zondag 20 november 2016

EVELYN DE MORGAN

Mary Evelyn De Morgan, née Pickering, was a late-Victorian artist who lived and worked in a period marked by cataclysmic changes. Born mid-century in an England ruled over by Queen Victoria, she lived to see a series of changes climaxing in 1914 with the collapse of established world order. It was amidst this atmosphere of increasing uncertainty and anxiety that De Morgan came to maturity and developed her personal and artistic philosophies. Throughout her career as a painter, she used literary allusion and allegory to express her strongly held views on contemporary spiritual, social and moral issues.
Despite initial parental disapproval of her chosen career, Evelyn was a privileged woman. She enjoyed an upper-class lifestyle in London; excellent home education; instruction at the South Kensington National Art Training School (1872) and at the Slade School of Art (1873-76) under Edward J. Poynter. She had the artistic as well as moral support of her uncle, the Pre-Raphaelite painter John Roddam Spencer Stanhope (1829-1908). These advantages, when combined with Evelyn’s prodigious talent and early decision to devote her life to art, moulded a temperament that was confident and not easily deterred by obstacles such as familial apathy, the condescension of male artists and critics, and lack of robust patronage.
After leaving the Slade to pursue an independent course of study in Italy, she returned to London to begin her career as an active painter and exhibitor. Evelyn first exhibited her work at the Dudley Gallery in 1876 with her painting St. Catherine of Alexandria (1873/5). Following this, she was one of the few female artists invited to be an exhibitor at the new Grosvenor Gallery in 1877 where her painting Ariadne in Naxos (1877) was displayed in the company of works by Spencer Stanhope, Edward Burne-Jones and George Frederick Watts.
In the early 1880s, Evelyn moved her studio from her family home in Bryanston Square to the popular Trafalgar Studios in Manresa Road, Chelsea. During this period, she lived as a professional artist in London with periodic trips to Italy where she would absorb the influences of the early Italian masters. While it is likely that she spent much of this period of her life perfecting her craft, she also took an active part in the artistic/social scene of the day. With friends such as Violet Paget, Emily Susan Ford, Margaret Burne-Jones and Mary De Morgan, she attended the theatre, Royal Academy openings and art studio open-house events.
Some time during the mid 1880s she met the ceramic designer William De Morgan (1839-1917) and his family. This introduction to the bohemian and intellectual De Morgan family was clearly a turning point in her life. Her future mother-in-law, the spiritualist and social activist Sophia Frend De Morgan (1809-1892) became her informal mentor, helping to further develop the younger woman’s interest in spiritualist practices and in social reform.
In 1887 Evelyn married William De Morgan. Despite the age difference theirs was a harmonious and mutually supportive marriage. In addition to their artistic pursuits, they shared a well-documented sense of humour and an idealistic spirit. Their mutual interests included social reform, spiritualism and music. Evelyn provided financial and moral support for her husband’s pottery business, which though successful required much capital.
From the early 1890s, in the interest of William’s health, Evelyn enthusiastically accompanied him on extended stays to Florence every winter. As fellow artists, they led an idyllic life in Italy: Evelyn created her pictures, while William worked on his ceramic designs with the Italian painters he had hired. The De Morgans spent their weekends in the hills above Florence, at the sumptuous Bellosguardo villa where Spencer Stanhope had made his permanent home.
Though she continued to exhibit, and cultivate patrons, Evelyn’s distance from the London art scene, along with a certain personal reticence, cost her greater critical acclaim. On the other hand, it provided a crucible for the development of intellectual and spiritual ideas that found expression in some of her most accomplished paintings.
During her lifetime Evelyn De Morgan produced approximately 102 oil paintings and over 300 drawings. At first glance, works like Flora (1894), Cadmus and Harmonia (1877), Eos (1895) and Night and Sleep (1878) appear to be that of a typical mid-century literary painter influenced by the work of Spencer Stanhope, Watts and Burne-Jones. Consequently, this was the way in which most contemporary critics assessed her paintings: Many do reflect the usual conventions and literary subjects of late Victorian art with its Pre-Raphaelite traces and neo-classical tendencies. However, looking closer, one discovers Symbolist works that employ the language of Christian allegory to reveal the artist’s engagement with the contemporary issues of her time. These works may be divided into three categories: spiritualist allegories, depictions of sacred heroines, and war paintings.
Because she was a spiritualist who practiced automatic writing with William, many of Evelyn’s paintings are visual representations of the Swedenborgian notion of spiritual evolution and of a strong belief in the afterlife. Pictures that belong in this category are: The Angel of Death Iand II (1880; 1890), The Kingdom of Heaven Suffereth Violence and the Violent Take It By Force (s.d.), The Light Shineth in Darkness and the Darkness Comprehendeth It Not (1906), The Passing of the Soul At Death (s.d.), and The Valley of Shadows (1899). The ideas expressed in these paintings find parallel correspondence with the text of the De Morgans' spiritualist writings, which they published anonymously in 1909 as The Result of An Experiment.
Because of the nexus between spiritualism and feminism during the late Victorian era, Evelyn, like her fellow female artists, sought new heroines with which to construct her own images of Victorian womanhood. Hence, she painted portraits of strong-minded biblical and classical women such as Ruth and Naomi, the Virgin Mary, Medea, Ariadne, Cassandra and Helen of Troy. In addition to these portrayals, Evelyn sought a new heroic female type, which could embody spiritual empowerment. As a result, she discovered the early Christian saints, especially virgin martyrs, drawn from books such as Anna Brownell Jameson’s The Poetry of Sacred and Legendary Art (1848-1864). For Evelyn, who had struggled to overcome the limitations of gender and class to find fulfillment, the figure of the female martyr seems to have become a particularly apt symbol of feminine spiritual power and social responsibility. Consequently, she created paintings such as St. Catherine of AlexandriaA Christian Martyr(s.d.), and St. Christina Giving Her Father’s Jewels to the Poor (1904), which tell stories of heroic female resistance, struggle and triumph. Evelyn was not content to merely illustrate the lives of the saints: Using the virgin-martyr as a kind of personal icon for spiritual and artistic freedom, she devised other more personally expressive allegories such as The World’s Wealth (1896), The Thorny Path (1897), and The Gilded Cage (s.d.), which feature women at moments of existential crisis.
In 1914, as war approached, Evelyn and William De Morgan left Italy for the last time and returned to Chelsea to live and work. The Great War of 1914-1918 unnerved both these idealists, whose lives had been devoted to art and beauty. Despite her horror of war, Evelyn did not shrink from recording her response. Again she used the language of Christian allegory to paint pictures representing violence, pain, loss and, finally, redemption. In 1916, her last exhibition was held at her Chelsea studio. It included works such as S.O.S (s.d.), 1914(1914), The Field of the Slain (s.d.) and The Red Cross (s.d.) and was organized for the benefit of the British and Italian Red Cross.
William De Morgan died, probably of influenza, in 1917. Evelyn lived on until 1919, painting and attending to William’s artistic legacy. She lived to see the end of the war, but not the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.



