Posted by Susan Benford
An art history blog post from Famous Paintings Reviewed.
Here are some stories in the art history arena which caught our attention recently:
More Rembrandt paintings. Roberta Smith of the New York Times reviews "Rembrandt at Work: The Great Self-Portrait from Kenwood House", featuring one of the least seen Rembrandt paintings, his self-portrait of 1665 (left).
The second largest Rembrandt portrait (the largest is in the Frick Collection), the Kenwood painting makes its debut in the U.S.
Expansion of Google Art Project. This remarkable endeavor now includes:
- 30,000 high resolution images of artwork;
- 151 art museums in forty countries, spanning the Acropolis Museum to the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University; and
- virtual tours of 46 art museums.
With images greater than 1 billion pixels, you can literally see into cracks on canvases! Here is a list of all art museums in the expanded Google Art Project.
Children of the Plumed Serpent: The Legacy of Quetzalcoatl in Ancient Mexico. This unique show opened at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and explores the history of Quetzalcoatl and his enduring influence on the Nahua,
Right: Codex Selden. Mexico, Western Oaxaca. AD 1556-1560.
Mixtec, and Zapotec kingdoms during the late pre-Columbian years. More than 200 objects comprise this groundbreaking art exhibition. See it before 7/1/2012.
Left: Turquoise Mosaic Shield. Mexico, Puebla, Acatlan. AD 1100-1521, Mixtec.
Hyperallergic.com Rave Review. So it took me a month to figure out that if someone gushes about Masterpiece Cards, that doesn't mean I'm bragging -- it just means that this editor of a popular West Coast art blog is impressed!
Read An Xiao's review at Hyperallergic.com about using Masterpiece Cards to learn art history.
Have a great weekend!
Posted by Susan Benford
An art history blog post from Famous Paintings Reviewed.
Rembrandt paintings are the most famous artwork in (and the indisputable pride of) Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum, dedicated to showcasing the best of the Dutch Golden Age. It's fascinating to see which Rembrandt paintings the art museum has chosen to display during its multi-year renovation that restricts exhibition space.
I think these are four of the most memorable Rembrandt paintings there:
Self Portrait at an Early Age
It's no surprise that Night Watch is shown in this pared down collection, but other Rembrandt paintings were less anticipated,
like Self Portrait at an Early Age.
Completed at about age 22, Rembrandt portrays himself in raking light (light which glances diagonally, producing strong shadow). Here, only
Rembrandt van Rijn, Self-Portrait at an Early Age. Oil on panel, c. 1628. Approx. 9" by 7.5". Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
his ear lobe and part of his cheek, neck and nose are in the light, producing a highly unconventional portrait. The crispness and definition of his curly hair were obtained by incising into wet paint, producing three-dimensional locks and exposing the underlying colors.
The same year Rembrandt painted this self-portrait - one of over 50 he'd create in his lifetime - he began teaching students. One of the first of these was Gerrit Dou, who would become a highly respected Dutch Golden Age painter.
Jeremia Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem
One of the earliest Rembrandt paintings to be deemed a masterpiece, Jeremia is based on the Biblical story in which Jeremia warned his king that Jerusalem would be annihilated if the king didn't acquiesce to his opponents' wishes. After this grim prophecy went unheeded, the king was blinded and Jerusalem was set on fire.
Rembrandt van Rijn. Jeremia Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem, 1630. Oil on panel, appox. 23" by 18". Rijksmusem, Amsterdam.
Rembrandt illuminates the grieving Jeremia and surrounding objects in intricate detail. The tufts of fur on Jeremia's robe and his beard hair are individually discernible; the hammered metal shows textured dimples; the floral pattern on his rug is convincingly three-dimensional. The background in which Jeremia sits is non-descript and hazy. Behind him, one can barely see Jerusalem in flames and the newly-blinded king massaging his eyes.
