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Orphan Girl at the Cemetery
Eugène Delacroix, 1824
Oil on canvas, 26" x 21"
The Louvre, Paris.
Influenced by dramatic works of Rubens and Géricault, Delacroix became the leading painter of the French romantic movement, producing vast canvases for the annual Paris Salon. Delacroix boldly portrayed themes of violence, passion, and bloodshed with brilliant color. This fine portrait of a Greek model was a detailed oil study, part of Delacroix' preparation for his controversial work, The Massacre of Chios. [ Detail ]
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Lady in a Fur Wrap, El Greco, c 1577-1580
Oil on canvas, 24 1/2" x 20"
Pollock House, Glasgow.
Born in Crete, Domenikos Theotokopoulos studied in Italy before settling in Toledo, Spain, where he was called El Greco (the Greek). El Greco is well known for his religious works of mystical intensity and distorted forms. He was also a great portrait painter, producing grand formal portraits, as well as highly personal pictures.
This work, painted in a relatively naturalistic manner, is notable for its superb quality, the intimacy of characterization, and the marvelous painting of the fur. [ Detail ]
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Cornelis van der Geest
Anthony Van Dyck, before 1620
Oil on panel, 14 3/4" x 12 3/4"
National Gallery, London.
Flemish artist Anthony Van Dyck was a gifted painter and one of the most successful portraitists in the history of art. In 1632 he was appointed chief painter to King Charles I of England and became founder of the British school. It was Van Dyck's dazzling aristocratic portraits that influenced British portraiture for the next 200 years.
This small, early work reveals Van Dyck's precocious talent for rendering likeness and flesh. The subject was an Antwerp merchant, art collector, and friend of Rubens. [ Detail ]
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Marguerite De Gas, Edgar Degas, c 1868
Oil on canvas, 9 3/4" x 7 1/2"
Private collection.
For Edgar Degas, portraiture was an important part of his artistic life. Portraits, mostly of family and friends, constituted a third of his entire body of work, and were a means of artistic expression whereby he would transform 'a character head into a study of modern sensibility.' One of his favorite models was his sister Marguerite. In this small, intimate portrait, with almost sketchy brush work Degas portrays Marguerite as an intelligent and sensitive woman. [ Detail ] |
Bia, The Illegitimate Daughter of Cosimo I de'Medici, Agnolo Bronzino, before 1542
Oil on wood, 24 3/4" x 19"
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence.
Florentine painter Agnolo Bronzino was a master of the 16th-century Mannerist style. His works are noted for their cool, enamel-like beauty and precise technique. As court painter to Duke Cosimo I de'Medici, Bronzino produced a large number of highly stylized formal portraits, including individual portraits of the Duke ("Cosimo I de'Medici in Armour") and of the Medici children.
Bia was described as 'the delight of the court' and her death from fever in 1542 plunged her father into grief. Bronzino has captured her delicate charm, despite the portrait's elegant formality.
[ Detail ]
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Ranuccio Farnese, Titian, 1542
Oil on Canvas, 35 1/4" x 29"
National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.
Throughout his long career, Titian painted superb portraits for a string of aristocratic patrons. Twelve-year-old Ranuccio was the grandson of Pope Paul III and at the time of this commission had recently been appointed religious director of an important property belonging to the Knights of Malta. Ranuccio's wealth and status are shown by his red silk doublet and black cloak bearing the Maltese cross.
In this life-sized portrait, Titian portrays the young man with sensitivity and dignity. With a limited pallette and a strong, simple composition, Titian brings the subject out of shadow into the light of public life. Luminous color and garment highlights are the result of many layers of glazing with translucent oils. [ Detail ]
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Lady Wearing a Gauze Headdress
Rogier van der Weyden, c 1435
Oil on Panel, 16 1/2" x 12 1/2"
Gemaldegalerie, Berlin.
