#Portraits

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Officer of the Hussars by Kehinde Wiley

Let’s talk about the Officer of the Hussars by Kehinde Wiley. Wiley is a Nigerian artist, based in New York, with studios in China and Senegal. He...

Joanna Kaszubowska 2 February 2025

Rococo

Madame de Pompadour: The Queen of Arts in Portraits

Elvis Presley’s famous hairstyle was named after her, a French champagne glass is believed to have been modeled after her breast and, according to...

Magda Michalska 31 January 2025

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Ambassadors by Hans Holbein the Younger

The Ambassadors by Hans Holbein the Younger is one of those paintings that we know so well we tend to forget to look closer. It’s like the Mona...

Joanna Kaszubowska 27 January 2025

Jacques-Louis David, Napoleon Crossing the Alps, 1802, Château de Versailles, France. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Napoleon Crossing the Alps by Jacques-Louis David

Jacques-Louis David’s Napoleon Crossing the Alps is one of the most famous and politically iconic images of European art history. However, it is a...

James W Singer 26 January 2025

Impressionism

10 Best Portraits by Édouard Manet

Édouard Manet is known as one of the most controversial artists of his time. Highly criticized for his realism and for depicting modern life scenes...

Zuzanna Stańska 23 January 2025

Long Read

Recognizing Dorothea Lange’s Contributions to The Family of Man Exhibition on Its 70th Anniversary

Dorothea Lange ranks among America’s best-known photographers, but her contributions to the world of photography go beyond her own famous...

Guest Profile 20 January 2025

Baroque

Nine Reasons to Smile with Frans Hals’ Portraits

Frans Hals (c. 1582–1666) was one of the Dutch Golden Age painters. Born in Antwerp, he spent his entire adult life in Haarlem. Hals is most famous...

Joanna Kaszubowska 20 January 2025

Art History 101

12 Famous Self-Portraits You Should Know

Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all? Self-portraits are closely tied to the existence of mirrors. Although mirrors have...

Anastasia Manioudaki 15 January 2025

Self-portrait of a Caucasian woman at her easel, leaning back in her chair looking at the viewer. On her easel is a painting of man happily playing the violin. The artist is wearing a purple dress with white collar ruff and cap. Dutch Golden Age Women Artists. Women Artists

Judith Leyster: The Leading Star of the Dutch Golden Age

Judith Leyster was a highly regarded genre painter in 17th-century Holland. Her career was cut short by her marriage, and after her death, her...

Catriona Miller 13 January 2025

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Madame X by John Singer Sargent

Dear John Singer Sargent, the world has changed substantially since the year 1856 when you were born, however, your legacy has stood enduringly. You...

James W Singer 12 January 2025

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth by John Singer Sargent

On December 29th, 1888, John Singer Sargent went to the Lyceum Theatre in London to watch the premiere of Shakespeare’s Macbeth starring Henry...

Catriona Miller 12 January 2025

John Singer Sargent, Nonchaloir, 1911, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, USA. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Nonchaloir (Repose) by John Singer Sargent

John Singer Sargent’s Nonchaloir (Repose) is a masterpiece of American Impressionism. It explores a poetic moment of aristocratic...

James W Singer 12 January 2025