Caillebotte, Gustave (1848-1894) Un homme à son bain (Man at His Bath) 1884 Oil on canvas, 144.8 x 114.3 cm Museum of Fine Arts, Boston This painting presents an unusually intimate scene from everyday life at the grand scale once reserved…
Manet, Édouard (1832-1883) Olympia 1863 Oil on canvas, 130.5 x 191 cm Musée d’Orsay, Paris With Olympia, Manet reworked the traditional theme of the female nude, using a strong, uncompromising technique. Both the subject matter and its depiction explain the scandal…
Fontana, Lavinia (1552-1614) Autoritratto alla spinetta (Self-portrait at the spinet) 1577 Oil on canvas, 27 x 23.8 cm Accademia di San Luca, Roma Inscription: LAVINIA VIRGO PROSPERI FONTANAE FILIA EX SPECULO IMMAGINEM ORIS SUI EXPRESSIT ANNO MDLXXVII (Lavinia, virgin, daughter of…
Van Eyck, Jan (c.1390-1441) Lucca Madonna c.1437 Oil on panel, 65.5 × 149.5 cm Städel Museum, Frankfurt No other work by Jan van Eyck conveys a sense of such immediate intimacy between the viewer and the figures depicted as this painting.…
Van Eyck, Jan (c.1390-1441) Madonna in the Church c.1437–1440 Oil on oak panel, 31.1 x 13.9 cm Gemäldegalerie, Berlin The Madonna in the Church is one of the most beautiful and precious works of art created by Jan van Eyck. Copies…
Van Eyck, Jan (c.1390-1441) The Annunciation c.1434–1436 Oil on canvas transferred from panel, 90.2 x 34.1 cm National Gallery of Art, Washington The Annunciation described by Saint Luke is interpreted in terms of actuality in this painting, which was probably once…
Van Eyck, Jan (c.1390-1441) Portrait of Giovanni (?) Arnolfini and his Wife 1434 Oil on oak, 82.2 x 60 cm National Gallery, London This must be one of the most famous paintings in the world, and one of the most intriguing.…
Tissot, James (1836-1902) Hush! 1875 Oil on canvas, 73.7 x 112.2 cm Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester Modern life was the central theme of Tissot‘s art, with a focus on bourgeois social behaviour. His genre pieces typically dwelt on social nicety, flattering…
Tissot, James (1836-1902) Summer (‘Portrait’) 1876 Oil on canvas, 91.4 x 50.8 cm Tate Britain, London James Tissot is deliberately ambiguous here, inviting us to interpret it. His model, Miss Lloyd, stands at the entrance of a billiards’ room, a space…
Tissot, James (1836-1902) Cache-cache (Hide and Seek) c.1877 Oil on wood, 73.4 x 53.9 cm National Gallery of Art, Washington In early 1874 Degas wrote, “Look here, my dear Tissot. . . you positively must exhibit at the Boulevard [in the…