Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai

PD Photo: Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai, photo by Ivan Dubya, taken on December 20, 2007.

PD Photo: Burj Al Arab seen at a distance from a tower room of Le Royal Méridien Beach Resort and Spa, Dubai Marina, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, photo by Christopher T Cooper taken on 21 September 2009.

Burj Al Arab, a super-luxury hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is an unusual and unique hotel as it is constructed on an artificial island at a distance of 280 meters (920 feet) from the Jumeirah beach, and it is structured in the shape of the sail of a dhow, a type of Arabian vessel. The manmade island is connected to the mainland by a private bridge.

One of the most photographed buildings in the world, and soaring to a height of 321 meters, the Burj Al Arab is currently the world's second tallest hotel (the building is exclusively used as a hotel), the tallest such hotel being Dubai’s Rose Tower (333 m/ 1,092 feet). It will be the fourth tallest hotel in the world, when Emirates Park Tower 1 (376 m/ 1,234 ft) and Emirates Park Tower 2 (376 m/ 1,234 ft), both in Dubai, are opened (scheduled for 2010 opening).

Stivan Beach on Island Cres, Croatia

PD Photo: Stivan Beach on Island Cres, Croatia, is located south of Lake Vrana at an altitude of 100-120 meters, photo by Thomas Musich.

The Storm on the Sea of Galilee by Rembrandt

The Storm on the Sea of Galilee (1633), oil on canvas painting by Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn, size 160 cm x 128 cm (62.99” x 50.39”), location: unknown since March 1990, when the painting was stolen by two unknown men from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, USA.

The Storm on the Sea of Galilee (1633), the only seascape painting by the Dutch Golden Age painter Rembrandt van Rijn was in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, before being stolen on March 18, 1990. The painting’s theme is based on the miracle of Jesus calming the waves on the Sea of Galilee (Ch 4, Gospel of Mark). The painting shows fourteen people in the boat, Jesus and his twelve disciples and the fourteenth person is believed to be Rembrandt himself, as he used to paint himself as one of the persons in pictures showing groups of people, especially in biblical themes.

The theft of the painting was reported to have happened in the morning of March 18, 1990, when two unidentified thieves broke into the museum and stole The Storm on the Sea of Galilee and 12 other works of art whose value has been estimated as high as $300 million. This hitherto unresolved theft case is considered the biggest art theft in the history of USA.

There is a page in the site of FBI named ISABELLA STEWART GARDNER MUSEUM THEFT where the case is reported and FBI asks the visitors to tip the FBI if they have any information on the theft of some paintings, including this Rembrandt and The Concert (Vermeer), A Lady and Gentleman in Black (Rembrandt), Self-Portrait (Rembrandt), Landscape with Obelisk (Govaert Flinck) and Manet (Chez Tortoni).

Femme au Coquillage: William-Adolphe Bouguereau

Image: ‘Woman with Seashell’ (Femme au Coquillage) is an 1885 oil painting by French academic painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905).

Nu Sur La Plage: John William Godward

This is a scanned image of ‘Nu Sur La Plage’ (alternative name: Nude on the Beach), a 1922 oil on canvas painting by British painter John William Godward (1861-1922). CLICK on the photo for the enlarged image that shows the subtle brush strokes that brings out the sensuality in the composition and to see how the sea, the sand on the beach and the sky blend together to heighten the visual effect of this acclaimed oil painting.

Cave of the Storm Nymphs by Edward Poynter

Cave of the Storm Nymphs (1903) by British painter Sir Edward John Poynter (1836-1919), oil on canvas painting, dimensions 145.9 cm x 110.4 cm, private collection.

Summer Seas by Herbert James Draper

Image: Summer Seas, oil painting by Herbert James Draper (1863-1920)

The Wave: painting by William-Adolphe Bouguereau

Photo: The Wave (1896), oil on canvas painting of dimensions 121 cm x 160.5 cm by William-Adolphe Bouguereau currently in private collection.

Seascape Valentine Card 1900