Isaac and Rebecca (The Jewish Bride)
This nondescript background recurs in another of the best known Rembrandt paintings, Isaac and Rebecca, or The Jewish Bride, and produces the same effect -- a heightened focus on the painting's subjects. The thickly applied paint on the couple's clothing brilliantly reflects incoming light, but to me, the brilliance here is the pure tenderness of her hand resting on his. The lightness of her touch is palpable tenderness; the serenity of their faces conveys the captivating power of touching a loved one.
Rembrandt van Rijn. Isaac and Rebecca, c. 1665. Oil on canvas, approx. 48" by 65 1/2". Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
Because 17th century people sometimes opted to have their portraits painted as Biblical people, it's not possible to know the precise history behind Isaac and Rebecca. Perhaps this is a portrait or perhaps a wedding portrait. That history doesn't diminish the power of this work, as noted by Vincent van Gogh in 1885:
What an intimate, what an infinitely sympathetic painting. Believe me, and I mean this sincerely, I would give ten years of my life to be allowed to sit before this painting for fourteen days with just a crust of bread to eat.
The Syndics of the Amsterdam Drapers' Guild
Relatively late in his career, Rembrandt was commissioned to paint the portrait of the Amsterdam drapers' guild. This group was responsible for insuring the quality of laken, a popular and profitable felt-like wool; they took random samples of laken for comparison, thereby earning their nickname of "sampling officials".
The red haired man in the center is gesticulating with his hand and looking at the man rising from his chair, as if to question where he's going. You're fairly certain that this man is 
standing because someone improperly entered the syndics' private chamber. It's part of Rembrandt's genius that you believe it's you.
Rembrandt van Rijn. The Syndics of the Amsterdam Drapers' Guild, 1662. Oil on canvas, Approx. 6' 3" by by 9'2". Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
This Rembrandt painting, like Night Watch, was designed for a specific place. Because Syndics was to be hung high up on the wall, Rembrandt adjusted the perspective on the table accordingly. When seen at eye level, as Syndics is now shown, the front side of the table looms oddly large.
That's an error by the Rijksmuseum curator. It doesn't detract from Rembrandt's brilliance, apparent at age 22 in Self Portrait at an Early Age. Can you think of a more mesmerizing and mysterious self-portrait? If so, please advise!
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Posted by Susan Benford
An art history blog post from Famous Paintings Reviewed.
Night Watch is not only one of most acclaimed Rembrandt paintings but also one of the most famous artworks in Europe. Officially given the unwieldy title Militia Company of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq, Night Watch is one of 125 surviving civic guard portraits, the most prestigious commission a portraitist could obtain. When Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-69) painted it in 1642, he had been in Amsterdam for over a decade and was considered the most famous painter of the Dutch Golden Age. Rembrandt paintings were in great demand during 
this era, unlike those of countryman Johann Vermeer, now viewed as the other most prominent painter of the Golden Age.
Rembrandt van Rijn. Militia Company of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq (Night Watch), 1642. Oil on canvas, approx. 12' by 14'. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
Militia Company was originally believed to portray a nocturnal guard, earning it the enduring 19th century nickname, Night Watch. After the recent cleaning of Night Watch and Phillips' installation of LED lighting to illuminate it, one can handily see the guardsman standing in dim but daylight spaces. Regardless, I suspect the nickname will stick.
Night Watch portrays the company of kloveniers commanded by Captain Frans Banninck Cocq, who is in the black attire in the left foreground, and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburch, who is distinguished by his partisan, a weapon carried only by officers. The company derived its name from the "klover", a firearm superseded by a musket known as an arquebus. Rembrandt provides other clues that these are kloveniers - under the belt of the brightly illuminated young girl, for instance, is a dead bird whose claws are an attribute of the company.
Night Watch was a revolutionary civic guard portrait. Unlike like the static lineup typical of preceding guard portraits, these guards are in motion. As in other Rembrandt paintings, he uses dramatic light-dark contrasts; here they heighten this sense of activity and accentuate the portraits.
Cocq, whose lips are parted, issues an order and the company springs into action:
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the drummer (right foreground) starts drumming;
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the ensign raises the standard; and
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the guards hoist their weapons.
The musket is dominant - three guards model how it works; the guard in red (left foreground) is re-loading his; the guard behind the Lieutenant is blowing away residual powder after firing; and the guard behind the Captain is shooting his.