William and Evelyn DeMorgan

The De Morgans

" It is indeed unusual to find two people so gifted, so entirely in harmony in their art, who acted and reacted on each other's genius. Their romance is one before which the pen falters..."  said an old friend of the De Morgans’.
William (1839-1917) and Evelyn (1855-1919) De Morgan were both highly respected artists in their own right. They married in 1887 and together they became involved in many of the leading issues of the day including prison reform, pacifism and spiritualism.
Spiritualism was a popular preoccupation of the upper-middle classes during the mid-nineteenth century and many influential figures of the art world, including G.F. Watts and John Ruskin, became interested. William De Morgan's mother, Sophia, was heavily involved within the movement and her published book From Matter to Spirit, became a standard work on the subject. William and Evelyn were heavily influenced by Sophia and this interest in spiritualism is profoundly apparent in Evelyn's later works. After their marriage Evelyn and William embarked on a long-term collaborative experiment with automatic writing. The result was a series of metaphorical and spiritual transcripts which they eventually published anonymously in 1909 under the title The Result of an Experiment. A copy of this work is in the British Library. 
Together they were also involved with the Suffragette movement. Evelyn was a signatory for the "Declaration in Favour of Women's Suffrage" in 1889 and William showed his support by serving as Vice President of the "Men's League for Women's Suffrage" in 1913.
They were described by Sir Edward Poynter (President of the Royal Academy) as "...two of the rarest spirits of the Age."



Mercury, deMorgan






Earthbound, Evelyn De Morgan






Clytie, Evelyn De Morgan



The Crown of Glory, Evelyn De Morgan



Eos, Evelyn De Morgan



S O S, Evelyn De Morgan



The Angel of Death, Evelyn de Morgan



An Angel Piping to the Souls in Hell, Evelyn De Morgan



The Sea Maidens, Evelyn De Morgan



Mourning, Evelyn De Morgan



Loves Passing, Evelyn De Morgan



Luna, Evelyn De Morgan



Phosphorus and Hesperus, Evelyn De Morgan



Boreas and Orietyia, Evelyn De Morgan



Cadmus and Harmonia, Evelyn De Morgan









Dryad, Evelyn De Morgan



Queen Eleanor and Fair Rosamund, Evelyn de Morgan



Deiandra




The Angel with the Serpen, t



Cassandra, Evelyn De Morgan



Night and Sleep, Evelyn De Morgan










Hero Awaiting the Return of Leander



Study of a head (pastel on paper)



Study of Feet (pastel on paper)



Drapery Study for the figure of eternal youth from 'The Hour Glass'



The Poor Man who Saved the City



Evelyn De Morgan




The distinctive headstone, with its two figures, was designed by Evelyn after her husband's death in 1917. It was carved by Sir George Frampton.




