portrait de genre
Jacint Rigau-Ros i Serra, known in French as Hyacinthe Rigaud, was a Catalan-French baroque painter most famous for his portraits of Louis XIV and other members of the French nobility.
John Henry Mohrmann (Dutch: John Henry Mohrmann) is an American-Belgian-Canadian artist specialising in portraits of ships.
John Henry Mohrmann was a fickle sailor who successfully combined his naval career with his artistic talent. He painted real ships on behalf of shipowners, captains, shipbuilders and maritime firms.
John Henry Mohrmann (Dutch: John Henry Mohrmann) is an American-Belgian-Canadian artist specialising in portraits of ships.
John Henry Mohrmann was a fickle sailor who successfully combined his naval career with his artistic talent. He painted real ships on behalf of shipowners, captains, shipbuilders and maritime firms.
Gottfried Helnwein is an Austrian-Irish visual artist. He has worked as a painter, draftsman, photographer, muralist, sculptor, installation and performance artist, using a wide variety of techniques and media.
His work is concerned primarily with psychological and sociological anxiety, historical issues and political topics. His subject matter is the human condition. The metaphor for his art is dominated by the image of the child, particularly the wounded child, scarred physically and emotionally from within. His works often reference taboo and controversial issues from recent history, especially the Nazi rule and the horror of the Holocaust. As a result, his work is often considered provocative and controversial.
Jean-François de Troy was a French Rococo easel and fresco painter, draughtsman and tapestry designer. One of France's leading history painters in his time, he was equally successful with his decorative paintings, genre scenes and portraits. He was the inventor of the tableaux de modes ('paintings of fashions'), which attempted to provide a spirited portrayal of contemporary fashions, pastimes and manners.
He was the Director of the French Academy in Rome from 1738.
Juana Inés de la Cruz or Juana of Asbaje, real name Juana Inés de Asbaje Ramírez de Santillananota, was a Mexican poet, scholar, and writer of the Latin American colonial period and the Spanish Baroque, and a Jerónimo nun.
Juana Ramírez was born into a poor family (Spanish father and Creole mother) and from an early age showed a burning thirst for knowledge and giftedness, but as a woman she was almost entirely self-taught. By her teens, she had already learned Greek logic and taught Latin to young children. She also learned Nahuatl, an Aztec language spoken in Central Mexico, and wrote several short poems in the language. At the age of 16, the girl was introduced to the court, and her intelligence impressed even Viceroy Antonio Sebastian de Toledo, Marquis de Mancera, and in 1664 he invited her to serve as maid of honor.
In 1669, at the age of 21, she took her tonsure at the Convent of Santa Paula of the Hieronymite Order in Mexico City, where she remained a recluse for the rest of her life. In the convent, Sister Juana enjoyed exceptional freedom: she continued to socialize with scholars and senior members of the court, amassed one of the largest private libraries in the New World, as well as a collection of musical and scientific instruments. Her plays in verse, poetry, and compositions for state and religious festivals were frequently and successfully performed at the palace.
Sister Juana was an outstanding representative of Spain's Golden Age: she was the last significant writer of the Latin American Baroque and the first great exponent of colonial Mexican culture. Sister Juana wrote sonnets, romances, and ballads, drawing on a vast store of classical, biblical, philosophical, and mythological sources. She also composed moral, satirical, and religious texts, as well as many poems praising courtiers, but she also defended women's right to education.
At the end of her life, due to pressure from religious dogmatists, Sister Juana had to sell her extensive library of some 4,000 volumes and return to strict reclusiveness. In 1695, the plague struck the convent and, while caring for her sisters, Juana died of the disease at about the age of forty-four.
Today, Juana Inés de la Cruz is a national icon of Mexico and Mexican identity as a prominent writer of the Spanish-American colonial period. The former convent where she lived is a center of higher education, and her image adorns Mexican currency.
Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance, celebrated as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. His remarkable abilities and innovative thinking made him an epitome of the Renaissance humanist ideal. Born in Vinci, near Florence, in 1452, Leonardo was educated in Florence by Andrea del Verrocchio, a renowned painter and sculptor. He began his career in Florence, later working in Milan, Rome, and France, where he died in 1519.
Da Vinci is revered for his artistic mastery, technological innovation, and scientific inquiry. Despite having fewer than 25 major works attributed to him, including several unfinished ones, his influence on Western art is profound. His magnum opus, the "Mona Lisa," housed in the Louvre Museum, Paris, is considered the world's most famous painting. "The Last Supper," his most reproduced religious painting, showcases his mastery of dramatic narrative and pictorial illusionism. Both paintings exhibit Leonardo's unique ability to convey complex human emotions and his innovative use of techniques like sfumato and chiaroscuro.
Leonardo's interests extended far beyond fine art. He was a visionary in multiple fields, including anatomy, physics, architecture, and mechanics. His notebooks reveal designs for machines like bicycles, helicopters, and military tanks, centuries ahead of their time. However, due to his diverse interests, he left many projects and paintings incomplete. Leonardo's final years were spent in France, where he continued his artistic and scientific pursuits until his death.
For collectors and experts in art and antiques, Leonardo da Vinci remains a figure of endless fascination. His works not only embody the pinnacle of Renaissance art but also provide insights into the era's scientific and philosophical inquiry. To stay updated on new sales and auction events related to Leonardo da Vinci, sign up for our newsletter. This subscription is a gateway to exploring the rich legacy of this unparalleled artist and inventor.
Dmitry Grigoryevich Levitzky (Russian: Дмитрий Григорьевич Левицкий) was an acclaimed Ukrainian-Russian portrait painter and academician born in May 1735, renowned for his exceptional contributions to the art of the 18th century. Originating from a family deeply rooted in the Ukrainian noble-priestly class, Levitzky's early exposure to art came from his father, Grigory Kirillovich Levitsky, a priest and an enthusiast in painting and engraving. This familial influence laid the foundation for Levitzky's artistic journey, which began in earnest when he assisted the prominent painter Alexey Antropov in Kiev, leading to his eventual move to Saint Petersburg.
Levitzky's rise to fame was marked by his unique ability to capture the essence of his subjects, combining exceptional technique with a fresh approach to portrait painting. His most notable works include portraits of significant figures from the Russian elite, such as Catherine II as the Legislatress in the Temple of the Goddess of Justice and portraits of the Smolny Institute's young ladies. Despite the grandeur and recognition that these works brought him, Levitzky faced financial struggles, spending his final years in poverty, a testament to the often-precarious nature of artistic acclaim.
His legacy, which had waned by the 19th century, was revitalized in the 20th century by art historian Alexander Benois, who positioned Levitzky among the pantheon of European Enlightenment artists. Levitzky's work is celebrated for its technical mastery and unique contribution to Russian and European portraiture, leaving an indelible mark on the artistic landscape of his time.
For collectors and experts in art and antiques, Levitzky's paintings are not just artistic achievements but also historical narratives captured in oil, reflecting the complex socio-cultural dynamics of 18th-century Russia. His portraits, housed in prestigious museums and galleries worldwide, continue to be studied and admired for their elegance, detail, and historical significance.
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