Attributed to Gerrit Lundens. Night Watch, c. 1655. Oil on panel, 2' 2" by 2' 10". National Gallery, London.
Records indicate the guards were pleased with Night Watch, and that the 16 guards each paid Rembrandt about 100 guilders, depending upon their prominence in the portrait. A decade after its completion, Rembrandt added a shield (center top) with the names of all 18 people (16 guards, the young girl, and the drummer, hired for the occasion) whose portraits comprise Night Watch.
Night Watch was commissioned and designed for the Great Hall of the Kloveniersdoelen, where it hung until it was moved in 1715 to the Amsterdam town hall. After discovering it was too large for its new space, Night Watch was trimmed on all sides to fit into these tighter quarters. Luckily, Captain Cocq had been so enthralled with his portrait that he commissioned a copy of Night Watch for his personal use. Zoom around this Night Watch copy to gain a sense of what the original Night Watch looked like.
I learned of new speculation about Rembrandt's Night Watch. Some art historians speculate that Rembrandt included his own self-portrait - he may be the one eyed man sporting a beret and peeking over the right shoulder of the man n the top hat.
With all the self-portraits in Rembrandt paintings, he is one of the most recognized figures of the 17th century.
Are you persuaded that this is, or might be, him?
Rembrandt van Rijn. Self Portrait as the Apostle Paul. Oil on canvas, 1661. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
Posted by Susan Benford
An art history blog post from Famous Paintings Reviewed.
Swiss-born Angelica Kauffmann (1741-1807) was known as a child prodigy who, before the age of 15, was assisting her father with church murals and accepting commissions in portraiture. 
In addition to speaking four foreign languages fluently, Kauffmann was renowned as a singer and wrestled to choose between music and art, as memorialized in one of her most famous paintings, Self-Portrait Torn Between Music and Painting. This Kauffmann painting
Angelica Kauffmann. Self-Portrait Torn Between Music and Painting, 1792. Oil on canvas, approx. 60" by 83". Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow.
recalls the popular 17th century theme in which Hercules, at the Crossroads, must choose between Luxury and Fame.
She audaciously rejected working in genres deemed acceptable to women, such as still life, to pursue history painting, the field that was the most lucrative, prestigious, and male-dominated in the 18th century. In 1758, Kauffmann and her father toured Italy to study classical paintings and works of old masters; four years later, she settled in Rome and catered to travelers, many of whom were Englishmen on the Grand Tour. It was there Angelica 
Kauffmann was exposed to artists like Benjamin West (1738-1820) who were exploring the emerging style of Neoclassicism.
Her reputation in England was bolstered by her portrait of the English actor David Garrick (Does George Costanza of Seinfield look like him, or what?!), possibly the most frequently painted Englishman in the 18th century. Among the famous painters who did portraits of Garrick were:
- Sir Joshua Reynolds
- Thomas Gainsborough
- William Hogarth
- Benjamin Wilson
- Nathaniel Dance
- Pompeo Batoni
- Pietro Longhi
David Garrick was even painted more often than the king, George III (1).
Angelica Kauffmann, David Garrick. Oil on canvas, 1764.
With the encouragement of Sir Joshua Reynolds, Angelica Kauffmann relocated to London which, like Rome, was a center of Neoclassicism. Kauffmann was dedicated to popularizing history paintings in Great Britain, and was the only female painter to be working in such grand scale. She opted for heroines drawn from classical history like Penelope, the wife of Odyssey who remained faithful during his 20 year absence; and Lucretia, another paragon of female virtue who committed suicide after being raped.
Socially adept, admired for her diligence, and recognized for her paintings done for interiors designed by the leading architect, Robert Adam, Angelica Kauffmann was one of the 36 founding members of the Royal Academy of Arts in 1768. Much ballyhoo was made of the fact that Kauffmann 
and another Swiss painter, Mary Moser, were founders...
