Jhoanna Monte Art

Jhoanna Monte Art Artwork by Jhoanna Monte. Original paintings and artwork by Jhoanna Monte.

Museum Spotlight: I had a few hours to spend exploring Bratislava, Slovakia, so I headed to the Old Town area and my fir...
25/06/2026

Museum Spotlight: I had a few hours to spend exploring Bratislava, Slovakia, so I headed to the Old Town area and my first stop was Gallery Nedbalka in the centre of the old town. The Gallery is dedicated to documenting the birth and development of modernism in Slovakia. Fittingly, it has an impressive circular interior that resembles the Guggenheim museum in New York. Galéria Nedbalka

1. Looking down through the centre of Gallery Nedbalka
2. ‘Lullaby’ by Gustav Mally, 1930-35
3. ‘Reading the Talmud’ by Frantisek Reichental, 1930
4. ‘In the Garden (Three Generations)’ by Jozef Teodor Mousson, 1936
5. Looking through the centre of Gallery Nedbalka
6. ‘Shepherdess (Autumn)’ by Ludovit Fulla, 1944
7. Collection of sculptures
8. ‘Group Leader’ by Milan Laluha, 1963
9. ‘Moravian Room’ by Martin Benka, 1915
10. ‘Madonna and Child’ by Martin Benka, 1937

After a short walk outside of the old town, I found the much larger Slovak National Museum, which sits opposite the Danube river, and holds a much wider and diverse collection. I spent the most time in the ‘Sacred Art’ and ‘The Modern’, which are part of its permanent displays. While the building itself is quite expansive, as you go from one exhibition to another you traverse arched hallways and pass little, quiet nooks, which makes the museum feel very peaceful. I liked that ‘The Modern’ display had a specific section celebrating female Slovak artists. [FYI - the cafe also offers a glass of wine for only 2.50 euros!] Slovenská národná galéria

11. Viewing window at the Slovak National Gallery
12. ‘Having Coffee’ by Zelmira Duchajova-Svehlova, 1918
13. ‘Madonna with Angel’ by Ludovit Fulla, 1929
14. ‘Study of a Girl’s Head’ by Zelmira Duchajova-Svehlova, 1910
15. One of the hallways that connected collections
16. Part of the Sacred Art display
17. ‘Interior’ by Ritta Boemm, 1900
18. ‘Self-Portrait’ by Lea Mzarova, 1937
19. ‘Gusts (Journey by the Wind)’ by Edmund Gwerk, 1928
20. More of the museum’s interior

Overall I really enjoyed discovering new-to-me Slovak artists and to see how they adapted movements like Impressionism and Cubism to celebrate their values and culture.

21/06/2026

Knowing when to stop painting is the hardest part. I always feel like a few more dots and dabs are necessary ….

15/06/2026

So excited that this painting is now on its way to the home of a lovely art collector in regional Victoria who purchased it soon after it was posted! I am always surprised when someone chooses to invest in what I make because there is so much amazing art out in the world, and honestly I don’t have much reach online or spend enough time on the marketing side of things. I never take it for granted, but I am deeply grateful.

I’ve mentioned previously that Vincent Van Gogh is one of my favourite artists, so I was debating over the last few week...
14/06/2026

I’ve mentioned previously that Vincent Van Gogh is one of my favourite artists, so I was debating over the last few weeks whether or not to complete this painting, as I did not want it to come across as simply a copy of his work. It’s the same style as one of my paintings that was recently sold, and of the same subject - inspired by my recent train journeys across Europe.

The day is slowly transitioning to night (Spring sunsets were quite late when I was in Europe!) and I used van Gogh’s swirling brushstrokes to convey the last rays of sunshine before clouds began to roll in. In reality, there were some hills, houses, flowers and fauna, but not all at the same time, in the same scene. Van Gogh wrote in one of his letters in 1885 “...when I want to paint what I feel and feel what I paint...”, and I understand it as prioritising the feeling of a moment, an observation, a scene over literal reality, which is what I have endeavoured to do as well in my own work. This painting hopes to capture that joy, pleasure, and dreamlike pinch-myself state of sitting by the window on a train as it moves through the country side - somewhere between Vienna, Austria, and Bratislava, Slovenia - while on a holiday I had been looking forward to and planning for months, but wasn’t sure was actually going to happen. I felt incredibly grateful.

“Country Side Reverie Returns”, 45.5cm x 61cm, Acrylic on Canvas, available in my Bluethumb shop.

I really enjoyed visiting the Hungarian National Gallery in Budapest. The gallery itself is located within the Buda Cast...
09/06/2026

I really enjoyed visiting the Hungarian National Gallery in Budapest. The gallery itself is located within the Buda Castle, and its interior feels more modern and minimal when compared to the museums I visited in Paris, Krakow and Vienna.

Their collection is fantastic! It features primarily Hungarian artists (international art is instead featured in Budapest’s Museum of Fine Arts, however I did spot a a Monet, Manet, Courbet and Bonnard). I was really inspired by the works of Hungarian Fauvists, as well as the temporary exhibition on Hungarian Artists’ impressions of Italy over two centuries. I adore the use of colour and capture of light that seems to permeate the Hungarian paintings in this museum. It was difficult to whittle down all of my favourites into one post, so here are my MOST favourite with a few pics of the museum as well.

