#portraitmonday — Public Fediverse posts

"Self-Portrait with a Palette," Anna Bilińska-Bohdanowiczowa, 1887.

Bilińska-Bohdanowiczowa (1854-93) was born to a Polish family in current-day Ukraine, and spent her childhood in Russia, learning drawing from instructors who were exiled from Moscow for their participation in the January Uprising.

Moving to Warsaw with her mother and siblings, she studied at the Warsaw Conservatory and later studied in Paris, the first Polish woman to do so. She exhibited with success for multiple years at the Paris Salon and this painting won a silver medal at the Paris Universal Exposition. Sadly, she died young from a heart condition, a few months after marrying.

This painting is one of her most famous; she depicts herself sitting and seemingly tired but satisfied, with mussed hair and a stained apron. Showing her personal fulfillment seems more important than being glamorous, it seems.

Happy Portrait Monday!

From the National Museum in Krakow.

#Art #AnnaBilińska_Bohdanowiczowa #WomenArtists #PortraitMonday #SelfPortrait #Realism

"Self-Portrait with a Palette," Anna Bilińska-Bohdanowiczowa, 1887.

Bilińska-Bohdanowiczowa (1854-93) was born to a Polish family in current-day Ukraine, and spent her childhood in Russia, learning drawing from instructors who were exiled from Moscow for their participation in the January Uprising.

Moving to Warsaw with her mother and siblings, she studied at the Warsaw Conservatory and later studied in Paris, the first Polish woman to do so. She exhibited with success for multiple years at the Paris Salon and this painting won a silver medal at the Paris Universal Exposition. Sadly, she died young from a heart condition, a few months after marrying.

This painting is one of her most famous; she depicts herself sitting and seemingly tired but satisfied, with mussed hair and a stained apron. Showing her personal fulfillment seems more important than being glamorous, it seems.

Happy Portrait Monday!

From the National Museum in Krakow.

#Art #AnnaBilińska_Bohdanowiczowa #WomenArtists #PortraitMonday #SelfPortrait #Realism

"Self-Portrait with a Palette," Anna Bilińska-Bohdanowiczowa, 1887.

Bilińska-Bohdanowiczowa (1854-93) was born to a Polish family in current-day Ukraine, and spent her childhood in Russia, learning drawing from instructors who were exiled from Moscow for their participation in the January Uprising.

Moving to Warsaw with her mother and siblings, she studied at the Warsaw Conservatory and later studied in Paris, the first Polish woman to do so. She exhibited with success for multiple years at the Paris Salon and this painting won a silver medal at the Paris Universal Exposition. Sadly, she died young from a heart condition, a few months after marrying.

This painting is one of her most famous; she depicts herself sitting and seemingly tired but satisfied, with mussed hair and a stained apron. Showing her personal fulfillment seems more important than being glamorous, it seems.

Happy Portrait Monday!

From the National Museum in Krakow.

#Art #AnnaBilińska_Bohdanowiczowa #WomenArtists #PortraitMonday #SelfPortrait #Realism

"Self-Portrait with a Palette," Anna Bilińska-Bohdanowiczowa, 1887.

Bilińska-Bohdanowiczowa (1854-93) was born to a Polish family in current-day Ukraine, and spent her childhood in Russia, learning drawing from instructors who were exiled from Moscow for their participation in the January Uprising.

Moving to Warsaw with her mother and siblings, she studied at the Warsaw Conservatory and later studied in Paris, the first Polish woman to do so. She exhibited with success for multiple years at the Paris Salon and this painting won a silver medal at the Paris Universal Exposition. Sadly, she died young from a heart condition, a few months after marrying.

This painting is one of her most famous; she depicts herself sitting and seemingly tired but satisfied, with mussed hair and a stained apron. Showing her personal fulfillment seems more important than being glamorous, it seems.

Happy Portrait Monday!

From the National Museum in Krakow.

#Art #AnnaBilińska_Bohdanowiczowa #WomenArtists #PortraitMonday #SelfPortrait #Realism

"Self-Portrait with a Palette," Anna Bilińska-Bohdanowiczowa, 1887.

Bilińska-Bohdanowiczowa (1854-93) was born to a Polish family in current-day Ukraine, and spent her childhood in Russia, learning drawing from instructors who were exiled from Moscow for their participation in the January Uprising.

Moving to Warsaw with her mother and siblings, she studied at the Warsaw Conservatory and later studied in Paris, the first Polish woman to do so. She exhibited with success for multiple years at the Paris Salon and this painting won a silver medal at the Paris Universal Exposition. Sadly, she died young from a heart condition, a few months after marrying.

This painting is one of her most famous; she depicts herself sitting and seemingly tired but satisfied, with mussed hair and a stained apron. Showing her personal fulfillment seems more important than being glamorous, it seems.

Happy Portrait Monday!

From the National Museum in Krakow.

#Art #AnnaBilińska_Bohdanowiczowa #WomenArtists #PortraitMonday #SelfPortrait #Realism

"Mrs. Eaton," Dante Gabriel Rossetti, c. 1863-5.

Rossetti (1828-82) was one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, and was busy as a poet, painter, illustrator, muralist, and translator. He hardly requires introduction; as a painter, he was hugely influential and much copied, even today, and has been the subject of biographies and even a TV series, "Desperate Romantics." He wasn't always the nicest guy, but he was fascinating and talented.

Fanny Eaton (1835-1924) was a mixed-race domestic worker, born in Jamaica, who was a favorite model of Rossetti and his friends. Married and with a family, she seems to have avoided any tawdry entanglements with the Brotherhood, who led rather steamy lives. Why she took up modeling and what she thought of the work that used her is unknown; she left no letters or diaries, but it is thought she modeled simply for the money.

The last known painting of her is from 1867; she seems to have stopped modeling after that, and lived out her life afterwards as a seamstress and cook.

From the Cantor Arts Center, Stanford, CA.

