Jordaens, Jacob (1593-1678) Diana Resting c.1640–1650 Oil on canvas, 123 x 159 cm Petit Palais, Paris Cézanne, who once said, “It is grotesque to imagine that we grow like a fungus, when we have all the generations behind us. Why not…
Courbet, Gustave (1819-1877) Le Sommeil (The Sleep) 1866 Oil on canvas, 135 x 200 cm Petit Palais, Paris Courbet, who paved the way for Realism in the mid-19th century, remained on the fringes of official art thanks to the support of…
Gonzalès, Eva (1849-1883) Une loge aux Italiens (A box at the Théâtre des Italiens) c.1874 Oil on canvas, 97.7 x 130 cm Musée d’Orsay, Paris
Boucher, François (1703-1770) La Toilette de Vénus (The Toilette of Venus) 1751 Oil on canvas, 108.3 x 85.1 cm Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Boucher executed this painting for Madame de Pompadour, the powerful, official mistress of Louis XV and…
Jordaens, Jacob (1593-1678) The Temptation of the Magdalene c.1616 Oil on panel, 126.2 × 96.8 cm Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago In this half-length biblical painting, an aged woman offering tempting jewels—possibly the proprietor of a brothel—and an angel bestowing spiritual…
Allori, Alessandro (1535-1607) Ritratto di donna (Portrait of a Lady, probably Camilla Martelli de’ Medici) 1570s Oil on canvas mounted on board, 68.6 x 59.1 cm Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis This woman’s exquisite attire indicates her likely wealth and…
Vasari, Giorgio (1511-1574) Giuditta e Oloferne (Judith and Holofernes) c.1554 Oil on panel, 108 x 79.7 cm Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis This biblical heroine’s strong arms and angled shoulders create lively diagonal lines that enhance her exaggerated musculature. Judith…
Tiziano (c.1488-1576) Ecce Homo (Christ Shown to the People) c.1570–1576 Oil on canvas, 109.2 x 94.8 cm Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis By the glow of a blazing torchlight, Pontius Pilate, the Roman ruler of ancient Judea, presents Jesus to…
Rubens, Peter Paul (1577-1640) Venus and Cupid c.1606–1611 Oil on canvas, 137 x 111 cm Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid Rubens was the most outstanding of all Flemish painters, and a leading exponent of Baroque art. The Toilet of Venus is one of…
Ghirlandaio, Domenico (1448-1494) Giovanna degli Albizzi Tornabuoni 1489–1490 Mixed media on panel, 77 x 49 cm Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid This superb panel is a fine example of fifteenth-century Florentine portraiture. Artists of the time followed classical dictates: body proportions were idealised while…