Portrait of William De Morgan holding lustre vase (1909), Evelyn De Morgan 


vrijdag 8 juli 2016

BOOKS AND ART

The Love Letter. Jan Adam Jansz. Kruseman (Dutch, 1804-1862). Oil on canvas.
Kruseman created over 500 portraits, mostly of the nobility and wealthy burghers. His portraits are notable for their lack of idealization and attention to details of...
The Love Letter. Jan Adam Jansz. Kruseman (Dutch, 1804-1862). Oil on canvas.



Woman Reading (1876). Giovanni Boldini (Italian, 1842-1931). Tempera on canvas.
Boldini’s paintings showed his subject in soft-focus, elongated, in movement, alive, and sophisticated. The brush work on his paintings was swift and bold. It is the...
Woman Reading (1876). Giovanni Boldini (Italian, 1842-1931). Tempera on canvas.


Fatima di Smirne (1843). Ippolito Caffi (Italian, 1809-1866). Oil on canvas.
This work comes very close to a painting of 1839 by the Austrian Biedermeier painter Friedrich von Amerling. It is possible that Caffi was copying Amerling directly or that...
Fatima di Smirne (1843). Ippolito Caffi (Italian, 1809-1866). Oil on canvas.



Young woman leaning on a book, detail (1784). Anne Vallayer-Coster (French, 1744-1818).
Vallayer-Coster received early recognition of her career after being elected as an associate and a full member of the Royal Académie in 1770. She was exceptional...
Young woman leaning on a book, detail (1784). Anne Vallayer-Coster (French, 1744-1818). 



A Young Lady Reading in an Interior. George Goodwin Kilburne (English, 1839-1924). Pencil and watercolour.
Kilburne worked in both oil and watercolour to produce highly detailed scenes of historical and contemporary genre. These became particularly...
A Young Lady Reading in an Interior. George Goodwin Kilburne (English, 1839-1924). Pencil and watercolour.



The Actress Josepha Hortensia Füger, the Artist´s Wife (c.1797). Friedrich Heinrich Füger (German, 1751-1818). Oil on canvas. Belvedere, Vienna.
Clearly visible in Füger’s work is the continuing legacy of the Baroque period, but also the pursuit of...
The Actress Josepha Hortensia Füger, the Artist´s Wife (c.1797). Friedrich Heinrich Füger (German, 1751-1818). Oil on canvas. Belvedere, Vienna.



The Awakening. Aimée Pagès (French, 1803-1866). Oil on canvas.
Pagès’ participation to Salons show quite clearly of her ambition exceeding the status of an amanuensis, the role usually devoted to women. She exhibited in the Salons under her maiden...
The Awakening. Aimée Pagès (French, 1803-1866). Oil on canvas. 


Admiring a Portfolio (c.1883). James Jacques Joseph Tissot (French, 1836-1902). Pastel on linen.
Shows Tissot’s skill at using pastel, and his ability to capture subtle qualities of light and shade. The main light source is behind the sitter,...
Admiring a Portfolio (c.1883). James Jacques Joseph Tissot (French, 1836-1902). Pastel on linen.



Forbidden Fruit (1889). George Agnew Reid (Canadian, 1860-1947). Oil on canvas.
Forbidden Fruit was inspired by Reid’s childhood on the farm, and his father forbidding him to read Arabian Nights. A boy is totally absorbed in a book. One hand holds a...
Forbidden Fruit (1889). George Agnew Reid (Canadian, 1860-1947). Oil on canvas.



The Comtesse d'Estrades (18th century). Antoine Vestier (French, 1740-1824). Oil on canvas. The Norton Simon Foundation.
Comtesse d'Estrades is portrayed holding a book that she has been reading. She wears a casual at-home dress with a fur-trimmed...
The Comtesse d'Estrades (18th century). Antoine Vestier (French, 1740-1824). Oil on canvas. The Norton Simon Foundation.




La Comtesse Marie (1888). Léopold Graf von Kalckreuth (German, 1855-1928). Oil on canvas. Musée d'art moderne et contemporain de Strasbourg.
Although he painted some portraits remarkable for their power of expression, he devoted himself principally...
La Comtesse Marie (1888). Léopold Graf von Kalckreuth (German, 1855-1928). Oil on canvas. Musée d'art moderne et contemporain de Strasbourg. 



The Afternoon Rest. John Morgan (British, 1823-1886). Oil on canvas.
Morgan, a skilled painter of crowd scenes, takes on an individual at peace. The lady is reading, about to turn to a new page, when she looks off to her left. The soft, blue cushion...
The Afternoon Rest. John Morgan (British, 1823-1886). Oil on canvas.