#Art #DanteGabrielRossetti #PreRaphaelites #FannyEaton #Portrait #PortraitMonday #WomenInArt

"Portrait of Joseph Roulin," Vincent van Gogh, 1889.

Y'all know Van Gogh by now.

Joseph Roulin was a postal worker in the town of Arles, where Van Gogh had gone in hopes of forming an art colony. It never manifested, but he became close friends with his postman, Roulin, and the entire Roulin family became a huge source of emotional and moral support to the troubled artist.

Roulin was, by all accounts, one of those great people who was not only a devoted family man, but also a generally kind person who was always willing to lend a hand to those in need. Van Gogh was always struck by his features and overall air of kindliness, which comes across a little in this portrait; despite the large beard, he seems about to smile.

When Van Gogh was hospitalized (1888-90, on and off), Roulin looked after his studio and was a regular visitor. Some feel that Van Gogh's psychiatric troubles may have been far worse if not for the presence of his caring friend.

Here we have Roulin proud in his postal uniform, looking a bit amused, but also strong and solid. The background, of bright green and twisting vines and flowers, seems almost to embrace the subject.

Happy Portrait Monday!

From the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

#Art #VincentVanGogh #PortraitMonday #PostImpressionism

"Portrait of Joseph Roulin," Vincent van Gogh, 1889.

Y'all know Van Gogh by now.

Joseph Roulin was a postal worker in the town of Arles, where Van Gogh had gone in hopes of forming an art colony. It never manifested, but he became close friends with his postman, Roulin, and the entire Roulin family became a huge source of emotional and moral support to the troubled artist.

Roulin was, by all accounts, one of those great people who was not only a devoted family man, but also a generally kind person who was always willing to lend a hand to those in need. Van Gogh was always struck by his features and overall air of kindliness, which comes across a little in this portrait; despite the large beard, he seems about to smile.

When Van Gogh was hospitalized (1888-90, on and off), Roulin looked after his studio and was a regular visitor. Some feel that Van Gogh's psychiatric troubles may have been far worse if not for the presence of his caring friend.

Here we have Roulin proud in his postal uniform, looking a bit amused, but also strong and solid. The background, of bright green and twisting vines and flowers, seems almost to embrace the subject.

Happy Portrait Monday!

From the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

#Art #VincentVanGogh #PortraitMonday #PostImpressionism

"Portrait of Joseph Roulin," Vincent van Gogh, 1889.

Y'all know Van Gogh by now.

Joseph Roulin was a postal worker in the town of Arles, where Van Gogh had gone in hopes of forming an art colony. It never manifested, but he became close friends with his postman, Roulin, and the entire Roulin family became a huge source of emotional and moral support to the troubled artist.

Roulin was, by all accounts, one of those great people who was not only a devoted family man, but also a generally kind person who was always willing to lend a hand to those in need. Van Gogh was always struck by his features and overall air of kindliness, which comes across a little in this portrait; despite the large beard, he seems about to smile.

When Van Gogh was hospitalized (1888-90, on and off), Roulin looked after his studio and was a regular visitor. Some feel that Van Gogh's psychiatric troubles may have been far worse if not for the presence of his caring friend.

Here we have Roulin proud in his postal uniform, looking a bit amused, but also strong and solid. The background, of bright green and twisting vines and flowers, seems almost to embrace the subject.

Happy Portrait Monday!

From the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

#Art #VincentVanGogh #PortraitMonday #PostImpressionism

"Portrait of Joseph Roulin," Vincent van Gogh, 1889.

Y'all know Van Gogh by now.

Joseph Roulin was a postal worker in the town of Arles, where Van Gogh had gone in hopes of forming an art colony. It never manifested, but he became close friends with his postman, Roulin, and the entire Roulin family became a huge source of emotional and moral support to the troubled artist.

Roulin was, by all accounts, one of those great people who was not only a devoted family man, but also a generally kind person who was always willing to lend a hand to those in need. Van Gogh was always struck by his features and overall air of kindliness, which comes across a little in this portrait; despite the large beard, he seems about to smile.

When Van Gogh was hospitalized (1888-90, on and off), Roulin looked after his studio and was a regular visitor. Some feel that Van Gogh's psychiatric troubles may have been far worse if not for the presence of his caring friend.

Here we have Roulin proud in his postal uniform, looking a bit amused, but also strong and solid. The background, of bright green and twisting vines and flowers, seems almost to embrace the subject.

Happy Portrait Monday!

From the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

#Art #VincentVanGogh #PortraitMonday #PostImpressionism

"Portrait of Joseph Roulin," Vincent van Gogh, 1889.

Y'all know Van Gogh by now.

Joseph Roulin was a postal worker in the town of Arles, where Van Gogh had gone in hopes of forming an art colony. It never manifested, but he became close friends with his postman, Roulin, and the entire Roulin family became a huge source of emotional and moral support to the troubled artist.

Roulin was, by all accounts, one of those great people who was not only a devoted family man, but also a generally kind person who was always willing to lend a hand to those in need. Van Gogh was always struck by his features and overall air of kindliness, which comes across a little in this portrait; despite the large beard, he seems about to smile.

When Van Gogh was hospitalized (1888-90, on and off), Roulin looked after his studio and was a regular visitor. Some feel that Van Gogh's psychiatric troubles may have been far worse if not for the presence of his caring friend.

Here we have Roulin proud in his postal uniform, looking a bit amused, but also strong and solid. The background, of bright green and twisting vines and flowers, seems almost to embrace the subject.

Happy Portrait Monday!

From the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

#Art #VincentVanGogh #PortraitMonday #PostImpressionism

"Portrait of the Painter Andries van Bochoven and His Family," Andries van Bochoven, 1629.

Van Bochoven (1609-34) died young, only 25, and didn't make much of a career as an artist, but he was obviously talented and well-taught. He only completed a handful of known paintings, of which this is the most popular.