Johann Zoffany. The Academicians of the Royal Academy, 1772.
yet the history of painting reveals how flimsy this honor actually was:
- Just four years later in 1772, Johann Zoffany painted The Academicians of the Royal Academy grouped around a nude model. Because all female painters were prohibited from working from a nude model, Angelica Kauffmann and Mary Moser are present only as portraits on the upper right.
- Adding insult to injury, no other female painters were elected to the Royal Academy until Dame Laura Knight (1877-1970)-- 115 years later.
Angelica Kauffmann was commissioned in 1778 to created four allegorical paintings for the Royal Academy's new lecture hall; today, these four Kauffmann paintings are in the vestibule of Burlington House, the home of the Royal Academy.
Angelica Kauffmann was not ultimately successful in endearing Neoclassicism and history paintings to the British, and augmented her income with portraiture. Nonetheless, she leaves a legacy in the history of painting as a famous artist with an international clientele who was financially successful and competed on par with male painters.
1. JSTOR. David Garrick and English Painting. Lance Bertelsen
Note on spelling: Although Angelica Kauffmann signed her paintings as "Kauffman", the leading biographies of her spell it "Kauffmann", as noted in Women Artists 1550-1950 by Ann Sutherland Harris and Linda Nochlin.
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Posted by Susan Benford
An art history blog post from Famous Paintings Reviewed.
If you can't visit the Ghent Altarpiece, the van Eyck masterpiece of Renaissance art, this is next best: new high resolution imagery that allows viewers to zoom into individual panels microscopically, both in Ghent Altarpiece's closed and open position. It's also possible to compare two portions of the altarpiece simultaneously by opening two separate windows.
As the late Steve Jobs said, "Wow. Oh, wow. Oh, wow" Zoom into the Ghent Altarpiece here. And marvel at the wonders of technology.
Hubert and Jan van Eyck. Ghent Altarpiece (open). Completed 1432. Tempera and oil on wood, 11'6" by 15'1". Cathedral of St. Bavo, Ghent.
Posted by Susan Benford
An art history blog post from Famous Paintings Reviewed.
With female artists becoming more mainstream in the last sixty years, it's easy to overlook the wildly improbable odds that confronted female painters during earlier periods in art history. Historically, female 
artists were prohibited, for instance, from seeing a nude male model (the venerable Thomas Eakins was fired from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts after hiring a male
Frida Kahlo, Self-Portrait with Monkey. Oil on canvas, 1938. 16" by 12". Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York.
model for his female students). With no access to studying the male body, female painters specialized by default in portraiture or still life paintings, genres which paid comparatively less.
These female painters are some who nonetheless left enduring legacies in art history (click on the links for more of their fascinating stories!):
Sofonisba Anguissola (1532-1625). Imagine the rarity of this 16th century girl who received the same education as her male counterparts. Well-established as a portraitist at age 15, Anguissola became one of the leading Renaissance painters. Discover why it has been so difficult to identify Anguissola paintings.
Lavinia Fontana (1552-1614). After her Renaissance paintings were in greater demand than her husband's, he became the primary caregiver of their eleven children. Portraitist to Pope Paul V, Fontana worked for 40 continuous years and created 135 paintings.
Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1652). The first female painter in the Academy of Design, Artemisa Gentileschi shunned the prescribed Renaissance norms for female artists, portraits and still life paintings. She opted instead to paint the same subjects on the same scale as male Renaissance painters. Explore Judith Beheading Holofernes and the later life of Artemisia Gentileschi.
Judith Leyster (1609-1660). Believed to have been a student of Frans Hal, Judith Leyster was a genre and a portrait painter. And the first female painter to be inducted into the Guild of St. Luke, Haarlem's painting guild.
Rosa Bonheur (1822-1899). To sketch horses in preparation for her masterpiece, The Horse Fair, she
Marie-Rosalie (Rosa) Bonheur, The Horse Fair. Oil on canvas, 1853-1855. 8' 1/4" by 16' 7 1/2". Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
disguised herself as a man to sneak into the Paris horse markets. With this kind of tenacity, no wonder she was made an officer of the French Legion of Honor, the country's highest award, and became the first woman to be awarded its Grand Cross.
