There is simply no city in the world that is quite like Venice. With miles of gorgeous canals and architecture that is simply to die for it is rare to find such an exceptional feast of the senses.

That feast extends to practically every single sense as well. From touch to sight and hearing to taste, there is always something to stimulate the best in all of us. On my occasional visits to the city I love to enjoy one of the traditional Gondola rides to really get a view of every little nook and cranny this majestic place has to offer, however this time around I decided to add a little bit more culture to my visit.

As I’m sure most of you know, Italy is somewhat renowned for the amazing artwork that has been produced in the country...

The time when I began my travels, I had really prayed every single day that I would get a chance to visit Venice, a place which was considered to be the ‘Renaissance Capital’ of the world and produce some of the greatest artists, philosophers and scientists known to man. And even though it did take me a couple of things to learn and gather some experience before I could take on this culturally rich city, I did eventually manage to work my way up the ladder and reach Venice. But did you ever wonder why or how did this group of small islands went on to become the art capital of the world?

Venice, Italy

Venice is one of those places which we all know very little about. One day it was a group of islands, the next day it was a refuge for Romans...

Over the years as a traveling art enthusiast, I tried exploring places related to almost every type of artist or art work. But in all my journeys, it was the thoughts of only one man that was somewhat stuck in my head. A man we would all come to know as ‘The Renaissance Man’, a man whose thoughts, work and ideas were unparalleled even for his time. A man, who would go on to become my inspiration as child in my grandfather’s stories and eventually shape my life, a man called the great Leonardo Da Vinci.

In my course of work, my friends often asked me when I would travel to Italy and do a piece about Leonardo Da Vinci...

Did it ever happen to you, that you were watching your favorite Scooby Doo cartoon and suddenly you saw Scooby and Shaggy stand like a couple holing a pitchfork, pretending to be a portrait just so that they could fool the ghost? Well if yes, then you like most of us have witnessed one of the greatest paintings of all time called “American Gothic”, by the great American painter Grant Wood. And it was this painting which for the first time set towards the United States, so that I could track the story of one of the greatest American painters of the 20^th century.

Anamosa, Iowa

When I started my journey to Anamosa, I would have to admit that for the first time I was a bit scared...

Ever since I started my journey to explore some of the biggest names in the world of art and places related to them, I focused mostly on those artists who had made it big with their endless lines of work. But every now and then comes along a painting, which keeps playing on my mind like a song which I’m just not able to get out of my head. And ironically enough, this time round my inspiration came while watching cartoons with my 6 year old brother and the painting was none other than “The Scream”.

Even though the painting called ‘The Scream’ is amongst one of the most popular portraits to be used in movies and cartoons, for some reason I did not know much about it...

When I started travelling the world, visiting the homes of artists who had inspired me ever since I was a little boy, my only goal was to be able to walk in their footsteps and share their story with the world. But this time round I decided not to travel to the hometown of one of the greatest landscape artists of all time, rather I chose to visit the place which would become his inspiration and transform him as an artist. This is the story of the great Oscar Claude Monet, one of the great post-renaissance painters and his stay in La Havre, Normandy. A place, which would forever change the way he perceived art.

Oscar Claude Monet

 Born to a French shipping merchant in 1840, Paris, Monet was one of those few artists who had been in touch with his artistic side from a very early age...

I remember the time when I began my quest to learn about all the great artists of the world. I was only 11 years old and hungry to learn everything about my favorite artists, something which would go on to become my motivation for my journeys. And even though I would absorb all the information, stories and styles of any artist I would come across, Picasso was a man who I’d always avoid.

I could never really figure out why I always skipped the name of the man who was christened the Eisenstein of modern art. Maybe I was too young to understand his work, maybe because I felt that he had it too easy or maybe it was the fact that in contrast to other great artists of the world, Pablo Picasso spent his life drowned in women and money...

How often did you browse through the greatest artists of all time, and come across a photograph of a man with funny mustache, holding an ocelot? Well if you like many others have come across this man with the funny mustache over and over again while scrolling through the list of famous artists of all time, and wondered if someone put it there as a joke. Then think again, because he is none other than the great Salvador Dali. A man who popularized art well within the 1900’s, and inspired me for my trip to Figueres, Spain.

Dali and I

 I remember the time when my grandfather took me to this exhibition as a boy, and being utter most terrified. Because all the paintings and sculptors looked like they had just walked out of my nightmares and had been given a new life...

I remember the first time I heard about Amsterdam from my friends. A place where almost everything is legal, earning it the title of “Sin City”. There was literally nothing in this world that I wouldn’t do to go there. And I would have to admit, the first time I was in Amsterdam with my friends, it truly did live up to everything that I had heard about. But there was something about the city which always forced me to go back almost every year. It wasn’t all the free love, it wasn’t the all you can eat space cakes and it surely wasn’t even the night long parties which would kill any ordinary man.

After doing some growing up of my own and a lot of research about Amsterdam, it hit me one day what kept dragging me back to the city. And it was none other than one of the greatest 16^t...

For many people Vincent Van Gogh was an artist, who was finally able to break away from the mainstream renaissance based themes and expose the world to a whole new art form through his paintings. And even though he spent most of his short life troubled with mental agony and anxiety, he was able to create some of the most beautiful paintings which would go on to bring about the next revolution in the world of art. Which is why, I decided to pick the home of the great Van Gogh for my next destination. Because, somewhere I feel that there’s more to the story then what we already know, and maybe in the process I too would get the same inspiration as Van Gogh, minus the insanity and killing myself at the age of 37 with a gun.

Zundert, Netherlands 

Netherlands has always been one of those n...

Before I set out on my journey to explore the world, for me choosing the right destination was perhaps the biggest challenge on my plate. And boy was it tough. Being the near OCD perfectionist that I am, I wanted my first destination to be perfect. I wanted my destination to tell the story of one of the greatest artist of all time, and I wanted the entire country to show it. But even though I had to search for months, I was not willing to give up and I did eventually manage to come with the perfect place to start my journey with. And it was none other than the home town of the greatest artist ever, Michelangelo.

A little about Michel of Italy

Ahhh, Michel...