His father Rutger, a prosperous merchant, sits at one end of the small table, about to lead the family in prayer. His wife Johanna sits at the other end, with the smallest children. The painter's grown sisters sit at the table, holding their own books, as if ready to follow along in the prayer. The grown brothers, with Andries holding brushes, stand in the back.

It has a certain charm but Andries, and several other members of the family, passed away during a plague epidemic in 1634-8. The painting stayed in the family until Rutger's death, evidently a reminder of times past.

Happy Portrait Monday, A Day Late! (I got the days mixed up....)

From the Centraal Museum, Utrecht.

#Art #AndriesVanBochoven #DutchGoldenAge #GroupPortrait #PortraitMonday #FamilyDinner

"Portrait of a Young Man," Agnolo Bronzino, 1530s.

Bronzino (1503-72) was one of the greats of the Italian Mannerist style, which featured exaggerated proportions, asymmetrical arrangements, and a sort of unnatural elegance.

His best-known works are his portraits and some of his allegorical or religious works, some of which scholars are still arguing about centuries later; he never made things particularly clear.

This is one of his more naturalistic works. The young man, unidentified, stands with his finger in a book; experts believe it to be a book of poetry. He seems almost annoyed, as if we're interrupting his reading. One of his eyes is out of alignment as well, an interesting little detail.

The painting tells us more about the man's status than anything else; he's obviously wealthy, and perhaps a bit full of himself. But the presence of several masklike faces here and there, including the folds of his clothes, seem to hint that his own demeanor is a mask.

Happy Portrait Monday!

From the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

#Art #AgnoloBronzino #Mannerism #PortraitMonday

"Spring," Giuseppe Arcimboldo, 1563.

Arcimboldo (1527-93) is an Italian Mannerist painter best known for his surreal still lifes that form faces. These are felt today to be mostly novelties meant to amuse, but they're the work that has survived.

Very little of his more conventional work has been found, and most of it is, well, very conventional. Unremarkable, even. He saved all his creative energy for things like this.

Honestly, I'd like to give him credit for being a surrealist before surrealism was a thing. Here we have Spring, a woman made up completely of flowers and leaves, with lips of rose petals. What could be more appropriate?

It seems more suited for Flower Friday than Portrait Monday, but heck, it's a portrait of a season, isn't it?

Happy Portrait Monday!

From the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, Madrid.

#Art #Mannerism #GiuseppeArcimboldo #PortraitMonday #ProtoSurrealism #Spring

"Hearts are Trumps," John Everett Millais, 1872.

Millais (1829-1896) was one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite school, & one of its most praised & successful members, getting many society commissions & earning a knighthood.

Starting in the 1850s, though, he began moving away from strict Pre-Raphaelism to a more Realist style, which caused some of his old crowd to view him as a sellout. But today it's seen as a natural evolution of his style, & his own refusal to be corralled by a particular school. Some feel his marriage to Euphemia, the former wife of art critic John Ruskin, a champion of the Pre-Raphaelites, had something to do with it; Effie had received an annulment on the grounds that her marriage had never been consummated. Millais was said to be very uneasy around Ruskin after that.

The women here are the three daughters of writer and collector Walter Armstrong, who was hoping to bump up his family's social status. The pose of the three women at cards is seen as a hint of a competition to marry. Of note is that Mary, to the right and looking out at us knowingly (with the King and Jack of hearts in her hand) married an Irish politician a few years after this was painted.

Happy Portrait Monday!

From the Tate Britain, London.

#Art #PreRaphaelite #JohnEverettMillais #PortraitMonday #WomenInArt

"Martin, a Terrier," Rosa Bonheur, 1879.

French painter Bonheur (1822-99) was a daring woman in many ways. Her personal life courted controversy; she dressed in men's clothing and openly had love affairs with other women, at a time when such things could get one arrested. She insisted on being educated and trained as an artist at a time when that route was not open to women. And she insisted on painting animals when everyone else was doing classical human figures.

It was her devotion to her animal art that really paved the way for her in a society that might not otherwise approve. When other artists would use animals in a symbolic or satirical sense, or be overly melodramatic or sentimental, Bonheur depicted animals the way other portraitists depicted people; she strove to communicate their soul to the viewer.

It's unknown who commissioned this painting, but evidently it was a fairly wealthy person who wanted a depiction of a faithful hunting dog. Martin is realistically and meticulously rendered, and she shows his intent, yet soulful expression without resorting to mush.

Happy Portrait Monday!

From a private collection.

#Art #RosaBonheur #WomenArtists #QueerHistory #LGBTQArtists #PortraitMonday #Terrier #DogsOfMastodon

"Girl in a Pink Dress," Laura Wheeler Waring, 1927.

Waring (1887-1948) was THE great portrait artist of the Harlem Renaissance. Her depictions of major figures in Black history make her worthy of study.

Here we have a portrait of an unidentified young Black woman in a stylist 20s dress, with a stylish 20s hairdo. This is a young lady of fashion, very up-to-the-minute.

But also, her youth, the choice of pink for her dress, and the corsage at her shoulder...this hints at blossoming and young vitality. "Here," Wheeler may be saying, "is the future of Black America, just coming into blossom!"

I've talked about Waring before, including her many portraits and her years teaching, so I won't go into her life story. But I just love this portrait of a young, vital, serene woman, waiting to take on the world.

Happy Portrait Monday!

From a private collection.

#Art #LauraWheelerWaring #WomenArtists #WomenInArt #BlackHistoryMonth #PortraitMonday #HarlemRenaissance #YouthInBlossom #FutureOfAmerica

"Portrait of a Young Woman," Antonio or Piero del Pollaiolo, c. 1470.

One could say "Antonio and/or Piero" as it's unknown which of them painted this, or if the two worked together.

Antonio (C. 1429 or 33 - 1498) and Piero (C. 1443 - C. 1496) were brothers who worked together and shared a studio in Florence, and frequently collaborated on works. In fact, it's become so difficult to tell which did what, or if they worked together, that many works are just attributed to "the Pollaiolo Brothers." Neither was known to sign their works very often.