Paula Modersohn-Becker (1876-1907). Influenced by Matisse, Cezanne and Gauguin, Modersohn-Becker forged her own style and laid the groundwork for German Expressionism before dying at age 31.
Berthe Morisot (1841-1895). The first female painter to exhibit with the French Impressionists, Berthe Morisot was snared in a scandal when she modeled for the Manet painting, The Balcony. Undazed, Berthe Morisot continued to work with and exhibit alongside Impressionist painters. Explore one of her most famous paintings, The Cradle.
Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986). One of the most famous female artists in art history (and certainly one of its most popular), Georgia O'Keeffe paintings are readily recognizable. Explore some of her most famous paintings, the Jack in the Pulpit series.
Georgia O'Keeffe, Jack-in-the-Pulpit IV. Oil on canvas, 1930. 40" x 30". National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.
Frida Kahlo (1907-1954). After suffering polio at age 6, Frida Kahlo was in a tram accident that subsequently required 32 operations. During one recuperation, she taught herself to paint. Now, Frida Kahlo paintings are among the most beloved in Mexican art.
Helen Frankenthaler (1928 - 2012). After creating Mountains and Sea at the age of 23, Helen Frankenthaler went on to define color-field painting and influence Morris Louis and Kenneth Noland.
What a string of "firsts" accomplished by these female artists! Please let me know if I've overlooked any female artists you admire.
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Posted by Susan Benford
An art history blog post from Famous Paintings Reviewed.
Art history is welcoming into the canon of American art another 19th century African-American painter. Robert Seldon Duncanson (often erroneously and mysteriously called "Robert Scott Duncanson") was recently introduced into the collection of the National Gallery of Art with 
his stunning still life painting, Still Life with Fruit and Nuts. Although the National Gallery has some 400 works of art by African American artists, this is its first Duncanson work. Congratulations are in order -- this is a beauty.
But first a bit about Robert Seldon Duncanson (1821-1872), left.
Born to mulatto parents, Duncanson was a self-taught artist whose still life paintings shown in the 1840s prompted one critic of the Detroit Free Press to comment,
"the paintings of fruit, etc. by Duncanson are beautiful, and as they deserve, have elicited universal admiration."
Duncanson was then living in Cincinatti, a major abolitionist center considered to be the center of American art and culture west of the Appalachian Mountains, and painting portraits of prosperous Cincinattians and abolitionists. Art history experts believe that Duncanson saw a Cincinatti exhibition of Thomas Cole paintings, including his series The Voyage of Life (1842); whether Duncanson did or didn't attend this art exhibition, the influence 
of
Robert Seldon Duncanson. Still Life with Fruit and Nuts, 1848. Oil on board, 12 x 16 in. National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Ann and Mark Kington/The Kington Foundation and the Avalon Fund.
Thomas Cole and the Hudson River School was formidable. Duncanson subsequently shifted from still life paintings to landscape paintings.
In 1850, Duncanson was commissioned by vintner Nicholas Longworth (1783-1863) to create eight landscape paintings in trompe l'oeil for his private Cincinatti residence, Belmont (now the home of Cincinatti's Taft Museum of Art). Duncanson subsequently toured Europe, where he was exposed to Neoclassical works and 17th century landscape paintings by Claude Lorrain, among others. Duncanson incorporated these classical motifs into his landscape paintings. He spent the Civil War era in England and Scotland, tragically dying in 1872 from a breakdown that may have been fueled by exposure to lead-based paintings.
So back to Duncanson's still life paintings, of which fewer than a dozen exist. Still Life with Fruit and Nuts is a diminutive 12" by 16" but packs a hefty punch. This classical composition is a study of textures, juxtapositing velvety smooth fruits with pockmarked nuts and wrinkled currants. The contrasts among these objects are brilliantly executed.
