There haven’t been too many artists in history who picked up their brushes in their early 40s to become one of the greatest painters of their generation. Henri Rousseau (1844-1910) is one of the few French artists who could claim to be a self-taught genius, and this is reflected in his enthralling paintings. He adopted …
Paintings
The people in Belgium didn’t like to see one of the greatest works of a famous Belgian artist leave the country in the late 1980s. James Ensor (1860-1949) is one of the icons of Belgian art, a notion emphasized by the fact that his picture even decorated the 100 franc note before the euro was …
Dancers, bathers, jockeys, and portraits. These are the subjects that define the oeuvre of paintings of this renowned French artist. Edgar Degas (1834-1917) was an Impressionist artist who didn’t really fit into the group. He often belittled and ridiculed the Impressionists for painting outdoors, something he absolutely detested. Then again, this is how many of …
Most of the paintings by Vermeer depict a scene featuring one or several people in one of the rooms of his own house. Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) painted extremely slowly as this allowed him to fully focus on the details. He mastered the technique of making light reflect on common objects. In this article, we’ll take …
When Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (1483-1520) moved to Rome in the year 1508, he quickly became one of the most sought-after artists in the city. He attracted the patronage of Pope Julius II and produced some of the most amazing frescoes of his career at the Apostolic Palace. The School of Athens and The Parnassus …
The quality of artworks produced by this French painter is incredible and this was greatly appreciated at the height of his career in the late 19th century. William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905) produced Neoclassical paintings that often featured mythological subjects, but he integrated a sense of realism that was unseen before. He was the most famous Neoclassical …
Because of a recurring eye infection, one of the leading Impressionist artists of the 19th century was forced to abandon painting outdoors or “En Plein Air.” Camille Pissarro (1830-1903) was stuck inside a hotel room during the final years of his life. During this period, he produced some of the most impressive cityscapes of Paris …
When this French artist traveled to Tahiti, he experienced several personal setbacks. His Magnum Opus is the culmination of his personal struggle during this period. Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) was a renowned Post-Impressionist artist who never really manage to succeed during his lifetime. He became, however, a great source of inspiration for other avant-garde artists at …
This French artist grew up in the countryside of the Normandy region of France. Although he lived in Paris for several years, his career flourished when he moved back to the French countryside. Jean-François Millet (1814-1875) was a Realism artist and one of the founding fathers of the Barbizon school of painting. This art movement …
A renowned English artist was born in Paris and spent most of his career in France. He became one of the leading figures of the Impressionist art movement. He was one of the most fervent proponents of painting outdoors and his Impressionist paintings are therefore some of the most exemplifying artworks of the movement. In …