Antonio, the older by a decade, was also a sculptor and goldsmith; Piero was known only for his painting. Their father was a wealthy poultry merchant, hence their adopted name, a sort of joke as "pollaiolo" means "chicken coop" in Italian.

The identity of the sitter is unknown, although she's obviously from a wealthy family, what with the fancy hairdo and the jewelry. It's thought that this was an engagement portrait, as pearls often symbolize purity and rubies love, and the sitter's obvious youth makes the concept seem likely.

Happy Portrait Monday!

From the Museo Poldi Pezzoli, Milan.

#Art #PollaioloBrothers #Renaissance #WomenInArt #PortraitMonday

"Portrait of the Artist's Mother," Henry Ossawa Tanner, 1897.

Tanner (1859-1937) was the first Black American artist to win international fame and acclaim, & they were well-deserved.

The son of an AME bishop, Tanner was born & raised in Pittsburgh. He received artistic education at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, where he was trained by Thomas Eakins, & worked with Robert Henri, a founder of the Ashcan School of painting, as well as others, who all remained his lifelong friends.

Finding racism and prejudice at home in the US, Tanner moved to Europe where he found acceptance, & where he lived the rest of his life, except for a few visits home.

Sarah Elizabeth Tanner (1840-1914) was born in Winchester, VA, but details of her early life are unclear; she may have been born to free people, or born into slavery and escaped via the Underground Railroad. She did become a respected missionary and religious worker, and raised seven children who all became successes in one way or another.

The portrait seems a riff on Whistler's famous painting of his mother, but here Tanner presents a warmer tone, although to me she looks sad.

Happy Portrait Monday, and Happy Black History Month!

#Art #HenryOssawaTanner #PortraitMonday #BlackHistoryMonth #BlackArtists #WomenInArt #AmericanRealism

"Girl in a Green Cap," Laura Wheeler Waring, 1930.

Waring (1887-1948) was THE great portraitist of the Harlem Renaissance, painting many of the notable Black people of the era.

Born in Hartford, CT, the daughter of a minister, her family was educated and cultured, and her ancestors had been part of the Underground Railroad. She attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia, graduating in 1914. She traveled briefly in Europe, returning home when WWI started, but returned in the 20s, where she honed her style and exhibited in Paris galleries.

Returning to the US in 1927, she was commissioned to do portraits of figures of the Harlem Renaissance; this project, along with her work teaching at Cheyney University, an HBCU outside Philadelphia, was to consume the rest of her life. Her work is now featured in some of the country's top museums and galleries.

The subject of this portrait is unknown, but her calm confidence and self-assurance, and that knockout outfit, are beyond question.

Happy Portrait Monday!

From the Howard University Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.

#Art #LauraWheelerWaring #Portrait #PortraitMonday #HarlemRenaissance #BlackHistory #MLKDay #BelieveInYourself

"Self-Portrait at the Easel," Catherina van Hemessen, 1548.

The career of van Hemessen (1528-1565 or later) has a number of unanswered questions; we don't know who taught her (probably her father, himself a painter), where she was born, exactly when she died, or really much about her personal life in general.

Her career, however, was a success, in part because she attracted the patronage of Maria of Austria, the Spanish-born former queen of Hungary who was then serving as the governor of the Netherlands, at the behest of her brother, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. (Complicated!) She painted mostly portraits, with a handful of religious works, and this is the first known portrait of an artist at work, so it has some significance.

She married a church organist in 1554, and seems to have given up painting after that. She and her husband moved to Spain with Maria when she retired from governorship, Catherina received a generous pension when Maria passed away, and they moved to Antwerp in 1561. The last mention of her in records is in 1565, and one source says she died in childbirth in '65 or '68.

Happy Portrait Monday!

From the Kunstmuseum Basel.

#Art #FlemishRenaissance #CatherinaVanHemessen #WomenArtists #WomenInArt #SelfPortrait #PortraitMonday

"Winter," Giuseppe Arcimboldo, 1563.

Arcimboldo (1527-93) was a visionary who foretold the rise of Surrealism centuries later. His portrait still lifes are popular and admired today.

As far as can be known from records, he regarded these paintings only as novelties and entertainments, but they're also the only work of his that has had any impact. What is known of his conventional work is bland and dull compared to these, and much has been lost or forgotten.

Here we have Winter as a gnarled tree trunk, with a beard made up of roots, hair of ivy, wrapped in a plain straw mat, with citrus fruits (the only winter fruit in Italy) sprouting from his chest. A good representation of winter.

Happy Portrait Monday!

From the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.

#Art #Surrealism #GiuseppeArcimboldo #Winter #PortraitMonday

"Woman Before the Mirror," Ellen Emmet Rand, 1925.

Rand (1875-1941) was an American illustrator and portraitist. Born in San Francisco, educated in Boston and New York, she started off as an illustrator for magazines like Harper's Bazaar, Harper's Weekly, and Vogue. She then traveled to London and Paris, and returned to New York in 1900 to paint full time.

A cousin to Henry and William James, as well as several other artists, she had connections to exploit, and she did a number of portraits of society figures, artists, and writers. Reportedly she started a portrait of Theodore Roosevelt but found it too difficult (constant interruptions) to complete. She did paint Franklin Roosevelt's official portrait, which is now missing from the National Archives. (Has anyone checked Mar-a-Lago?)

The textured work here is lovely, and instead of checking herself out, the lady is looking out at us, confronting the viewer with a certain self-assertion. She mixes new with old; the clothes and furniture are clearly 19th century, but the assertiveness of her gaze is modern.

Happy Portrait Monday!

From the Art Institute of Chicago.

#Art #EllenEmmetRand #PortraitMonday #Realism #WomenArtists #WomenInArt

"Girl in a Red Ruff," Pierre-Auguste Renoir, c. 1896.