An excellent example of Duncanson's mature work - when he had fully shifted to landscape
Robert Seldon Duncanson. Landscape with Rainbow, 1859. Oil on canvas, 30 x 52 1/4 in. (76.3 x 132.7 cm.) Smithsonian American Art Museum. Gift of Leonard and Paula Granoff.
paintings - is his Landscape with Rainbow. Claude Lorrain's influence upon Duncanson (and countless other American painters) is seen in the hazy atmosphere and classical composition. Diagonals are carved by mountain slopes and rock outcroppings in this idyllic, bucolic scene that belies the oncoming Civil War.
It's curious to me that so many painters are forgotten in art history, only to be discovered centuries later. These "lost souls" include non-mainstream artists like African-American painters (think Henry Ossawa Tanner, Jacob Lawrence and Duncanson, for starters) and female painters (an exhaustively long list), but also famous painters like Caravaggio and Vermeer.
Any ideas why? Do paintings need to have constant "champions" to be remembered in art history?
Posted by Susan Benford
An art history blog post from Famous Paintings Reviewed.
Few famous painters have backgrounds as fascinating but unknown as that of Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937), the subject of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts' upcoming show, Henry Ossawa Tanner: Modern Spirit. Tanner's
Thomas Eakins. Henry Ossawa Tanner, 1900. Oil on canvas, 24⅛" × 20¼". The Hyde Collection.
mother was born a slave and remained one until her father was given freedom; Tanner's father was a bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. In homage to the abolitionist, John Brown, Tanner's parents gave him the middle name "Ossawa" after the town Osawatomie, Kansas, where Brown had killed several defenders of slavery.
After a childhood in the Philadelphia area, Henry Ossawa Turner enrolled in the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in 1880, becoming its sole African American painter and the first academically trained black painter in the U.S. in one fell swoop.
For two years, Henry Ossawa Tanner studied with one of the most famous painters on the East Coast, the American realist painter, Thomas Eakins. Teaching Tanner was typical of Thomas Eakins' progressive thinking: after providing a nude male model for his female art students, Eakins was forced to resign from the prestigious (and conservative) Academy.
But back to Henry Ossawa Tanner. He left post-Civil War Philadelphia for Paris in 1891. Three years later, Tanner's paintings were exhibited in the 1894 Paris Salon, making him the first African American artist in any Paris Salon.
More recognition followed: his The Raising of Lazarus won a medal at the 1897 Salon,
Henry Ossawa Tanner. The Banjo Lesson, 1893. Oil on canvas, 49 by 35 1/2". Hampton University Museum, Hampton, VA.
while Nicodemus Visiting Jesus won the Lippincott Prize from the Pennsylvania Academy for Fine Arts in 1900. Tanner remained an expatriate in Paris, frequently exhibited in Paris as well as the United States, befriended famous painters like Paul Gauguin, and was a leader of an artist's colony in the French countryside. When World War I erupted, Tanner served with the American Red Cross in France and was honored by the French government with its Legion of Honor award.
The Banjo Lesson is one of Tanner's most famous paintings, and was likely made when he visited Philadelphia in 1893 and painted "mostly Negro subjects". Lesson reveals the influence of Thomas Eakins' uncompromising attention to detail in portraiture. Tanner uses this Realist portrait style to deflate the stereotypical image of banjo playing by African Americans for entertainment of white Americans. While the background is loose, long brushstrokes, Tanner carefully carves the two faces and bathes the scene in almost sacred lighting. Tanner defuses the stereotype by making The Banjo Lesson a scene of Everyman passing tradition to a child.
The Thankful Poor again combines the Realist focus on carefully observed nature with Tanner's desire to dignify the people with whom he was raised. The man, boy and objects in the room are portrayed in greatest detail; the light pouring in from the window creates a sense of spiritual stillness.
Henry Ossawa Tanner. The Thankful Poor, 1894. Oil on canvas, 2' 11 1/2" by 3' 8 1/4". Collection of William H. and Camille Cosby.
Tanner was somewhat forgotten in art history for three decades after his death in 1937. The Smithsonian Institution showed his works in 1969 in yet another first for Henry Ossawa Tanner -- the first major solo art exhibition of a black painter in the U. S. In 1991 the Philadelphia Museum of Art hosted a retrospective. With this PAFA show, perhaps Tanner will finally earn his due, recognition as one of the most famous painters of the 20th century, not as a "black" or "African American" painter.
