Art history: artists, movements and museums

The Large Bathers by Renoir, painted between 1884 and 1887
Renoir as a Draughtsman: Drawings, Studies, Pastels and Working Methods
How Renoir moved from direct painting to preparatory drawings: pastel, watercolour, red chalk and studies for The Large Bathers. Read more...
The Art of Painting by Vermeer, workshop structured by geometric preparation
Was Vermeer drawing? Subdrawings, preparations and absence of known leaves
No stand-alone drawing is securely attributed to Vermeer, but imaging reveals outlines, painted sketches, underpainting and pentimenti. The article distinguishes the lack of documentary evidence from the physical evidence preserved... Read more...
Rembrandt, The Three Trees, etching from 1643
Rembrandt's drawn and engraved landscapes
Canals, mills, farms and trees: discover how Rembrandt observed the surroundings of Amsterdam and transformed his drawings into etchings. Read more...
The Mill, large landscape painted by Rembrandt around 1645-1648
Rembrandt's landscapes: paintings, drawings and etchings
From shadow-drenched mills to captured paths in a few strokes, Rembrandt transforms the Amsterdam countryside into a laboratory of light. This guide connects his rare paintings, walking drawings and etchings. Read more...
Saint Sebastian attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, drawing found in 2016
Saint Sebastian by Leonardo da Vinci: drawing found and attribution
Found in 2016 in a French collection, this double-sided drawing attributed to Leonardo combines the martyrdom of Saint Sebastian with optical studies. Discovery, expertise and legal battle. Read more...
Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man, analysis of the circle, square and proportions
Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man: Analysis, Proportions and Meaning
Complete analysis of Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man: two positions, distinct centers of the circle and square, body proportions, Vitruvian text, mirrored writing, meaning and preconceived ideas. Read more...
Female Friends or Water Serpents I by Gustav Klimt, vertical work on parchment
Water Serpents I: Drawing, Sensuality and the Aquatic World
Water Serpents I by Klimt: analysis of parchment, gold, the two figures, sensuality and differences with Water Serpents II. Read more...
Sorrow, a drawing of Sien Hoornik by Vincent van Gogh in The Hague in 1882
Sien Hoornik: model, companion and central figure of the Hague period
A documented biography of Sien Hoornik, Van Gogh’s companion and model in The Hague: Sorrow, motherhood, their life together, separation and archives. Read more...
Sorrow by Vincent van Gogh, Sien Hoornik in The Hague, 1882
Van Gogh in The Hague: Sien, Mauve and learning to draw
A documented analysis of Van Gogh in The Hague: Sien Hoornik, Anton Mauve, Sorrow, Scheveningen and learning to draw from 1881 to 1883. Read more...
Vincent van Gogh, Café Terrace at Night, pen drawing, 1888
Van Gogh's drawings: how line prepared the way for color
Why did Van Gogh draw so much? More than 1,100 drawings, the reed pen, hatching and the transition from line to colour explained. Read more...