One of the all-time great Impressionists, Renoir (1841-1919) was becoming disillusioned with Impressionism in the 1880s. He traveled in Italy, partly to visit museums and partly seeking relief from the rheumatoid arthritis that was hindering his life at the time. (He ended up moving to the Mediterranean coast of France, hoping the warm weather would help.)

He was profoundly influenced by Renaissance art, the Neoclassicists (especially Ingres), and the Rococo school, and sought to incorporate more of their style, rather than his usual thing. It didn't entirely last; he ended up re-incorporating some of his Impressionist stylings, but the influence remained. At this point in his life, most of his work involved women in various settings and costumes.

The unidentified woman here is all fresh rosy cheeks and dewy lips, with her hair demurely up in a bun. The white outfit and red ruff makes me wonder if she's meant to be a clown or commedia dell'arte character. She's got the formal posing of a Neoclassical painting, but the colors and warm lighting, and some of the blurred lines, of Renoir's best Impressionist work.

Happy Portrait Monday!

From the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

#Art #PierreAugusteRenoir #Impressionism #Neoclassicism #WomenInArt #PortraitMonday

"Girl in a Red Ruff," Pierre-Auguste Renoir, c. 1896.

One of the all-time great Impressionists, Renoir (1841-1919) was becoming disillusioned with Impressionism in the 1880s. He traveled in Italy, partly to visit museums and partly seeking relief from the rheumatoid arthritis that was hindering his life at the time. (He ended up moving to the Mediterranean coast of France, hoping the warm weather would help.)

He was profoundly influenced by Renaissance art, the Neoclassicists (especially Ingres), and the Rococo school, and sought to incorporate more of their style, rather than his usual thing. It didn't entirely last; he ended up re-incorporating some of his Impressionist stylings, but the influence remained. At this point in his life, most of his work involved women in various settings and costumes.

The unidentified woman here is all fresh rosy cheeks and dewy lips, with her hair demurely up in a bun. The white outfit and red ruff makes me wonder if she's meant to be a clown or commedia dell'arte character. She's got the formal posing of a Neoclassical painting, but the colors and warm lighting, and some of the blurred lines, of Renoir's best Impressionist work.

Happy Portrait Monday!

From the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

#Art #PierreAugusteRenoir #Impressionism #Neoclassicism #WomenInArt #PortraitMonday

"Girl in a Red Ruff," Pierre-Auguste Renoir, c. 1896.

One of the all-time great Impressionists, Renoir (1841-1919) was becoming disillusioned with Impressionism in the 1880s. He traveled in Italy, partly to visit museums and partly seeking relief from the rheumatoid arthritis that was hindering his life at the time. (He ended up moving to the Mediterranean coast of France, hoping the warm weather would help.)

He was profoundly influenced by Renaissance art, the Neoclassicists (especially Ingres), and the Rococo school, and sought to incorporate more of their style, rather than his usual thing. It didn't entirely last; he ended up re-incorporating some of his Impressionist stylings, but the influence remained. At this point in his life, most of his work involved women in various settings and costumes.

The unidentified woman here is all fresh rosy cheeks and dewy lips, with her hair demurely up in a bun. The white outfit and red ruff makes me wonder if she's meant to be a clown or commedia dell'arte character. She's got the formal posing of a Neoclassical painting, but the colors and warm lighting, and some of the blurred lines, of Renoir's best Impressionist work.

Happy Portrait Monday!

From the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

#Art #PierreAugusteRenoir #Impressionism #Neoclassicism #WomenInArt #PortraitMonday

"Girl in a Red Ruff," Pierre-Auguste Renoir, c. 1896.

One of the all-time great Impressionists, Renoir (1841-1919) was becoming disillusioned with Impressionism in the 1880s. He traveled in Italy, partly to visit museums and partly seeking relief from the rheumatoid arthritis that was hindering his life at the time. (He ended up moving to the Mediterranean coast of France, hoping the warm weather would help.)

He was profoundly influenced by Renaissance art, the Neoclassicists (especially Ingres), and the Rococo school, and sought to incorporate more of their style, rather than his usual thing. It didn't entirely last; he ended up re-incorporating some of his Impressionist stylings, but the influence remained. At this point in his life, most of his work involved women in various settings and costumes.

The unidentified woman here is all fresh rosy cheeks and dewy lips, with her hair demurely up in a bun. The white outfit and red ruff makes me wonder if she's meant to be a clown or commedia dell'arte character. She's got the formal posing of a Neoclassical painting, but the colors and warm lighting, and some of the blurred lines, of Renoir's best Impressionist work.

Happy Portrait Monday!

From the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

#Art #PierreAugusteRenoir #Impressionism #Neoclassicism #WomenInArt #PortraitMonday

"Girl in a Red Ruff," Pierre-Auguste Renoir, c. 1896.

One of the all-time great Impressionists, Renoir (1841-1919) was becoming disillusioned with Impressionism in the 1880s. He traveled in Italy, partly to visit museums and partly seeking relief from the rheumatoid arthritis that was hindering his life at the time. (He ended up moving to the Mediterranean coast of France, hoping the warm weather would help.)

He was profoundly influenced by Renaissance art, the Neoclassicists (especially Ingres), and the Rococo school, and sought to incorporate more of their style, rather than his usual thing. It didn't entirely last; he ended up re-incorporating some of his Impressionist stylings, but the influence remained. At this point in his life, most of his work involved women in various settings and costumes.

The unidentified woman here is all fresh rosy cheeks and dewy lips, with her hair demurely up in a bun. The white outfit and red ruff makes me wonder if she's meant to be a clown or commedia dell'arte character. She's got the formal posing of a Neoclassical painting, but the colors and warm lighting, and some of the blurred lines, of Renoir's best Impressionist work.

Happy Portrait Monday!

From the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

#Art #PierreAugusteRenoir #Impressionism #Neoclassicism #WomenInArt #PortraitMonday

"William Butler Yeats," John Singer Sargent, 1907.