Posted by Susan Benford
An art history blog post from Famous Paintings Reviewed.
The quantity of famous Renaissance paintings - and the genius of their creators - remains a marvel of art history. This cultural movement, which roughly spanned the 14th to 17th centuries, brought a resurgence of interest in Greco-Roman culture. Renaissance painters explored themes in perspective, mythology and anatomy, among others.
Because many art history classes are now studying Renaissance art, I thought it'd be
Caravaggio. Conversion of St. Paul. Oil on canvas, ca. 1601. 7'6" by 5'7". Cerasi Chapel Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome.
convenient to bundle into one post some of the Renaissance painters whose works defined and shaped this groundbreaking era in art history. To wit:
Anguissola, Sofonisba. One of the best known female painters of the Italian Renaissance, Anguissola's father believed girls deserved the same education as boys. After being apprenticed to two Renaissance painters, Anguissola, at the age of 15, was renowned for her portraiture as seen in Three Sisters Playing Chess and Phillip II of Spain.
Botticelli, Sandro. Primavera. One of the leading painters of the Early Renaissance (1400-1500), Botticelli studied with - and surpassed - another leading Renaissance painter, Fra Filipo Lippi. Tragically, many Botticelli paintings were destroyed in the infamous Bonfire of the Vanities of 1497. Primavera and Birth of Venus, are arguably the best known Botticelli paintings.
Caravaggio. The bad boy of Renaissance art. With present-day. internationaladulation of Caravaggio paintings, it's hard to believe he dwelled in art history obscurity for three centuries. Believe it. Now, his two versions of Conversion of St. Paul are some of the best known art paintings in the history of painting. Read about other Caravaggio paintings like Young, Sick Bacchus, and two genre paintings depicting the gullibility of youth.
Durer, Albrecht. Trained as a goldsmith, painter, woodcutter and in stained glass design, Albrech Durer was the best print-maker of the High Renaissance. His paintings are also notable in Renaissance art, like his Four Apostles.
Fontana, Lavinia. Now becoming more widely recognized in the history of painting, Fontana was a portraitist for two popes, had eleven children... and employed her husband as studio assistant. In Portrait of a Noblewoman, Fontana shows her skill as a portraitist, although she also created altarpieces and mythological paintings.
Gentileschi, Artemisia. The first female painter in the Italian Academy of Design, Gentileschi was illiterate but became famous in Renaissance art. Her confidence is revealled in Judith Beheading Holofernes, which challenged comparison to Caravaggio's version of the same subject, and in Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting.
Artemisia Gentileschi. Judith Beheading Holofernes, c. 1620. Oil on canvas, 78" x 64". Uffizi, Florence.
Giorgione. Although only six Renaissance paintings are inarguably attributed to Giorgione, he had an enduring impact on the history of painting. Learn about one of these six famous paintings, Three Philosophers.
Leonardo. Who isn't in awe of Leonardo da Vinci paintings?
Discover Benois Madonna and Madonna Litta, two renowned Leonardo artworks at the Hermitage; learn about one of the most beloved Leonardo da Vinci paintings, Virgin and Child with St. Anne; see which Leonardo paintings are in the blockbuster show, Leonardo: Painter at the Court of Milan (at the National Gallery in London until 2/5/2012). Hint: the Leonardo art exhibition includes the controversial painting, Savior of the World (Salvator Mundi), attributed to Leonardo in 2011.
Mantegna. Although Mantegna shunned two new painting advances of Renaissance art - linear perspective and oil paint - his Dead Christ is nonetheless one of the most highly esteemed Renaissance paintings.
Michelangelo. Explore four Michelangelo paintings (and learn about the only one in the U.S.). Read about two possible new Michelangelo paintings, Crucifixion with the Madonna and St. John the Baptist Bearing Witness.