Standing woman, reading under a tree. René de Groux (Belgian, 1888-1953). Oil on canvas.
“Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience. This is the ideal life.” -Mark Twain
Standing woman, reading under a tree. René de Groux (Belgian, 1888-1953). Oil on canvas.



Young Woman Reading an Illustrated Journal (c.1880). Pierre-Auguste Renoir (French, 1841-1919). Oil on canvas. RISD Museum.
Renoir’s painting of a young woman studying a fashion journal was a true scene from modern life. His model was Aline Charigot,...
Young Woman Reading an Illustrated Journal (c.1880). Pierre-Auguste Renoir (French, 1841-1919). Oil on canvas. RISD Museum.



Interior, woman reading. Atanasije Popovic (Bosnian, 1885-1948).
In addition to religious themes, he painted portraits, and Herzegovina, Dalmatian and Bosnian landscapes and still lifes. The earliest works reveal the influence of the Viennese...
Interior, woman reading. Atanasije Popovic (Bosnian, 1885-1948).



St John the Evangelist (1635-1636). Francesco Furini (Italian, 1603-1646). Oil on canvas. Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lyon.
A young boy sits at his desk. Although no traditional attribute (halo, eagle) identifies the youngest of Christ’s apostles, some...
St John the Evangelist (1635-1636). Francesco Furini (Italian, 1603-1646). Oil on canvas. Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lyon.


Three reading women in a summer landscape (1908). Johan Krouthén (Swedish, 1858-1932). Oil on canvas.
In 1909 Krouthén moved to Stockholm with his family, acquiring a studio at Valhallavägen. He was not particularly interested in contemporary art,...
Three reading women in a summer landscape (1908). Johan Krouthén (Swedish, 1858-1932). Oil on canvas.


Afternoon in the Cluny Garden, Paris (1889). Charles Courtney Curran (American, 1861-1942). Oil on wood panel. De Young.
The painting beautifully captures the intense light of a summer afternoon. The rich greens are complexly rendered in sun and...
Afternoon in the Cluny Garden, Paris (1889). Charles Courtney Curran (American, 1861-1942). Oil on wood panel. De Young.



Læsende lille pige - A little girl reading (1900). Johan Gudmundsen-Holmgreen (Danish, 1858-1912). Oil on canvas.
A writer only begins a book, it is the reader who completes it; for the reader takes up where the writer left off as new thoughts stir...
Læsende lille pige - A little girl reading (1900). Johan Gudmundsen-Holmgreen (Danish, 1858-1912). Oil on canvas.







By the sea. Victor Fontaine (Belgian, 1837-1884). Oil on canvas.
“Look at that sea, girls–all silver and shadow and vision of things not seen. We couldn’t enjoy its loveliness any more if we had millions of dollars and ropes of diamonds.” ― L.M....
By the sea. Victor Fontaine (Belgian, 1837-1884). Oil on canvas.






Mrs Peter de Wint. Peter de Wint (English, 1784-1849). Oil on canvas. Usher Gallery.
Harriet, shown here with open book in hand, met her husband through her brother, William Hilton, de Wint’s best friend. Her own life was given over to supporting and...
Mrs Peter de Wint. Peter de Wint (English, 1784-1849). Oil on canvas. Usher Gallery.





Children Reading (second half 1800s). Hugo Salmson (Swedish, 1843-1894). Oil on canvas. Göteborgs Konstmuseum.
In France Salmson was impressed by contemporary French art and began performing open-air studies. Influenced by Jules Bastien-Lepage, Jules...

Children Reading (second half 1800s). Hugo Salmson (Swedish, 1843-1894). Oil on canvas. Göteborgs Konstmuseum.



Mädchen mit Goldhaube und Gebetsbuch. Hans Hamza (Austrian, 1879-1945). Oil on wood.
Hamza depicts the woman reading a prayer book and wearing a Goldhaube. Goldhaube is an umbrella term for various hoods worn by women in southern Germany and in...
Mädchen mit Goldhaube und Gebetsbuch. Hans Hamza (Austrian, 1879-1945). Oil on wood.



In a Pine Wood. Study (1863). Christen Dalsgaard (Danish, 1824-1907). Oil on canvas. The Hirschsprung Collection.
Dalsgaard began his art studies at the Royal Danish Academy of Art in October 1841. Home during the summer and holidays, he busied...
In a Pine Wood. Study (1863). Christen Dalsgaard (Danish, 1824-1907). Oil on canvas. The Hirschsprung Collection.



