#Portraits

Artist Stories

The Degenerate World of Otto Dix

A short haircut, a monocle, sharp facial features with pale skin and dark red lipstick, a plain, figure-disguising dress, and a cigarette casually...

Wendy Gray 26 July 2024

Women Artists

Gerda Wegener: Art Deco Feminist

Today Gerda Wegener is best known for feminist art and portrayal of lesbianism. She was also married to Einar Wegener, who after the sex reassignment...

Kelly Hill 25 July 2024

Herstory

Lady Anne Clifford: Portraits of a 17th-Century Feminist

During the early modern period of European history (ca. 1500-1800), women’s freedoms varied significantly based on their location and local...

Rachel Witte 25 July 2024

Sofonisba Anguissola, The Game of Chess, 1555. Women Artists

Masterpiece Story: The Game of Chess by Sofonisba Anguissola

Sofonisba Anguissola is known for her self-portraits and portraits of Spanish royalty. But her most provocative painting is perhaps The Game of...

Anna Ingram 19 July 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Portrait of Gabrielle d’Estrées and One of Her Sisters

To a 21st-century viewer, the portrait of Gabrielle d’Estrées might seem homo-erotic. However, pictured with her sister, the Duchess of Villars,...

Anna Ingram 14 July 2024

Rembrandt van Rijn, Saskia van Uylenburgh as Flora Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Saskia as Flora by Rembrandt

Rembrandt van Rijn married Saskia van Uylenburgh in 1634. They were together for only eight years before she died after childbirth, probably from...

Catriona Miller 12 July 2024

Baroque

15 Things You Didn’t Know About the Night Watch by Rembrandt

The Night Watch painted by Rembrandt van Rijn is a monumental canvas displayed today in the “Gallery of Honour” of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam,...

Zuzanna Stańska, Nicole Ganbold 12 July 2024

History

Republic of Austria v. Altmann – Klimt Goes to Court!

Adele Bloch-Bauer was a wealthy socialite from Austria. One day, her husband asked Gustav Klimt to paint her portrait as an anniversary gift. But...

Ruxi Rusu 12 July 2024

Painting

Klimt’s Unknown Portraits You Would Never Guess Were His

Some of Klimt’s portraits have already gained “iconic” status, one of them being his soaked in the gold portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer. Yet,...

Magda Michalska 12 July 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Gustav Klimt’s Last Painting – Lady with a Fan

Since its creation, at the end of Gustav Klimt’s life, Lady with a Fan was controversial. The piece was shown to the public only three times,...

Giordana Goretti 12 July 2024

The Rainbow Portrait Renaissance

Masterpiece Story: The Rainbow Portrait

Queen Elizabeth I is known throughout history as one of the most famous British Queens. Even without a husband, she successfully ruled England for 45...

Anna Ingram 8 July 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: American Gothic by Grant Wood

Under the blue sky of Iowa, a man and a woman stand solemnly in front of their house. They are farmers, as suggested by their clothing and the...

Anastasia Manioudaki 4 July 2024