Famous paintings: stories, analyzes and masterpieces

Image étudiée : sans titre - Augustin Lesage
Augustin Lesage: artworks, symmetry and Spiritualist art
How should we look at Augustin Lesage’s paintings? Explore Spiritualist art, symmetry, imaginary architecture and the details of his works. Read more...
Magritte’s The Treachery of Images: why “This Is Not a Pipe”?
Why write “This Is Not a Pipe” beneath a painted pipe? Explore Magritte’s The Treachery of Images, the 1929 work at LACMA. Read more...
Magritte’s The False Mirror: what do we see in this eye?
An eye, a sky and a black pupil: explore Magritte’s The False Mirror and the questions this image raises about how we see. Read more...
Magritte’s The Lovers: the veil, the kiss and interpretations
What does the veil change in Magritte’s The Lovers? Explore the kiss, fabrics and setting while distinguishing observation from interpretation. Read more...
Magritte’s Empire of Light: why day and night coexist
How does Magritte bring day and night together? Explore The Empire of Light, its contrasts and the version held in Venice. Read more...
Image étudiée : Ménades - John Collier
John Collier’s Maenads: mythology, movement and composition
Who are John Collier’s Maenads? Explore the dance, gestures and landscape of this 1886 painting, with guidance for choosing a reproduction. Read more...
Premier Deuil - Bouguereau — analyse et composition
Bouguereau's First Mourning: characters, emotion and composition
Who are the characters in First Mourning? Discover Bouguereau's composition, the contrast of bodies and the landmarks for faithful reproduction. Read more...
Bacchus - Le Caravage — analyse et composition
Bacchus of Caravaggio: analysis, symbols and light
Look, cup of wine, fruit and light: a reading of Bacchus by Caravaggio, kept at the Uffizi, with the benchmarks for choosing its reproduction. Read more...
Odalisque au tambourin (Harmonie en bleu) - Henri Matisse — analyse et composition
Odalisque with Matisse's tambourine: Harmony analysis in blue
Discover Matisse's Harmony in Blue: the 1926 odalisque, its patterns, its red tambourine and the markers for choosing a reproduction. Read more...
Pallas Athena, formerly called Alexander the Great, attributed to Rembrandt and a pupil
Alexander the Great attributed to Rembrandt: armor, identity and debates
Long called Alexander the Great, this warrior is today identified as Pallas Athena and attributed to Rembrandt and a student. Investigation into armor and debates. Read more...
Juno by Rembrandt, a crowned goddess holding a sceptre beside a peacock
Juno of Rembrandt: attributes of the goddess, costume and attribution
Crown, scepter, peacock, fancy costume and late touch: an analysis by Juno de Rembrandt, between established facts and hypotheses about the model. Read more...
Ganymede in the Eagle’s Talons by Rembrandt, a terrified child carried off by Jupiter, 1635
Ganymede in the Eagle’s Talons by Rembrandt: fear, humor and myth
Rembrandt transforms Ganymede into a terrified child: analysis of the myth, the cry, the cherries, the urine, the eagle and the disturbing humor of the painting. Read more...
Bellona by Rembrandt: the goddess of war in armour, holding a shield, 1633
Bellona and Minerva at Rembrandt: women in armor and allegorical figures
Bellona and Minerva embody two forms of power in Rembrandt: visible warfare, strategic wisdom, armor, feminine attributes and identities. Read more...
Rembrandt, The Abduction of Proserpina, circa 1631, Gemäldegalerie, Berlin
The Abduction of Proserpina by Rembrandt: Movement, Violence and Myth
Around 1631, Rembrandt transformed Proserpina's kidnapping into a struggle of gestures, light and opposing forces. Complete analysis of the myth, the Berlin panel and its technique. Read more...
Rembrandt, Belshazzar’s Feast: a luminous inscription and banquet, circa 1636–1638
Rembrandt's Belshazzar’s Feast: analysis of inscription and light
Around 1636 -1638, Rembrandt transformed the apparition of "Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin" into a theater of light. Analysis of the inscription, the king, the sacred vases and the spilled wine. Read more...
Rembrandt, Titus van Rijn probably, absorbed in reading a book, circa 1656-1657
Portrait of Titus reading by Rembrandt: analysis of the son absorbed by his book
Around 1656 -1657, Rembrandt painted a young reader probably identified with his son Titus. Analysis of the lowered gaze, the book, the light and this scene of silent absorption. Read more...
Rembrandt, Portrait of a Woman Probably Maria Trip, 1639
Portrait of Maria Trip by Rembrandt: costume, jewelry and identity
Painted in 1639, the portrait probably identified with Maria Trip combines lace, pearls, jewelry and Chinese fan. An analysis of his costume, his presence and the uncertainty surrounding his identity. Read more...
Full-length portraits of Marten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit painted by Rembrandt in 1634
The portraits of Marten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit: analysis of the double portrait
Painted by Rembrandt in 1634, Marten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit form a unique monumental counterpart. Analysis of the couple, gestures, black costumes, light and their joint acquisition by the Louvre... Read more...
Rembrandt, Girl at the Window, 1645, Dulwich Picture Gallery
Young girl at Rembrandt's window: analysis of the gaze and trompe l'oeil
Why does this young girl painted in 1645 seem so alive? An analysis of the direct gaze, gesture, window sill, impasto and uncertain identity of the model. Read more...
Rembrandt, The Polish Rider, circa 1655, Frick Collection
Rembrandt's Polish Horseman: Identity, Attribution and Enigma
Who is the mysterious young armed horseman painted around 1655? A visual investigation into his costume, landscape, attribution history, and the assumptions surrounding this Frick Collection masterpiece. Read more...
Rembrandt, The Return of the Prodigal Son, father welcoming his kneeling son
The Return of Rembrandt's Prodigal Son: Analysis, Symbols and History
A father welcomes his son on his knees: complete analysis of Rembrandt's late masterpiece, its light, its symbols, its material and its history at the Hermitage. Read more...
Rembrandt richly dressed and leaning on a parapet in his Self-Portrait at the age of 34 in 1640
Self-portrait of Rembrandt from 1640: ambition and reference to the masters
Analysis of Rembrandt's Self-Portrait of 1640: parapet pose, Renaissance costume and references to Titian, Raphael and Dürer in the service of the painter's ambition. Read more...
Elderly Rembrandt, mouth half open, in the so-called Zeuxis self-portrait kept in Cologne
Self-portrait of Rembrandt as Zeuxis: laughter, old age and attribution
Does Rembrandt's famous laughing self-portrait really depict Zeuxis? Analysis of laughter, old age, matter and attributions proposed for the enigmatic Cologne painting. Read more...
Rembrandt standing at his easel with his mahlstick, a self-portrait from 1660 held at the Louvre
Self-portrait of Rembrandt on the easel: analysis of the artist at work
In the self-portrait of the Louvre from 1660, Rembrandt depicts himself standing in front of his easel. Analysis of the gaze, tools, light, material and ambition of the painter at... Read more...