Y'all know Sargent, the great society portraitist, by now.

In the early 1900s, Sargent was at the height of his fame, but also starting to slow down a bit. He'd gone hither and yon doing portraits of anybody who was anybody, and had weathered the "Madame X" scandal, and had continued to work at a prolific pace. But soon after this portrait (a commission, to be the frontispiece to a collection of Yeats' poetry), he officially closed his London studio and slowed down significantly....but still painted, almost up until his passing in 1925.

Yeats (1865-1913) was an Irish poet, playwright, and critic who was one of the great figures of 20th century literature. He co-founded Dublin's Abbey Theatre, was the driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival, was an Irish Nationalist, and received the 1923 Nobel Prize for Literature.

Although he was in his 40s when this was drawn, he looks quite young. Yeats was known to be fussy about his appearance, and to cultivate a Boho image; perhaps Sargent was being flattering. But spare charcoal-on-paper style works wonderfully.

Happy Portrait Monday!

From a private collection.

#Art #JohnSingerSargent #WilliamButlerYeats #PortraitMonday

"Madame X," John Singer Sargent, 1884.

Y'all know Sargent by now.

It's funny that this picture, now sometimes called "the American Mona Lisa," almost ended Sargent's career. He pursued Paris socialite Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau, wanting to paint her, and it took almost a year to complete. Originally it featured a shoulder strap sliding off her shoulder, which, when combined with the lack of jewelry and gloves, and the gown's plunging neckline, was seen as too sexual and salacious; some thought it hinted at an affair between artist and subject. Not likely, Sargent was a very active gay man.

The New Orleans-born Gautreau was one of the great beauties of Parisian society, and was pursued by several portraitists. Although it's often said her reputation was ruined by this painting; it really wasn't as most of the backlash was directed at Sargent. She did become more choosy about which functions she would attend, and she had several more portraits done, one almost identical to this but was greeted only with praise.

Now it's regarded as one of the great classic works of American art!

Happy Portrait Monday!

From the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

#Art #JohnSingerSargent #AmericanArt #MadameX #PortraitMonday #Scandalous #WomenInArt

"Autumn," Giuseppe Arcimboldo, 1573.

Arcimboldo (1527-93) was technically a Mannerist painter, but heck, I'd call him a Proto-Surrealist.

Born into an artistic family, he was designing stained glass and murals when he was 21. (I can kind of see the connections between works like this and stained glass...both assembling parts to make a greater whole...) He did a lot of conventional portraits and other works that have fallen into obscurity; some folks may have an Arcimboldo in their collections and not know it, because it's too...well....normal.

These composite, still-life portraits were celebrated in their day for their inventiveness. Some wonder if he was mentally, or just whimsical, but many feel he was making social commentaries with some of these works.

After his death, he was largely forgotten until the 19th century, and in the 20th the Surrealists idolized him. Now he's celebrated for his imagination and inventiveness. Only about 20 of his works are known to survive, but there may be more out there waiting to be discovered.

Mondays are usually when I feature portraits....I've done portraits of animals, why not a portrait of a season?

Happy Portrait Monday!

From the Louvre, Paris.

#Art #Surrealism #GiuseppeArcimboldo #Autumn #PortraitMonday

"Madame Desbassayns de Richemont and Her Son," Marie Benoist, 1802.

Benoist (1768-1826) was a French Neoclassical painter and portraitist, a student of the great portraitist Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun, and also a protegee of Jacques-Louis David....to whom this portrait was mistakenly attributed for years.

She was one of a number of women artists in France just after the Revolution who exhibited to the public for the first time; before then exhibitions by women artists were rare. Benoist thrived in that environment, and one fame for her "Portrait of Madeleine," of a Black woman, the first time a Black woman had been portrayed as the aesthetic center of a Western work of art.

Jeanne Egle Fulcrand Catherine Mourgue married into the wealthy Desbassayns family, whose immense fortune came from sugar and coffee plantations on Reunion, in the Indian Ocean. There's a certain charm in her simple Empire dress and the curious toddler climbing into her lap.

Benoist sadly withdrew from the art world in 1814, at the height of her popularity, due to her husband's involvement in Royalist causes and the growing wave of conservatism in Europe of the time.

Happy Portrait Monday!

From the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

#Art #PortraitMonday #MarieBenoist #Neoclassicism

"Self-Portrait with a Turban," Wallerant Vaillant, c.1650-60.

Vaillant (1623-77) was born in France, to a family of artists; he had four brothers who also all became painters. Wallerant is said to have taught all of his brothers to draw and paint, and they all settled in Amsterdam.

Vaillant was primarily a printmaker and engraver, and is thought to have developed the mezzotint style of printing, along with Prince Rupert of the Rhine, who he was tutoring. But he did turn out a small number of paintings, mostly portraits, including a series of self-portraits in various modes of dress.

Here we have him in a flamboyant red turban, echoing a similar self-portrait of Rembrandt. The fabric is richly printed and well-depicted; it's a very well-done portrait. I wonder about his expression, though....it seems a mixture of wariness and defiance, as if daring us to say something about the turban!

Happy Portrait Monday!

From a private collection.

#Art #DutchGoldenAge #WallerantVaillant #Selfie #PortraitMonday #Turban

"Portrait of a Noblewoman," Lavinia Fontana, 1580.

Fontana (1552-1614) is regarded as the first female career artist in Western Europe, as she relied solely on commissions to support herself and her family. Her husband acted as her agent, and raised their 11 children (!).

At the time this was painted, she was a popular portraitist in her native Bologna, very sought after by noblewomen. Apparently she was beloved by her clients; previous clients would sit and chat while she painted someone else's portrait. Fontana later moved to Rome, upon being patronized by Pope Clement VIII, where she painted more portraits and a series of altarpieces and religious paintings.