Titian. Titian paintings (like Nymph and Shepherd, Allegory of Prudence, Jacopa Strada, St. Jerome, Slaying of Marysas) dominated Renaissance art for good reason. Learn 
about Bacchus and Ariadne. Personal
Titian (Tiziano Vecellio). Europe, 1560-62. Oil on canvas, 178 x 205 cm. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston.
favorite Titian paintings? Man with a Glove and Rape of Europa.
Uccello. In this triptych, one of the glories of Renaissance art, Paolo Uccello introduces linear, or one point, perspective. Battle of San Romano hangs in three discrete art museums, which barely detracts from its majesty.
van Eyck, Jan. With only 25 Renaissance paintings attributed to him, the work of Jan van Eyck is nonetheless hugely influential in the history of painting. Learn some of the most recent thinking about who is in, and what is portrayed, in Arnolfini Portrait. Explore the incomparable Renaissance altarpiece, Ghent Altarpiece, made by Hubert and Jan van Eyck, and the most famous artwork in it, Adoration of the Lamb.
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Posted by Susan Benford
An art history blog post from Famous Paintings Reviewed.
One of the most famous painters of the 19th century, Edouard Manet (1832-1883) bridged the art movements from Realism to Impressionism, despite his initial rejection of Impressionist painters. One of the best known (and most discussed) Manet paintings is A Bar at the Folies-Bergere.
Like many Manet paintings, Manet incorporated various riddles, leading to multiple intrepretations:
behind the barmaid, the scene is crammed with festive and gay Parisian patrons, who starkly contrast with the melancholic, blank visage of the barmaid. Is Manet juxtaposing the carefree life of upper classes with the alienation of the urban working class?
Edouard Manet. A Bar at the Folies-Bergere, 1882. Oil on cnvas, 37 4/5" by 51 1/5". Courtauld Institute of Art, London.
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the mirror behind the barmaid presents a riddle of visual contradiction. The reflection on the right, which initially appears to be that of the barmaid, doesn't align or reconcile with the reflection she'd logically project, or with the horizontal expanse of the bar.
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is the top-hatted man at the far right propositioning the barmaid, or merely approaching to purchase food and drink? Proponents of the former cite evidence that some barmaids were prostitutes, contending that the distorted reflection is indicative of her dual roles.
I was content with these ambiguous interpretations until I read The Language of Flowers, a fictional book that recounts the troubled life of 18 year old Victoria Jones, who has "aged out" of foster care, leaving her adrift and homeless. One of her foster mothers taught her the Victorian language of flowers, in which each species is associated with a unique meaning; flowers were used to communicate feelings in lieu of words. Nettles symbolize cruelty; a daisy, innocence.
Take this to Manet's flowers on the bartop. The vase holds a pink rose ("Grace" in the language of flowers) and a peony (read "Anger"). My best hunch about the barmaid's triangular corsage (an unsubtle sexual allusion) is that these are dianthus. "Make haste", says the language of flowers. And between the reflection on the right and the male patron peeks an iris, for "Message".
Could Manet, whose painting career overlapped Victorian usage of the language of flowers, be sending a message?
I don't know (though I can well imagine the barmaid wishing to convey each of these sentiments).
I do know that the U. S. foster care system is a national disgrace, assuming that at 18 years of age, youth are capable of being independent. At 18? Vanessa Diffenbaugh, author of The Language of Flowers, started the Camelia Network to support youth who are transitioning from foster care to independence. "Camelia", in the language of flowers, means my destiny is in your hands.
In my home state of Massachusetts, 75% of youth who age out of foster care become unemployed or underemployed; 80% of prison inmates here were once in foster care.
The solution feels local. In the Boston area, we have More than Words, a social enterprise that teaches youth the basics of running on-line and physical bookstores while they work with transition counselors on their futures. After mastering this business job and the "You job", 89% of these youth have diplomas or equivalents two years after starting with More than Words. It's astonishing what empowered youth can do, when given the opportunity and challenge.
And another incredible part? The books, CDs, DVDs and audio books sold at More than Words are all donated, with sale proceeds contributing 30% of operational costs.
I'll leave the riddles to Manet paintings... and stick with the obvious, like More than Words.
Are you in awe of famous artworks like A Bar at the Folies-Bergere?
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