The game must have become pretty popular, as the example of the Lewis Chessmen proved. It’s thought that they might have belonged to a trader who was traveling from Norway...
As you can see, despite professional chess still being dominated by men, by no means it was unusual for women to play the game as well, even in the early 16th century. In this painting by Lucas van Leyden, you can see a couple playing, the woman considers her next move, observed by the audience. The man is busy pretending not to care, but he is cle...
This is one of the most famous paintings by Sofonisba Anguissola and also more proof that chess was for centuries a game popular among women as much as men. The Chess Gamedepicts three of Sofonisba’s sisters: Lucia (left), Europa (middle), and Minerva (right). They are enjoying a relaxed moment playing chess accompanied by the governess who is look...
Look at the focus here, the men have no time to look at us, so the only attention we get is from the cute dog. The dog watches us carefully, lest we make a noise that would disturb the men’s concentration. Born in Bologna in 1555, the son of a butcher, Lodovico Carracci grew up under the same roof as his cousins Agostino and Annibale. Together they...
In 1757, the Queen of Sweden, Louisa Ulrika of Prussia, received a “gift” from Danish politician Anders von Reiser – a 7-year-old boy of African descent. The queen had been reading the writings of French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, particularly about the origin of man and civilization. She decided to raise the boy with her own children. He g...
Almost 300 years after Lodovico Carracci’s painting, Honoré Daumier also approached the topic of chess, again showing us two men deeply immersed in the game they play. The men wear simple clothing and their attention is on the board, where also the tension between them converges. Daumier is mostly known as a printmaker and caricaturist, but here he...
Duchamp famously said that “all artists are not chess players, but all chess players are artists.” He was an avid chess playerand loved its conceptual nature and its utter purposelessness. He played his entire life and even hoped to pursue a professional career at some point. Chess also often figures in his art throughout his career. His brothers R...
Originally this painting was meant to be a study for a larger piece presenting The Howard de Walden Family. However, it later became this lovely independent canvas. The girls enjoy a relaxing, maybe weekend, morning, lazily pondering the chess game they are playing. You can find the analysis of the position here. Sir John Lavery was an Irish painte...
Super Chess is an unusually large painting in the oeuvre of Paul Klee. The fields on the chessboard constitute a basic pattern. We can see that the game has run its course. The red “super- king” has dominated the board over the last of the blue pieces. It is unknown whether Klee intended this painting to be a commentary on the totalitarian ferment ...
What is it about chess that is so seductive to people throughout the ages? Is it the combination of relatively simple rules with endless combinations of possible games? The fact that anyone really can play? Maybe not at a professional level, but still. And what makes it so popular with artists? Maybe the rhythm of black and white squares and beauti...
Feb 14, 2019 · The simplest and most common form of chess notation is called Algebraic Notation. It labels the grid of the chess board with letters and numbers. In this diagram, the white king is on square c3 and the black king is on square h5.
Jan 18, 2018 · A perplexus chess set and board created by Victor Vaserly is on display at the World Chess Hall of Fame. When Victor Vasarely, the father of op art, first began to experiment with optical illusions, he needed a canvas on which to put down his thoughts.
Oct 30, 2023 · This article explores the profound influence of chess on the realms of art and literature, shedding light on how the game has sparked creativity and inspired the creation of masterpieces. In the realm of art, chess has often been depicted in paintings, sculptures, and other forms of visual expression.
As the Great Soviet Encyclopedia suggests, chess is “a sport masquerading as an art.” Chess can be symbolically “bloody,” as pieces live and die. This reality thrills players, motivates improvement, and shapes status hierarchies.
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Jul 19, 2021 · His comparison of a chess problem to a miniature and the game itself to a painting reinforces the notion that chess is art. James Rachels analyzed renowned Czech mathematician Richard Reti’s writings and chess playing.