Portrait of a Woman (c.1824). Józef Oleszkiewicz (Polish-Lithuanian, 1777-1830). Oil on canvas. National Museum, Warsaw.
Oleszkiewicz, known for his portraits, here depicts a lady posing for the painter while holding a book, partially open, to...
Portrait of a Woman (c.1824). Józef Oleszkiewicz (Polish-Lithuanian, 1777-1830). Oil on canvas. National Museum, Warsaw.



The Sisters Arntzenius (1895). Willem Bastiaan Tholen (Dutch, 1860-1931). Oil on canvas. Museum Gouda.
Tholen depicts both Dora (left) and Elisabeth (right) while they are engrossed in reading, seated on a chaise lounge. Tholen drew and painted the...
The Sisters Arntzenius (1895). Willem Bastiaan Tholen (Dutch, 1860-1931). Oil on canvas. Museum Gouda.



An Afternoon’s Delight. Leopold Carl Müller (German, 1834-1892). Oil on canvas.
From at least 1877, Müller and Gérôme had shared the same dealer in London, Henry Wallis, and had exhibited paintings at his French Gallery in the Pall Mall. Müller’s...
An Afternoon’s Delight. Leopold Carl Müller (German, 1834-1892). Oil on canvas.



The evening hour (1877). George Hardy (British, 1822-1909). Oil on panel.
Original letter dated 23rd August 1877 attached to the reverse of the panel. The letter is sent from Rose Cottage, Cranbrook to William Evans Esq. and reads ‘My dear Sir/I beg...
The evening hour (1877). George Hardy (British, 1822-1909). Oil on panel.



The Hon. Mrs E. Mills (1845). Fancourt. Oil on canvas. Colchester and Ipswich Museums Service.
The artist known only as Fancourt displays an artistic talent which suggests that there are other works by the artist, perhaps in museums, and that...
The Hon. Mrs E. Mills (1845). Fancourt. Oil on canvas. Colchester and Ipswich Museums Service.





Portrait of a Lady (1877). Henriette Browne (French, 1829-1901). Oil on canvas.
Sophie de Bouteiller, better known by the pseudonym Henriette Browne, studied under Charles Joshua Chaplin beginning in 1851. In this work, the lady is dressed in white...
Portrait of a Lady (1877). Henriette Browne (French, 1829-1901). Oil on canvas.



Two children reading in an interior (1855). Théophile-Emmanuel Duverger (French, 1821-c.1901). Oil on panel.
Duverger skipped the formal training taking by many of his contemporary artists who also found success at the Parisian Salon. Instead,...
Two children reading in an interior (1855). Théophile-Emmanuel Duverger (French, 1821-c.1901). Oil on panel.




Portrait of Petronella Boogaart (1679). Jan Verkolje (Dutch, 1650-1693). Oil on canvas. Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem.
At a young age, Verkolje took up painting in oils, and copied the works of Gerard van Zyl, also known as Gerards. He became so good at...
Portrait of Petronella Boogaart (1679). Jan Verkolje (Dutch, 1650-1693). Oil on canvas. Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem.


Portrait of a Young Lady (c.1620-1621). Simon Vouet (French, 1590-1649). Oil on canvas. Pinacoteca Brera.
Recalled to France by Louis XIII, Vouet dominated Paris, painting altarpieces and religious works for churches and illusionistic decorations for...
Portrait of a Young Lady (c.1620-1621). Simon Vouet (French, 1590-1649). Oil on canvas. Pinacoteca Brera.



Chlorosis (c.1899). Sebastià Junyent (Spanish, 1865-1908). Oil on canvas. Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya.
Chlorosis is anemia caused by iron deficiency, especially in adolescent girls, causing a pale, faintly greenish complexion. It was a common...
Chlorosis (c.1899). Sebastià Junyent (Spanish, 1865-1908). Oil on canvas. Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya.



Young Woman at a Cradle (1652-1662). Nicolaes Maes (Dutch, 1634-1693). Oil on canvas. Rijksmuseum.
The young mother carefully lifts the cloth cover at the crib to check that her child is still asleep, so that she may read her book a little longer....
Young Woman at a Cradle (1652-1662). Nicolaes Maes (Dutch, 1634-1693). Oil on canvas. Rijksmuseum.



Idle Moments. Gustave Léonhard de Jonghe (Belgian, 1829-1893). Oil on panel.
Specializing in portraits, historical genre and family scenes, De Jongue presented often at the Salon, featuring bourgeois families in luxury interiors. Throughout his...
Idle Moments. Gustave Léonhard de Jonghe (Belgian, 1829-1893). Oil on panel.



Mother and Child (1622). Pieter de Grebber (Dutch, c.1600–1652/1653). Oil on panel. Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem.
The picture is considered to be a representation of “caritas” or charity, generally portrayed as a woman with a bared breast surrounded by...
Mother and Child (1622). Pieter de Grebber (Dutch, c.1600–1652/1653). Oil on panel. Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem.



