#france

Masterpiece Stories

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 5 April 2023

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Rainbow at Pontoise by Camille Pissarro

Camille Pissarro has an interesting portfolio of paintings. His works are divided between cosmopolitan views of Paris and countryside views of...

James W Singer 3 April 2023

Post-Impressionism

Vincent van Gogh and Nature

Vincent van Gogh’s relationship with nature was complex, and it defined both his life and his art. The Dutch artist hated the hustle and bustle of...

Anastasia Manioudaki 30 March 2023

discarding image: Rothschild Canticles, Flanders, c. 1300 Medieval Art

The Best of Discarding Images

During the Middle Ages, illuminated manuscripts were first used in the Roman Catholic Church for liturgical services and prayers. The popularity of...

Anna Ingram 27 March 2023

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Theatre Box by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Entertainments such as cabarets, theatres, and the circus were popular themes among the Impressionist painters whose mission was portraying modern...

Zuzanna Stańska 27 March 2023

Post-Impressionism

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec Portraying Misia Natanson at the Theater

Henri Toulouse-Lautrec is famous for his portrayals of Parisian nightlife: cabarets, theaters, and brothels. He showed us a world of decadence and...

Alicja Gluszek 27 March 2023

Women Artists

Female vs. Male Gaze: Suzanne Valadon’s Reclining Nude

Female nudes are prevalent throughout art history. There are ancient mythological goddesses, the Biblical Eves and Susannas, and then there are the...

Lauren Kraut 20 March 2023

Still from Emily in Paris, S3E09, released by Netflix.  Theater & Cinema

Art in Emily in Paris

In season three of Netflix’s Emily in Paris, the cast travels around Paris, France, and visits many famous museums, monuments, and sites. While...

Anna Ingram 17 March 2023

Animals

Rosa Bonheur’s Magnificent Lions and the Portrait of Wildlife

Painting animals is part of a tradition in European art dating back to the 17th century when animal-specialized painters began contributing to...

Rute Ferreira 16 March 2023

Rosa Bonheur, The Horse Fair, 1852-1855, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, USA. Wikimedia Commons (public domain). Animals

Masterpiece Story: The Horse Fair by Rosa Bonheur

Today’s Masterpiece Story is that of The Horse Fair by French Realist painter Rosa Bonheur (1822-1899). The Horse Fair was the undisputed star of...

Alexandra Kiely 16 March 2023

Jane Poupelet in the Studio for Portrait Mask, 1918. Sculpture

Jane Poupelet: The Female Sculptor Who Helped Disfigured War Veterans

Jane Poupelet was a French sculptress and illustrator most known for her involvement in World War I. There were not many female artists at the time...

Maia Heguiaphal 13 March 2023

Constance Mayer: constance mayer Women Artists

Constance Mayer and Pierre Prud’hon: Better Together?

Constance Mayer (1775-1821) was one of a generation of women artists who took advantage of the new freedoms offered by the French Revolution. She...

Catriona Miller 13 March 2023