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Painting story
Siegfried by Thomas Theodor Heine
A small pug on a huge red armchair, given the name of a legendary hero: Thomas Theodor Heine’s Siegfried, painted in 1921.
Painting Stories
The meaning and history of famous paintings: what they show, where the originals hang, and how each one is recreated by hand in oil on canvas.
Painting Analysis articles
Painting story
Sistine Madonna by Raphael
Mary steps towards us on the clouds between Saint Sixtus and Saint Barbara, with two famous little angels leaning on the ledge below.
Painting story
Daughters of Revolution
Discover the satire in Grant Wood’s Daughters of Revolution: three women, a teacup and Washington Crossing the Delaware in the background.
Painting story
Bathers at Asnieres by Georges Seurat
Young workers rest on the bank of the Seine, factory chimneys smoking behind them: Seurat’s first great canvas, rejected by the 1884 Salon.
Painting story
Nocturne in Black and Gold
Gold sparks drifting through night smoke over Cremorne Gardens: the painting Ruskin attacked, leading Whistler to sue him for libel.
Painting story
American Gothic
Meet the real models behind American Gothic, discover the pointed window and repeated pitchfork, and explore its ambiguous rural identity.
Painting story
The School of Athens
Follow Raphael’s philosophers through their gestures, books, geometry and solitude. Discover the Vatican fresco with six focused detail crops.
Painting story
A Sunday on La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat
Seurat’s still figures, parasols, monkey and painted border reveal more than a painting made of dots. Explore La Grande Jatte in close-up.
Painting story
A Bar at the Folies-Bergère
Explore Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergère: Suzon, the displaced mirror, bottles, oranges and modern Paris, with close-up painting details.
Painting story
La Grenouillere by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Parisians on a little island in the Seine, painted by Renoir beside Monet in the summer of 1869 as Impressionism took shape.
Painting story
Las Meninas
Enter Velázquez’s Las Meninas through the princess, hidden canvas, royal mirror and open doorway, with detail crops and Prado references.
Painting story
The Birth of Venus by Botticelli
Botticelli’s Venus arrives on a shell while the winds carry her towards a waiting cloak. Explore the figures, gestures and meaning of the Uffizi…
Painting story
Starry Night Over the Rhone by Vincent van Gogh
Discover Van Gogh’s 1888 river scene through stars, gaslight reflections and the walking couple, with the painter’s letters and detail crops.
Painting story
Whistler's Mother
Whistler's Mother, officially Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1: Portrait of the Painter's Mother, is an 1871 painting by James McNeill Whistler…
Painting story
The Hay Wain
Constable’s empty wagon, cottage, dog, haymakers and changing sky reveal a working landscape. Read The Hay Wain through genuine details.
Painting story
Venus of Urbino by Titian
Titian’s direct gaze, roses, sleeping dog and distant household scene connect desire with marriage. Explore Venus of Urbino through close-up details.
Painting story
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Who is Vermeer’s girl? Explore the turning head, painted pearl, blue headscarf and research findings through genuine close-up details.
Painting story
The Night Watch
Rembrandt’s militia portrait comes alive through a captain’s hand, a glowing girl, weapons and a drummer. Explore its details and later trimming.
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Curated collectionsOdyssey, Magic and Witchcraft, Famous Women, Landscapes and more.Artists A to ZEvery painter in the catalogue, with an archive of their works.Art movementsRenaissance to Expressionism: what defines each and who led it.Top 100 most famous paintingsThe ranked list, with the story behind every entry.