1. Looking up into the Dome installation
2. The view of the Pest side and the Danube River from the Dome
3. “Terrace (Three Graces)” by Jenő Medveczky, 1934
4. “At the Hungarian Academy, Rome (in the Salon)” by Károly Patkó, 1931
5. “Laura (woman in a blue hat)” by Vilmos Aba-Novák, 1930
6. “Big Beach (idyll on the Balaton-Parton)” by Jenő Medveczky, 1962
7. “Vigil” by László Pataky, 1886
8. “A Poor Woman’s Home” by Tivadar Zemplényi, 1895
9. Pink picture wall
10. “Women of Ever” by Bertalan Székely, 1867
11. The High Altarpiece of Kisszeben
12. “October” by Károly Ferenczy, 1903
13. Museum security guard in a moment of solitude
14. “My Wife” by István Zádor, 1910
15. “Poppyseed Cake” by Adolf Fényes, 1910
16. “Self Portrait” by Geza Bornemisza, 1908
17. “The Catafalque” by József Nemes Lampérth, 1912
18. “Cafe Scene” by Armand Schönberger, 1924
19. “Tale” by János Göröncsér Gundel, 1907
20. More of the museum interior

After Krakow, I travelled to Vienna, Austria. I spent my birthday at the stunning Belvedere Palace museum. I was aware t...
28/05/2026

After Krakow, I travelled to Vienna, Austria. I spent my birthday at the stunning Belvedere Palace museum. I was aware that the museum housed various works by one of my favourite artists, Gustav Klimt, including ‘The Kiss’, so I was quite excited to spend a few hours there.

Here are a few shots of the museum, plus artworks that really made me smile and helped make my birthday all the more special.

1. ‘The Kiss’ by Gustav Klimt, 1907-08
2. The reality of viewing ‘The Kiss’
3. A peek into the Palace Chapel
4. Close-ups of ‘Mother with Two Children (Family)’ by Gustav Klimt, 1909-10
5. ‘The Chef’ by Claude Monet, 1882
6. Ceiling in the Marmorsaal (Marble Hall)
7. And happy me in the Marmosaal!
8. ‘Napoleon at the Great St. Bernard Pass’ by Jaques Louis David, 1801
9. A ‘Character Head’ by Franz Xaver
10. ‘Jack Carter’s Bar in Harlem’ by Hans Bohler, 1942
11. ‘Dreams’ by Helen Funke, 1913 (I love this one!)
12. ‘Figural Expressive Study’ by Helene von Taussig, 1920/30
13. ‘Death and Maiden’ by Egon Schiele, 1915
14. ‘Man’s Head’ by Antonin Prochazka, 1913
15. ‘Lady against a Blue Background’ by Alexej von Jawlensky, 1908
16. Looking out the window over Belvedere palace gardens
17. ‘Girl in front of the Lottery’ by Peter Fendi, 1829
18. ‘The Madonna of Johannes Hinderkircher, Canon of Gurk Cathedral’ by Konrad of Friesach, before 1445
19. More stunning work by Gustav Klimt


Happy and sad to have shipped “Country Side Reverie” off to its new home. Happy that it is heading to an art collector i...
20/05/2026

Happy and sad to have shipped “Country Side Reverie” off to its new home. Happy that it is heading to an art collector in Queensland, but also a little sad that it is leaving me as it’s been hanging on one of the walls in my working space as a reminder of happy travels through European country sides 😊

Thank you to for also including this work in its featured curated collection called “Inspired by Vincent Van Gogh” (it truly is inspired by my favourite Artist).

Due to the shape of this painting, it’s not available as a framed canvas print like my other sold paintings, but it is available as a postcard in my shop (link in my profile).

One of my goals during my recent travel through Europe was to visit museums and galleries to discover new-to-me art and ...
11/05/2026

One of my goals during my recent travel through Europe was to visit museums and galleries to discover new-to-me art and new-to-me artists, keen to learn and be inspired.

The first museum I visited was the Czartoryski Museum in Krakow, Poland. It is the oldest museum in Poland, opened in 1878. The collection has been organised into 21 departments and spans ancient times to the present. Having originated from a royal collection, there are not only Polish artworks, but also Dutch and Italian - the most famous being da Vinci’s “Lady with an Ermine”; however there were many losses of art during World War II.

The building itself has an understated elegance, comprising a restored palace, monastery, and arsenal complex. Here’s my own little collection of what I found most interesting and intriguing.

1. Museum interior (palace section)
2. Part of the Ancient Art collection - Roman sculptures
3. Part of the Ancient Art collection - Egyptian artifacts
4. One of the museum hallways
5. Example armour of a Polish Winged Hussar
6. The so-called “diminutive” shield of King Jan III Sobieski, 16th century
7. “Death of Prince Adam Jerzy Czartoryski (1770 - 1861)” by Louis Francois Prosper Roux, 1863
8. Close-up from “Kermis in the Park” by Jean-Pierre Norblin de la Gourdaine, 1785
9. “Lady with an Ermine” by Leonardo da Vinci, 1490
10. Part of the collection of Othodox Art from the old Polish Republic
11. A mosaic of St Peter by an unknown Italian artist, 18th century
12. “Landscape with the Good Samaritan” by Rembrandt Harmensz van Reign, 1638
13. “Satyr as a Guest among Peasants” by Jacob Jordaens, 1620


I’ve been travelling, celebrating an important life milestone 😊 It’s been on my bucket list for a long time but I was fi...
29/04/2026

I’ve been travelling, celebrating an important life milestone 😊 It’s been on my bucket list for a long time but I was finally able to visit Claude Monet’s home in Giverny, France. It was absolutely stunning (despite the crowds!) - a peaceful and colourful haven both in the gardens and in his home. It felt wonderfully special to be in the space Monet once lived; truly inspiring. To look at what he saw and take it all in.

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