Rogier van der Weyden, the most influential Netherlandish painter of the mid-15th century, expressed his naturalistic style in powerful religious paintings and in formal aristocratic portraits. This early portrait, thought by some to be the artist's wife, is unusual for its time in that the female subject does not lower her eyes but looks directly at the viewer.
Although portrayed with refinement and dignity, this work is more intimate and sensuous than most of Rogier's portraits. The woman's full bosom is accentuated by the folds of her fur-trimmed robe. Her seductive gaze and half-smile are framed by a gauze headdress that is neatly held in place by a solitary, tantalizing pin. One can easily imagine that by removing the pin and headdress, this charming woman would reveal a beautiful head of hair. [ Detail ]
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Rubens and Isabella Brant in a Honeysuckle Bower, Peter Paul Rubens, 1609-10
Oil on Canvas, 70" x 54"
Alte Pinakothek, Munich.
Rubens was the greatest Flemish artist of the 17th century and one of the most prolific artists of all time. A genius painter of the Baroque period, Rubens enjoyed spectacular international success. His work is characterized by a free, rapid, energetic style. Many of Rubens' works are enormous in size and grandiose in theme. But this double portrait is charming, intimate, and tender. It was painted shortly after Rubens and Isabella Brant were married. [ Detail ]
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Doge Leonardo Loredan
Giovanni Bellini, 1501
Oil on Panel, 24" x 18"
National Gallery, London.
Bellini was the greatest figure in 15th-century Venetian painting. In perfecting the new Flemish technique of oil painting, Bellini created rich color harmonies and luminous atmosphere. His experiments with oil glazes resulted in warm, glowing paintings. This is the finest of Bellini's surviving portraits, probably commemorating Loredan's election as Doge in 1501. Although serious in characterization, the portrait is rich in chromatic harmony. Loredan's mantle is a virtuoso display of the artist's ability to depict texture with oil paint. Five hundred years after its creation, this work still radiates with luminous color. [ Detail ]
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Mrs Sarah Siddons
Thomas Gainsborough, 1785
Oil on Canvas, 50" x 39"
National Gallery, London.
Thomas Gainsborough was an intuitive and brilliant artist who left a glittering record of 18th-century British society. Although he preferred landscape to portraiture, Gainsborough's natural facility for capturing a likeness brought great success. Sarah Siddons was the most famous actress of the day, endowed with a commanding presence and striking profile. With his distinctive fluid brushwork, Gainsborough presents Mrs Siddons in a composition of strong unity and sumptuous color. [ Detail ]
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Lady Agnew of Lochnaw, John Singer Sargent, 1892
Oil on Canvas, 50" x 40"
National Gallery of Scotland.
Sargent is considered by many to be the greatest portrait painter of the 20th century. His work is enjoying renewed appreciation at this fin de siècle. A special exibit of over 100 Sargent paintings was shown at the Tate Gallery, London, in the fall of 1998, followed by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, in the spring of 1999 and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in the summer of 1999.
A favorite of many visitors to the Sargent exhibit is this ravishing portrait of Lady Agnew. The painting won great acclaim at the 1893 Royal Academy exhibition in London. It was praised for its subtle modeling of form and light, and for its broad handling of paint. With exquisite color harmonies, this lovely portrait captures Lady Agnew's delicate grace and beauty. [ Detail ]
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Monsieur Bertin, Dominique Ingres, 1832
Oil on Canvas, 46" x 37", The Louvre, Paris.
French artist Dominique Ingres was a champion of tradition and of Neo-Classicism. Ingres was a disciplined student of the Old Masters, was himself a master of graceful line, and was one of the greatest portrait painters of the 19th century. An exhibition of his portraits is presented at the National Gallery, London in the spring of 1999 and at the National Gallery of Art, Washington in the summer of 1999. With a subdued and limited pallette, this painting (called the "Buddha of the bourgeoisie") shows the subject in a direct, forceful pose. The portrait conveys a sense of importance appropriate for Monsieur Bertin, owner of the influential Journal des Debats. [ Detail ]
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