Everybody is familiar with the Italian Renaissance because of artists like Leonardo da Vinci and artworks like the Sistine Chapel ceiling. This time and place includes some of the greatest household names in art history, as well as countless other artists of great merit. But do you know what the Italian Renaissance was all about and why it was so special? Find out in my brief guide for DailyArt Magazine.
Tag: portraits
The Best of the Frick Collection
I was pretty happy for the opportunity to write about some of my favorite Frick Collection masterpieces in honor of the museum's July 2020 collaboration with DailyArt. Find out which ten works I chose.
The Art of Angelica Kauffman
Angelica Kauffmann RA, 1741–1807, Swiss, active in Britain (1766–81), Self Portrait, undated, Graphite on medium, slightly textured, cream laid paper, Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection, B1977.14.5552. I just love Angelica Kauffman's art, and I adore writing about her. Kauffman (1741-1807) was a master of Neo-Classical history painting - one of the only… Continue reading The Art of Angelica Kauffman
The Joys of the Dutch Golden Age
In Praise of Painting: Dutch Masterpieces at the Met is an ongoing exhibition of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's paintings from the Dutch Golden Age. It provided the chance to view the works up close at my leisure, which gave me a new appreciation for this type of artwork.
Meet the Gainsborough Family
This time last year, I wrote an article for DailyArt Magazine about Thomas Gainsborough's portraits of his daughters. I was really excited when I found out that most of those paintings are currently on display in Gainsborough's Family Album at the Princeton University Art Museum. I rushed over to see them, and I'm so glad that I did!
Art That Inspires Me: Lady Agnew of Locknaw by John Singer Sargent
I love the American artist John Singer Sargent (1856-1925), and I have wanted to write an Art That Inspires Me post about him for a while. However, there are just so many things that inspire me about Sargent, and I struggled to pick a few to focus on. This is my all-time favorite Sargent painting. It depicts Lady (Gertrude) Agnew of Locknaw, the wife of a Scottish nobleman.
American Artists and the American Revolution
Here in the United States, paintings play a big role in how we experience the story of our country's origins. Portraits of our Founding Fathers and other paintings of the Revolutionary War appear on our money, in our textbooks, and decorating our government buildings. These paintings have become a huge part of our national consciousness. Paul Staiti's Of Arms and Artists: The American Revolution Through Painters' Eyes is about the five American painters most responsible for depicting the Revolution era.
The Mystery of the Disappearing Velasquez (maybe)
I just finished reading a book that told a wild, but true story about a work of art. Laura Cumming's The Vanishing Velasquez: A 19th-Century Bookseller's Obsession with a Lost Masterpiece tells the story of an English bookseller who believed that he owned a lost masterpiece by Spanish artist Diego Velasquez. It ends with a huge, still-unsolved mystery.
Art That Inspires Me: Faiyum Mummy Portraits
Continuing with my earlier theme of art that inspires me, here is another example from the ancient world. During Egypt's Roman period (c. 30 BCE - 330 CE), many beautiful portraits were made in and around the area of Faiyum. They were mummy portraits, which means that they were attached to mummy wrappings to cover the mummy's head.
An Array of Art at Biltmore
Unlike his father, George Vanderbilt wasn't a huge art collector. He collected prints, but beyond that, he generally preferred to spend his money on his home and lands rather than paintings and sculptures. However, he still managed to acquire quite a few notable works of art that are now on display at Biltmore. Here are some of my favorites.
