Painting, sculpture, architecture, photography and general art history related finds. Feel free to message me any questions, comments or suggestions.

John Singer Sargent, Vernon Lee, 1881 Vernon Lee was the pseudonym of the writer Violet Paget (1856-1935), best known for her books on Italian Renaissance art. Sargent had known her since childhood when their families had been neighbours in Nice, and she remained a friend all his life. This portrait sketch was painted in a single session lasting three hours. Sargent gave it to her, writing on it through the paint ‘to my friend Violet’. From the late 1870s Sargent was amongst those artists trained in Paris who made Impressionism an international style, blended with the technique and attitudes of old masters such as Velasquez. In this sketch his free brushwork makes for a brilliant illusion, and suggests the ambiguity of this author who adopted a male name. (From the Tate)

John Singer Sargent, Vernon Lee, 1881

Vernon Lee was the pseudonym of the writer Violet Paget (1856-1935), best known for her books on Italian Renaissance art. Sargent had known her since childhood when their families had been neighbours in Nice, and she remained a friend all his life. This portrait sketch was painted in a single session lasting three hours. Sargent gave it to her, writing on it through the paint ‘to my friend Violet’.

From the late 1870s Sargent was amongst those artists trained in Paris who made Impressionism an international style, blended with the technique and attitudes of old masters such as Velasquez. In this sketch his free brushwork makes for a brilliant illusion, and suggests the ambiguity of this author who adopted a male name.

(From the Tate)

George Bellows, Mr and Mrs Phillip Wase, 1924

George Bellows, Mr and Mrs Phillip Wase, 1924
Theodor von Holst, Portrait of Constantia von Holst, c.1830-35

Theodor von Holst, Portrait of Constantia von Holst, c.1830-35
Julius Caesar Ibbetson, Two Children, c.1790

Julius Caesar Ibbetson, Two Children, c.1790
Jacques-Louis David, Napoleon at the St Bernard Pass, 1800

Jacques-Louis David, Napoleon at the St Bernard Pass, 1800
Kees van Dongen, Lady with Beads, c.1923

Kees van Dongen, Lady with Beads, c.1923

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: Zinaida Serebriakova

I think the moment I fell in love with Zinaida Serebriakova (1884-1967) was the moment I first saw her self-portrait: that hair, those eyes, those glinting pearls in the foreground … it was love at first sight.

Serebriakova was one of the most prominent female Russian painters of the 20th century. What I’ve always admired about her is the way that she avoided transitioning to a style more in tune with the rising Russian Futurists (think Natalia Goncharova). Instead, she stuck with a more realist approach to painting with themes involving the working class, the poor, and family.

Edwin Henry Landseer, High Life and Low Life, 1829

I love the contrast between these two portraits, particularly in the way Landseer has created two juxtaposed settings, which are clearly in reference to the different characters and lifestyles of the dogs and their respective owners.

Frida Kahlo, The Two Fridas, 1939 Probably one of Kahlo’s more complex self-portraits, The Two Fridas is full of the usual symbolism and personal references typical of the Mexican Surrealist’s work. The piece was painted at the time of Kahlo’s divorce from her artist husband Diego Rivera. Clicking here will take you to ‘The Life and Times of Frida Kahlo’, where you can examine the painting section by section.

Frida Kahlo, The Two Fridas, 1939

Probably one of Kahlo’s more complex self-portraits, The Two Fridas is full of the usual symbolism and personal references typical of the Mexican Surrealist’s work. The piece was painted at the time of Kahlo’s divorce from her artist husband Diego Rivera. Clicking here will take you to ‘The Life and Times of Frida Kahlo’, where you can examine the painting section by section.

Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, The Woman with a Pearl, c.1868-70

Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, The Woman with a Pearl, c.1868-70

Gary Hume, Francis Bacon, 1998 This piece was part of Hume’s ‘Portraits’ series of ten screen-prints published under London’s The Paragon Press. Francis Bacon, based on the British painter of the same name, is the tenth print in the series.

Gary Hume, Francis Bacon, 1998

This piece was part of Hume’s ‘Portraits’ series of ten screen-prints published under London’s The Paragon Press. Francis Bacon, based on the British painter of the same name, is the tenth print in the series.
Chaim Soutine, Woman in Red, 1922

Chaim Soutine, Woman in Red, 1922
Paolo Uccello, Portrait of a Lady, 1455

Paolo Uccello, Portrait of a Lady, 1455

Self-Portraits (1493, 1498, c.1500) by Albrecht Dürer, German Renaissance painter

Arshile Gorky, The Artist and His Mother, c.1926-36

Arshile Gorky, The Artist and His Mother, c.1926-36