French Elegance—How Did Women Dress in 18th-Century France?
While we can no longer personally experience the splendor of 18th-century fashion, thankfully, many painters of the time left us the answer to the...
Pola Otterstein 6 January 2026
Rococo
QUIZ: Women Artists from the Rococo Era
Ela Bobek, 27 December 2025
Francisco Goya’s Tapestry Cartoons
Francisco Goya’s work is well-known as dark and pessimistic. This reaction to his work is not uncommon, mostly due to the circumstances of his...
Anna Ingram 18 December 2025
Rosalba Carriera: The Accomplished Pastellist
Do you know the great Rococo portraitist Rosalba Carriera? She was one of the most famous painters of the early 18th century. Carriera became known...
Maia Heguiaphal 11 December 2025
Masterpiece Story: Flower Still Life by Jan van Huysum
Flower Still Life by Jan van Huysum is a still-life masterpiece that explores beautiful flowers and delicate butterflies. The painting is part of the...
James W Singer 26 November 2025
Masterpiece Story: The Swing by Jean-Honoré Fragonard
Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732–1806) was the most prolific French painter of the 18th century. He created over 550 paintings embodying the spirit of...
James W Singer 23 November 2025
Masterpiece Story: Self-Portrait in a Straw Hat by Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun
Why is art history predominantly focused on male artists? Are there not enough female artists to fill textbooks? Of course, there are enough, but the...
James W Singer 9 November 2025
Jean-Étienne Liotard Breakfast Scenes
The 18th-century painter, miniaturist, and pastelist Jean-Étienne Liotard is perhaps one of the most eccentric artists of his time. Known for his...
Anna Ingram 28 October 2025
Farinelli—The Best Castrato in Portraits
Castrati were male singers who had been castrated before puberty to retain the so-called voce bianca, that is unmutated voice, which therefore was...
Magda Michalska 23 October 2025
Masterpiece Story: Bureau du Roi by Jean-Henri Riesener
Jean-Henri Riesener’s Bureau du Roi is a masterpiece of 18th-century French art. It was and still is a designer piece fit for a...
James W Singer 5 October 2025
Masterpiece Story: The Declaration of Love by Jean-François de Troy
Jean-François de Troy’s The Declaration of Love is a masterpiece of Rococo genre art featuring a universal moment of anguish and...
James W Singer 10 August 2025
Masterpiece Story: The Monkey Painter by Jean-Baptiste Chardin
It’s tacky! It’s funny! It’s weird! Yes, Jean-Baptiste Chardin’s The Monkey Painter is definitely not what you would consider in good taste.
James W Singer 27 July 2025
