Even though most paintings by Bruegel the Elder seem to be catalogs of certain topics, there’s an important underlying message in most of them. Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1525-1569) developed a distinctive style, often depicting peasants. This earned him the nickname “Peasant Bruegel.” In this article, we take a closer look at some of the …
Paintings
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Winslow Homer (1836-1910) was always going to become a successful artist. That’s because he inherited the artistic nature of his mother Henrietta. She was a successful watercolorist and the young Winslow’s first teacher. He never really got a formal art education and mostly learned the trade along the way. The American …
When one of the most famous American artists in history witnessed a radically new medical procedure in the 19th century, he accurately depicted the scene. Thomas Eakins (1844-1916) was a Realism artist who incorporated his intense interest in photography into fascinating Realism paintings. In this article, you’ll discover some of the most interesting facts about …
When it comes to landscape painting, very few English artists can hold a candle to the impressive oeuvre of this artist of the Romantic era. John Constable (1776-1837) was born in Suffolk and although he traveled quite a bit during his lifetime, many of his most famous paintings depict an area called Dedham Vale. The …
The Passion of Christ is the name given to a series of events that are extensively documented in both the Old and New Testaments. Many of these events have served as a great inspiration for artists from just about every art movement since the Roman era. Michelangelo Merisi (1571-1610) was one of the most controversial …
When one of the most prolific and successful English artists described a painting as his Magnum Opus in 1815, he simply couldn’t let it go. J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851) was a leading artist of the Romantic era and he left behind over 550 oil paintings. Choosing this one as his favorite meant a lot. In this …
When a young female French painter started to make a name for herself in the second half of the 18th century, she adopted the popular Rococo style. Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun (1755-1842) lived through the transition between Rococo art and Neoclassical art and gradually transformed her style to suit the contemporary artistic preference. She worked …
You will hardly find a painting that reflects a painter’s career better than this 18th-century masterpiece by a renowned English artist. Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788) managed to intertwine the type of painting he produced to get paid with the type of painting that he loved. This remarkable combination makes Mr and Mrs Andrews one of the …
Very few artists in history have lived through 3 different art movements. This makes the career of Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun (1755-1842) quite special. She became the favorite portraitist at the French court during the final years of the Ancien Régime. The Rococo artist produced dozens of portraits of the royal family during this period. …
When a young French artist produced some of the most controversial paintings of the 19th century, it radically changed the direction of modern art. Édouard Manet (1832-1883) was never supposed to become a painter. His family was affluent and he could have easily built a career in either law or the navy as his father …