It's generally agreed that this particular painting was of a young woman about to be married. She's obviously a product of wealth. Those clothes! Those jewels! She has the pelt of a marten hanging from her belt, itself set with jewels. She looks distracted, and a bit unhappy, but at the time, even wealthy women had few choices in life. Even the small dog begging for attention isn't enough to bring a smile to her face.

Happy Portrait Monday!

From the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC.

#Art #LaviniaFontana #Mannerism #Renaissance #WomenArtists #WomenInArt #PortraitMonday

"Portrait of Juan Soriano," Maria Izquierdo, 1939.

Izquierdo (1902-55) was a Mexican painter, the first female Mexican painter to exhibit in the United States. Although often referred to as a Surrealist, she identified herself as one of Los Contemporáneos, a Modernist art movement focused on creating a unique Mexican style incorporating traditional folk art with modern perspectives.

She started by doing still lifes and altar scenes but expanded into portraits. She did get some pushback for not being openly political in her work, but she persisted in focusing on people's inner lives. She was critical of feminism at the time, but was also a vocal supporter of women in the arts and having equal rights in the workplace.

Soriano (1920-2006) was a painter and sculptor, recognized as a major talent since his teens (he was only 18/19 when this was painted). He's best known now for his many monumental sculptures that can be found in Mexico.

Happy Portrait Monday!

#Art #WomenArtists #MexicanArt #MariaIzquierdo #JuanSoriano #PortraitMonday

"Portrait of a Young Man as Saint Sebastian," Agnolo Bronzino, c. 1533.

Agnolo di Cosimo (1503-1572), known as Agnolo Bronzino, or simply "Bronzino," was an Italian Mannerist painter. Mannerism was a style of art that grew from the Renaissance, and was usually marked by asymmetrical arrangements and exaggerated proportions, as well as an unnatural elegance. While High Renaissance art strove for realism, Mannerism strove for the artificial.

Bronzino lived his life in Florence and was a major portraitist, as well as doing religious and allegorical paintings (including the endlessly fascinating "Venus, Cupid, Folly and Time"). Many of his portraits are fairly straightforward affairs, of richly dressed nobles with severe expressions, but he also did a number of "allegorical portraits" where his male (always male) subjects are presented nude or semi-nude as mythical or historical figures. This, along with some of his writings, has led many today to conclude Bronzino was gay.

The identity of the sitter here is unknown, but his state of undress, and his cheeky expression, make one wonder.

From the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid.

#Art #PortraitMonday #AgnoloBronzino #Mannerism #QueerArt #LGBTQHistory

"Tom Po Qui (Water of Antelope Lake/Indian Girl/Ramoncita)," Robert Henri, 1914.

Born in Cincinnati and raised in Nebraska, Robert Henri (1865-1929) is one of the great American artists. Starting off as a fan of the Impressionists (which you can see in the background of today's painting), he rejected the standards of American academic art and instead was a leader of the Ashcan school, a realist movement that specialized mostly in scenes in the everyday lives of the urban poor. As WWI loomed on the horizon, he traveled in California and New Mexico, where he painted some local subjects.

Not much is known of Tom Po Qui, aka Ramoncita Gonzalez, except that she was of the Tiwa people, a linguistic subgroup of the Pueblo. She was an artist, producing painted pottery, and performer, perhaps performing as a "show Indian" for tourists at the 1914 Panama Exposition, where this was painted. But in this portrait she looks out at us in a very self-possessed manner, confronting us as equals. Her outfit has an air of authenticity about it; she doesn't seem dressed up as a stereotype, but is simply reflecting her heritage and letting us see who she is. She is not being exploited; one thinks she won't allow it.

From the Denver Art Museum.

#Art #AmericanArt #RobertHenri #TomPoQui #IndigenousPeoples #Tiwa #PortraitMonday

"Pleasant Dreams," Emma Sandys, 1876.

Sandys (1841-1877) was a minor member of the Pre-Raphaelites, and as such is often overlooked. Her brother Frederick, also a painter, was a more prominent member, but unlike him she never courted controversy as he did, early on with some caricature engravings.

Emma's work was mostly portraits of children and young women, usually in period dress, often with floral backgrounds. She rarely identifies the sitter; she will instead frequently cast them as characters from mythology, history, or a Shakespeare play.

Here we have an unidentified woman sitting with her eyes closed, but I doubt she's asleep. She clutches a rolled paper to herself; one can guess it's a letter from her beloved. So what may seem like sleep is instead she's daydreaming of their future together. Behind her head is some holly, typically representing protection and good fortune; I don't know what the pink flowers may be.

Sandys died young, of pulmonary issues, and of course many of her paintings were credited to her brother. Only in the last few decades is she getting her due.

From the University of Dundee Fine Arts Collection.

#Art #PreRaphaelites #WomenArtists #WomenInArt #EmmaSandys #PortraitMonday

"Self Portrait with Champagne Glass," Max Beckmann, 1919.

Beckmann (1884-1950) was a German artist, printmaker, sculptor, and writer, commonly associated with the Expressionist style although he mostly identified with the New Objectivity movement, related to Expressionism but rejecting its introverted emotionalism. He was a big success in Weimar Germany, but his work was judged "degenerate" by the Nazis and it was removed from museums. He fled to Amsterdam, and then to the US upon receiving a professorship at Washington University in St. Louis.

Well-read in psychology and philosophy, his art often showed a quest for the Self, so he did a lot of self-portraits. While on the surface this shows him as an elegant dandy, in a reflection of Dutch Golden Age painters showing jolly drinkers, here he shows himself looking unhealthy, with a skull-like face and strange pallor, and his body almost twisted and distorted. The cartoonish laughing man in the background is almost sinister and disturbing. It's a strange view, perhaps showing a sense of the decadence of the Weimar republic and perhaps a sense of the growing fascist presence.

From the Städel Museum, Frankfurt.

#Art #MaxBeckmann #Expressionism #NewObjectivity #BannedByTheThirdReich #PortraitMonday

"Honeysuckle Bower," Peter Paul Rubens, c. 1609.