Woman in Red Dress (c.1940s). Elbert McGran Jackson (American, 1896-1962). Original art for a painted illustration for an unidentified magazine.
Jackson had a special flair for posing and painting women to make them seductively glamorous, and his...
Woman in Red Dress (c.1940s). Elbert McGran Jackson (American, 1896-1962). Original art for a painted illustration for an unidentified magazine.



Meditation (1913). Edgard Maxence (French, 1871-1954). Watercolor and gouache hightlights.
Maxence has specialized in the evocation of past ages, ages of piety, resignation, and hope. The ancient adjustments are familiar, the top hennins prepared,...
Meditation (1913). Edgard Maxence (French, 1871-1954). Watercolor and gouache hightlights.




Novel·la romàntica (1894). Santiago Rusiñol (Spanish, 1861-1931). Oil on canvas. Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Barcelona.
Often cited as a model of female iconography and modern reading, Novel·la romàntica was considered by Rusiñol to be one of...
Novel·la romàntica (1894). Santiago Rusiñol (Spanish, 1861-1931). Oil on canvas. Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Barcelona.





New Fairy Tale (1891). Nikolay Bogdanov-Belsky (Russian 1868-1945). Oil on canvas. National Arts Museum of the Republic of Belarus.
Bogdanov-Belsky was fascinated by the activities of children. Here, the group of four read aloud and listen to the new...
New Fairy Tale (1891). Nikolay Bogdanov-Belsky (Russian 1868-1945). Oil on canvas. National Arts Museum of the Republic of Belarus.




The Penitent Mary Magdalene (1576-1577). El Greco [Doménikos Theotokópoulos] (Greek, 1541-1614). Oil on canvas. Szépművészeti Múzeum, Budapest.
Greco condensed Mary Magdalene’s story into the single moment of ecstasy: the moment when she, meditating...
The Penitent Mary Magdalene (1576-1577). El Greco [Doménikos Theotokópoulos] (Greek, 1541-1614). Oil on canvas. Szépművészeti Múzeum, Budapest.



La lettura. Antonio Mancini (Italian 1852-1930).
Mancini worked at the forefront of Verismo, an indigenous Italian response to nineteenth-century realism. The artist John Singer Sargent, who famously declared Mancini to be the greatest living...
La lettura. Antonio Mancini (Italian 1852-1930).




A woman reading in a garden (c.1900). Harold C. Harvey (British, 1874-1941). Oil on canvas.
The setting of this picture is Laura and Harold Knight’s cottage at Oakhill, Lamorna Gate. Harvey, along with Laura and Harold Knight, and Dod and Ernest...

A woman reading in a garden (c.1900). Harold C. Harvey (British, 1874-1941). Oil on canvas.



Laura reading (1885). Walter Crane, R.W.S. (English, 1845-1915). Oil on canvas.
Laura was a young woman for whom the poet Petrarch (1304-1374) nursed an unrequited passion. When Laura showed no sign of returning his ardour, he retired to Vaucluse...
Laura reading (1885). Walter Crane, R.W.S. (English, 1845-1915). Oil on canvas.



Reading by the Sea (c.1910). Vittorio Corcos (Italian, 1859-1933).Oil on canvas.
The innocuously titled but broodingly sensual work shows that Corcos, who painted many conventional portraits, also produced some genuinely idiosyncratic images. Painted...
Reading by the Sea (c.1910). Vittorio Corcos (Italian, 1859-1933).Oil on canvas.



Portrait of British cavalry officer’s wife, three quarter length seated, wearing a green dress, holding a book with a view of Florence in the background (1826). Giuseppe Bezzuoli (Italian, 1784-1855). Oil on canvas.
Paired with Portrait of a British...
Portrait of British cavalry officer’s wife, three quarter length seated, wearing a green dress, holding a book with a view of Florence in the background (1826). Giuseppe Bezzuoli (Italian, 1784-1855). Oil on canvas.


Dis-Moi? [The Lesson] (1895). Laura Muntz Lyall (Canadian, 1860-1930). Oil on canvas. University of Lethbridge Art Gallery.
The painting can be classified as juste milieu in style, rather than either impressionistic or academic. Dis-Moi? has solidly...
Dis-Moi? [The Lesson] (1895). Laura Muntz Lyall (Canadian, 1860-1930). Oil on canvas. University of Lethbridge Art Gallery.



Legende Doree from L'Estampe Moderne (1897). Armand Point (French, 1861-1932). Lithograph.
Two young women in Medieval attire are reading an illuminated manuscript book and casually observing Mount Etna erupting in the background. The lithograph is a...
Legende Doree from L'Estampe Moderne (1897). Armand Point (French, 1861-1932). Lithograph.



