Art history: artists, movements and museums

View of Delft by Vermeer and the search for Proust’s “little patch of yellow wall”
Vermeer's "little section of yellow wall": Proust's text, location and debate
Where is Proust's "little section of yellow wall" in View of Delft ? Sourced comparison of the roof, facades, tower, awning and pigments, without false consensus. Read more...
Gallery of old masters inspired by the Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum in Brunswick
Vermeer in Brunswick: Girl with a Glass of Wine at the Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum
Discover Vermeer's The Girl with a Glass of Wine in Brunswick: analysis, symbols, collection and tour at the Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum. Read more...
Neoclassical room inspired by Kenwood House for an article on Vermeer's The Guitar Player
Vermeer at Kenwood House: The Guitar Player and the Collection
Discover Vermeer's Guitar Player at Kenwood House: analysis of details, history of the Iveagh Bequest and recommended tour route. Read more...
Vermeer's Allegory of the Catholic Faith, complete picture and religious symbols
Vermeer's Allegory of the Catholic Faith: Symbols, Religion and Interpretation
Complete analysis of Vermeer's The Allegory of the Catholic Faith: sphere, globe, serpent, mass, Catholicism in Delft and interpretations. Read more...
Christ in the House of Martha and Mary by Vermeer, circa 1654–1655, National Galleries of Scotland
Christ in the house of Martha and Mary: the great painting religious of Vermeer
Vermeer's greatest painting is also his only known biblical scene. Analyze Martha, Mary, the gesture of Christ, the bread, the light and the hypotheses surrounding this youthful work. Read more...
Diana and Her Companions by Johannes Vermeer, circa 1653–1654
Diane and her companions by Vermeer: first period, restoration and attribution
Analysis of Diane and her companions by Vermeer: myth, first period, false blue sky, restoration, reframing, signature and attribution to the artist. Read more...
The Procuress by Johannes Vermeer, 1656
Vermeer's The Procuress: analysis, supposed self-portrait and brothel scene
Analysis of Vermeer's The Procuress: transaction, characters, supposed self-portrait, wine, carpet, Caravaggesque influences and visit to Dresden. Read more...
A Maid Asleep by Johannes Vermeer, circa 1656–1657, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Vermeer's Sleeping Handmaid: Analysis, Objects, Desire and Repentance
A dozing servant, wine, fruit and a self-effacing visitor: discover how Vermeer transforms a moral scene into an enigma of desire, light and possible repentance. Read more...
Young Woman Seated at a Virginal by Vermeer, a work in The Leiden Collection
Young Woman Sitting at the Virginal of the Leiden Collection: Attribution and History
Discover how the Young Woman Sitting at the Virginal was attributed to Vermeer: controversies, scientific analyses, restoration and history up to the Leiden Collection. Read more...
Young Woman Standing at the Virginal by Johannes Vermeer, circa 1670 -1672
Young Woman standing at Vermeer's virginal: analysis, Cupid and fidelity
Analysis of the Young Woman Standing at Vermeer's Virginal: Cupid, fidelity, music, light, perspective, comparison and advice for seeing the work in London. Read more...
Girl with the Red Hat by Vermeer, circa 1669, National Gallery of Art
The Girl in the Red Hat by Vermeer: analysis, attribution and technique
A scarlet hat, a face bathed in light and a long-discussed attribution: discover how scientific study reveals Vermeer's process, the portrait hidden under the panel and the difference with the... Read more...
Study of a Young Woman by Vermeer: portrait or tronie?
Study of a Young Woman by Vermeer: portrait, tronie and comparison with The Girl with a Pearl Earring
Portrait or tronie? Analysis of the face, gaze, fabrics and light in Study of a Young Woman, compared to The Girl with a Pearl Earring. Read more...
Mistress and Maid by Vermeer: a letter and suspense
Vermeer's Mistress and Servant: Analysis of Letter and Suspense
A letter interrupts writing and suspends time. Analysis of gestures, looks, social relationships and the dark background in Vermeer's Mistress and Maid. Read more...
Johannes Vermeer's Glass of Wine, seduction scene and stained glass window
Vermeer's Glass of Wine: analysis, seduction, stained glass and morality
In The Glass of Wine, Vermeer transforms a court scene into a moral enigma. Analysis of gesture, stained glass of Temperance, light and signs of seduction. Read more...
The Milkmaid by Johannes Vermeer, pouring milk in a bright kitchen
Vermeer's Milkmaid: analysis, symbols, technique and history of painting
Complete analysis of Vermeer's Milkmaid: scene, light, colors, symbols, technique, scientific discoveries and history of the Rijksmuseum masterpiece. Read more...
Caravaggio, The Calling of Saint Matthew: a beam of light crossing a dark room
Rembrandt and Caravaggio: two masters of chiaroscuro compared
Caravaggio cuts through the night; Rembrandt lets light inhabit faces. A visual comparison of their works, techniques and ways of telling stories. Read more...
Adam and Eve by Rembrandt, etching from 1638
Adam and Eve by Rembrandt: analysis of etching and the non-idealized couple
Analysis of Rembrandt's Adam and Eve etching (1638): non-idealized couple, gestures, serpent-dragon, elephant and comparison with Dürer. Read more...
Jesus Driving the Merchants from the Temple by Rembrandt, 1626
Jesus chasing the merchants from the Temple of Rembrandt: youth and movement
Analysis of Jesus chasing the merchants from the Temple, painted by the young Rembrandt in 1626: composition, gestures, chiaroscuro and works by Leiden. Read more...
Rembrandt, Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery, 1644, National Gallery, London
Christ and the Adulterous Woman by Rembrandt: analysis of light and the crowd
A complete analysis of Christ and the adulterous woman painted by Rembrandt in 1644: biblical story, chiaroscuro, crowd, architecture of the Temple, provenance and reproduction. Read more...
Rembrandt, The Adoration of the Shepherds, 1646, Alte Pinakothek
The Adoration of the Shepherds of Rembrandt: night, light and devotion
Analysis of Rembrandt's The Adoration of the Shepherds: Munich version, workshop variant in London, chiaroscuro, etchings and night light. Read more...
The Holy Family at Night, workshop of Rembrandt, circa 1642–1648, Rijksmuseum
The Holy Family in the evening (Rembrandt's workshop): intimacy, light and daily life
Analysis of The Holy Family in the Evening: attribution to Rembrandt's workshop, domestic scene, candlelight, characters and comparison of versions from the 1640s. Read more...
Rembrandt, Self-portrait, 1658, Frick Collection
Rembrandt's self-portraits: chronology, analysis and evolution of the face
Follow forty years of Rembrandt's self-portraits: experimental youth, social affirmation, artist at work and the last faces shaped by the material. Read more...
Frans Banninck Cocq and Willem van Ruytenburch in The Night Watch
The characters of The Night Watch: who is who in the painting?
Who are the characters in The Night Watch? Identify the captain, the lieutenant, the ensign bearer, the young girl and the eighteen names in the cartouche. Read more...
The Rembrandt Night Watch: company of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq getting underway
What does La Ronde de nuit represent? Subject, company and action
This is neither a night patrol nor a battle. Rembrandt shows Captain Frans Banninck Cocq's company as she gathers and is ordered to set out. Read more...