Rubens (1577-1640) is justly famous and popular; he was quite prolific but his quality never suffered. He was a huge influence in his time and after his passing, embedding his paintings with rich symbolism. And, from what I've read, he was also an extremely good person, intelligent and compassionate.

Here we have a double portrait, of the artist and his first wife, Isabella Brant. Here, they clasp right hands, an ancient custom indicating marital fidelity. They are surrounded by honeysuckle, a symbol of lasting pleasure, steadfastness, and permanence. The richness of their attire seems more indicative of Rubens' ambitions for worldly success, which certainly came to fruition. Sadly, the permanence here was only symbolic; Isabella died of bubonic plague at the age of 34, after they had three children together. This was painted soon after their wedding; after her passing, he did a great posthumous portrait of her, with a mischievous smile. She must have been a corker, and he's not so bad himself.

From the Alte Pinakothek, Munich.

#Art #FlemishArt #PeterPaulRubens #PortraitMonday #Baroque #Marriage

"Portrait of Dolores Hoyos," Hermenegildo Bustos, 1884.

Mexican artist José Hermenegildo de la Luz Bustos Hernández (1832-1907) was known mostly for his portraits, but also did a number of religious paintings and still lifes.

He saw a lot of turbulence in his early life, including a cholera epidemic and the founding of the Mexican nation. At various times he worked as a tinsmith, tailor, carpenter, and mason, and kept an orchard. He had many interests in thing like history and astronomy, and art. He had a little formal art training but seems to have been largely self-educated, painting portraits of the members of prominent families in his area. He even did a portrait of Benito Juarez, now lost. (Check your attic!) And he always modestly indicated himself as "amateur painter" when signing his work.

After his death and the Mexican Revolution, his work was reassessed as a native son of Mexico, and received greater notice and acclaim. This portrait of a well-to-do young lady is probably his most popular work.

From the Museo Blaisten, Ciudad de Mexico.

#Art #MexicanArt #HermenegildoBustos #Realism #WomenInArt #PortraitMonday.

"Lucie Leon at the Piano," Bertha Morisot, 1892.

Morisot (1841-95) was, along with Mary Cassatt, one of the great female Impressionists. She was a close friend and student of Edouard Manet (and some claim a love affair, but evidence is scant), and married his brother. His influence can be seen in her work, especially here.

Although she did a number of landscapes, Morisot's great interest, like Cassatt, was in private, intimate scenes, often painting families at home. Here we feel some pity for poor Lucie Leon, so bored-looking, sitting at her piano.

Leon herself was to become a successful pianist as an adult, so while she looks like she wishes she was doing ANYTHING else, at least she came to embrace music as a career.

Morisot sadly died young, of pneumonia contracted while nursing her daughter, but during her lifetime she was a very successful artist. Today her work fetches record prices at auctions.

From a private collection.

#Art #WomenArtists #WomenInArt #Portrait #BertheMorisot #LucieLeon #PortraitMonday

"Portrait of a Little Girl, Elise Købke, with a Cup," Carl Christian Constantin Hansen, 1850.

Hansen (1804-1880) was one of the big names in the Danish Golden Age of painting (mostly the first half of the 19th century), which itself borrowed heavily from German Romanticism, the influence of which can be seen here.

His father was a portrait painter, and his godmother was Constanze Mozart (!), and his family traveled from Rome to Vienna to Copenhagen while he was still an infant. After his training as an artist, he traveled all over Europe, painting landscapes, mythological scenes, altarpieces, and portraits like this one. He did a series of paintings based on Norse mythology, intending to create a sort of national art of Denmark.

The poor thing here looks profoundly bored and uninterested. I know nothing of her, but I'm guessing from her name that she was a relative of Hansen's wife.

I still prefer the Skagen school, myself!

From the Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen.

#Art #DanishArt #DanishGoldenAge #ConstantinHansen #Portrait #PortraitMonday #BoredKid #NordicArt

"Girl and Pug in an Automobile," Gerda Wegener, 1927.

Wegener (1885-1940) is someone I've featured before, but she's always worth featuring. I love this Art Deco painting, which on the surface is mild and inocuous...a woman and her dog in a car, on what seems to be an early spring day. What could be more everyday?

All is not what it appears. The woman is Lili Ilse Elvenes, aka Lili Elbe, Wegener's partner, who was trans and one of the earliest known successful recipients of gender-affirming surgery, in 1930. However, for a couple of decades Wegener had been painting haunting portraits of a sexy, almond-eyed femme fatale...and it was a bit of scandal when it emerged in 1913 that this gorgeous woman was assigned male at birth.

Elbe sadly passed away in 1931, from complications of an attempt to transplant a uterus into her body. Wegener remarried briefly, and her painting style fell out of fashion. She died poor and half-forgotten, but her work has been rediscovered and acclaimed.

From a private collection.

#Art #DanishArt #GerdaWegener #LiliElbe #QueerHistory #TransHistory #QueerArt #PortraitMonday

"Portrait of Émile Zola," Edouard Manet, 1868.

Manet needs no introduction. But here we have one of the great stars of 19th century French letters, Emile Zola. Here he is painted at a time when he was still best known as an art critic and for his recently published novel "Thérèse Raquin."

Manet is a bit waggish here...on the wall behind the disorderly desk are a few small prints. One is of Manet's own controversial painting "Olympia," which Zola championed as Manet's best work. There's an etching from Velazquez's "Bacchus," referring to Manet and Zola's shared fondness for Spanish art. And a print of a Japanese wrestler by Utagawa Kuniyaki II, along with a Japanese screen, all point to the influence Japanese art had on the art culture of France at the time....which lent itself to the growing Impressionist movement.

He's also distracted, not really looking at us, lost in his own thoughts. He doesn't address the viewer at all, but is at work composing something in his head.

From Musée d'Orsay, Paris

#Art #Realism #EdouardManet #EmileZola #Portrait #PortraitMonday