Model Resting. Robert Sivell (British, 1888-1958). Oil on canvas. Gracefield Arts Centre.
Together with James Cowie and Archibald McGlashan he was a founding member of the Glasgow Society of Artists and Sculptors in 1919. Their exhibitions took place...
Model Resting. Robert Sivell (British, 1888-1958). Oil on canvas. Gracefield Arts Centre.



Portrait of Two Girls (Misses Cumberland) (c.1772-73). George Romney (English, 1734-1802). Oil on canvas. MFA, Boston.
Richard Cumberland’s daughters read his latest play, The Fashionable Lover. Romney constructs an affectionate and subtle narrative...
Portrait of Two Girls (Misses Cumberland) (c.1772-73). George Romney (English, 1734-1802). Oil on canvas. MFA, Boston.



Girl Reading. Luigi Amato (Italian,1898-1961).
“When the Day of Judgment dawns and people, great and small, come marching in to receive their heavenly rewards, the Almighty will gaze upon the mere bookworms and say to Peter, “Look, these need no...
Girl Reading. Luigi Amato (Italian,1898-1961).



The Lesson. William Oliver II (British, 1823-1901). Oil on canvas. Sheffield City Art Galleries.
Oliver often painted female figures depicting the British Victorian era. Here, the student is distracted from her reading by something more interesting...
The Lesson. William Oliver II (British, 1823-1901). Oil on canvas. Sheffield City Art Galleries.



Young girl reading (1886). Pierre-Auguste Renoir (French, 1884-1919). Oil on canvas. Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
The works of Renoir’s early maturity were typically Impressionist snapshots of real life, full of sparkling...
Young girl reading (1886). Pierre-Auguste Renoir (French, 1884-1919). Oil on canvas. Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.



Suzanne Curchod (c.1761). Jean-Etienne Liotard (Swiss, 1702-1789). Pastel in four sheets of vellum.
This portrait depicts Curchod who appears to have been interrupted in her reading, as she looks towards someone outside the limits of the portrait....
Suzanne Curchod (c.1761). Jean-Etienne Liotard (Swiss, 1702-1789). Pastel in four sheets of vellum.



The Reader. Félicie (Fournier) Schneider (French, 1831-1888). Oil on canvas.
Schneider, an Academic painter, depicts the young woman reading in simple yet striking clothing. The woman has briefly paused in her reading and has marked her place in the...
The Reader. Félicie (Fournier) Schneider (French, 1831-1888). Oil on canvas.




The Penitent Magdalene (1598). Lodovico Cardi, called il Cigoli (Italian, 1559-1613). Oil on canvas.
Full-length and set against a dark background from which her warm, pale flesh tones stand out so effectively, the devotion of the present Penitent...
The Penitent Magdalene (1598). Lodovico Cardi, called il Cigoli (Italian, 1559-1613). Oil on canvas.


Woman Reading (1769). Nicolas-Bernard Lépicié (French, 1735-1784). Oil on canvas. The Cleveland Museum of Art.
Lépicié’s work was visibly influenced by his father’s friend, the talented Chardin, whose themes were a source of inspiration for the...
Woman Reading (1769). Nicolas-Bernard Lépicié (French, 1735-1784). Oil on canvas. The Cleveland Museum of Art.



Portrait of the Marquise d'Aiguirandes (1759). François-Hubert Drouais (French, 1727-1775). Oil on canvas. The Cleveland Museum of Art.
Drouais was skilled at veiling the physical imperfections of his subjects. This portrait certainly has this...
Portrait of the Marquise d'Aiguirandes (1759). François-Hubert Drouais (French, 1727-1775). Oil on canvas. The Cleveland Museum of Art.



Portrait of a Gentleman in his Study (c.1530). Lorenzo Lotto (Italian, c.1480-1556). Oil on canvas. Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice.
The pale young man with his finely tapered face is caught in a moment of yearning thoughtfulness as his fingers leaf...
Portrait of a Gentleman in his Study (c.1530). Lorenzo Lotto (Italian, c.1480-1556). Oil on canvas. Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice.


The Story Book. Charles Edward Wilson (English, 1854-1941). Watercolour.
Wilson’s career as a painter of rural subjects was defined when he saw the work of Frederick Walker at the Great Exhibition in Paris of 1879. He exhibited his first watercolour...
The Story Book. Charles Edward Wilson (English, 1854-1941). Watercolour.




Caroline Lucy Elton (born 1809), Lucy Caroline Elton (born 1809), Catherine Maria Elton (born 1814), and Maria Catherine Elton (born 1814) (painted 1823). Thomas Barker (British, 1769-1847). Oil on canvas. National Trust, Clevedon Court.
Two sets of...
Caroline Lucy Elton (born 1809), Lucy Caroline Elton (born 1809), Catherine Maria Elton (born 1814), and Maria Catherine Elton (born 1814) (painted 1823). Thomas Barker (British, 1769-1847). Oil on canvas. National Trust, Clevedon Court.




