The show presents a range of styles and media, including paintings, sculptures and reliquary busts. Saints, martyrs and sinners grieve, languish in purgatory, burn in hell and display rapture, ecstasy and pain in this hyperreal exhibition.

Across the gallery, gold leaf, flowers and other decorative elements punctuate the work as artists synthesized new visual vocabularies.

Golden Mosaic Wall Art Gifts

There’s something about the holidays that makes everything sparkle and shine a little more, from sparkling lights to beautifully wrapped presents. That same luster can be seen on the frames that surround works of art, as well — particularly those included in Stanford’s Cantor Arts Center’s recent exhibition Painting Nature in the American Gilded Age. That’s thanks to framer Albert Lewis, who hand-crafts the frames that showcase paintings and takes painstaking care to make sure they match the style of the artworks they house.

His Open Impressionist frames are a perfect blend of classic American impressionist and contemporary “floater” framing styles. He uses patent leaf, loose leaf, and flakes of gold in his creations, depending on the desired look.

Gilded Portrait and Bust Figurines

During the holidays, all that glitters really does shine, especially when it comes to gift wrapping. That same sparkle is also evident at Stanford’s Cantor Arts Center, where gilded frames encase the works in an exhibition called Painting Nature in the American Gilded Age. Cantor framing artist Albert Lewis hand-crafted the frames and used a technique known as water gilding to add a layer of paper-thin gold leaf.

The 25 hyperrealistic saints, martyrs and sinners in the show grieve in purgatory or burn in hell and depict rapture, ecstasy and pain. They meld traditional European still-life traditions with New World symbolism and materials. The gilded and embossed sculptures also illustrate the way artists synthesized new visual vocabularies to convey their religious subjects. These crosscurrents underscore the exhibition’s goal to present historically marginalized narratives and make them accessible to broader audiences.

Gold Foil Landscape Art Decorations

Adding gold to landscape paintings creates an eye-catching shimmer. The ethereal glow of the moon or rays of sunlight are easy to capture with gold leaf. Gold leaf is also ideal for highlighting flowers or trees in a landscape painting.

If you want to try gilding your artwork, use a quality gold leaf adhesive or glue to hold the leaf in place. This type of adhesive is available from art supply stores. You can also find gold leaf pens that deliver a smooth, controlled flow of gold and silver paint from a small tip, which is perfect for adding outlines or tiny highlights.

Before applying the gold leaf, protect your work surface and your hands by putting down a sheet of wax paper on top. Then lightly rub the paper with a soft cloth to pick up the gold leaf and transfer it to your canvas or board.

Using gold foil on an entire canvas or panel can make a dazzling, regal effect. You can also use it to add a touch of luxury to a portrait or a bust figure. In the past, artisans Tranh thu phap used a special water-gilding technique to apply thin gold-leaf over wooden panels to create beautiful, glittering paintings. One such masterpiece was Gustav Klimt’s Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, a stunning portrait that is regarded as an expression of love and devotion.