Vanity. Attributed to Johan Moreelse (Dutch, c.1603-1634). Oil on canvas.
Moreelse was a baroque painter belonging to the school of Utrecht Caravaggism during the Dutch Golden Age. Moreelse studied in Utrecht, in the studio of his father, and then in...
Vanity. Attributed to Johan Moreelse (Dutch, c.1603-1634). Oil on canvas.



Interior, Nice (1919). Henri Matisse (French, 1869-1954). Oil on canvas. The Barnes Foundation.
Matisse crafts a scene of a sensuous woman reading while seated in a comfortable, light-filled interior setting that provides a lovely, intimate view of...
Interior, Nice (1919). Henri Matisse (French, 1869-1954). Oil on canvas. The Barnes Foundation.




Dreaming of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Maria Szantho (Hungarian, 1898-1984). Oil on canvas.
“Oh, queen, thou art fairest of all I see,
But over the hills, where the seven dwarfs dwell,
Snow White is still alive and well,
And none is so fair as...

Dreaming of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Maria Szantho (Hungarian, 1898-1984). Oil on canvas.


The Book of Sonnets (1868). Sir Edward John Poynter (English, 1836-1919). Watercolour.
The Book of Sonnets captures the romantic mood that was parodied in Gilbert and Sullivan’s opera Patience. The movement was embodied in the fascination with...
The Book of Sonnets (1868). Sir Edward John Poynter (English, 1836-1919). Watercolour.



The Reading. Vittorio Reggianini (Italian, 1858-1939). Oil on canvas.
The wide and lasting appeal of Reggianini’s compositions comes from his sharp eye for detail, combined with subtle romantic narratives, to create lively, often humorous and...
The Reading. Vittorio Reggianini (Italian, 1858-1939). Oil on canvas.



World of Dreams (1876). Lady Laura Theresa Alma-Tadema (English, 1852-1909). Oil on canvas.
Lady Laura Theresa Alma-Tadema was one of the leading painters of the English salon painting of her day. She was a student and the second wife of Sir Lawrence...
World of Dreams (1876). Lady Laura Theresa Alma-Tadema (English, 1852-1909). Oil on canvas.



Reading on a Sunny Afternoon. Charles Edward Perugini (British, 1839-1918). Oil on canvas.
A young woman is seated next to a flowered border reading from a book. She is wearing a white silken dress, with gauzy, classically-draped loose sleeves and...
Reading on a Sunny Afternoon. Charles Edward Perugini (British, 1839-1918). Oil on canvas.



Portrait of two women, half length, seated, one in a brown dress crocheting, the other in a black dress, holding a book. Attributed to John James Masquierier (English, 1778-1855). Oil on canvas.
Masquerier returned from Paris to London, where he...
Portrait of two women, half length, seated, one in a brown dress crocheting, the other in a black dress, holding a book. Attributed to John James Masquierier (English, 1778-1855). Oil on canvas.



Woman Reading. John Stevens (British, c.1793-1868). Oil on canvas.
In what appears to be a library in a fine house, the maid puts the feather duster under her arm and takes up reading material. There are a number of items, including the shelves of...
Woman Reading. John Stevens (British, c.1793-1868). Oil on canvas.



Janelle and the Volume of Treasures (1960). Sir William Russell Flint (Scottish, 1880-1969).
Work shows a graceful young woman reclining as she reads and leafs through the pages examining the illustrations of a great book against light gray and...
Janelle and the Volume of Treasures (1960). Sir William Russell Flint (Scottish, 1880-1969).


Julien Boilly, enfant. Louis Léopold Boilly (French,1761-1845). Oil on canvas. Lille, Palais des Beaux-Arts.
Boilly’s son Julien, here reading as a child, was later a painter himself. He noted that his father had worked in two distinct manners; the...
Julien Boilly, enfant. Louis Léopold Boilly (French,1761-1845). Oil on canvas. Lille, Palais des Beaux-Arts.



A Number to Remember (1955). Gil Elvgren (American, 1914-1980). Brown & Bigelow.
The distinguishing mark of Elvgren’s pinups compared with those of his contemporaries is that the Elvgren Girls looked like real people. Elvgren Girls had personality...
A Number to Remember (1955). Gil Elvgren (American, 1914-1980). Brown & Bigelow.



The Day Bed. Rosalie Emslie, R.M.S. (British, b.1891). Oil on canvas.
Rosalie Emslie was the daughter of the artist Alfred Edward and Mrs Rosalie M. Emslie, the portrait miniaturist.
The Day Bed. Rosalie Emslie, R.M.S. (British, b.1891). Oil on canvas.



Pleasurable Thoughts. Giovanni Piccone (Italian, 1842-1887). Oil on canvas.
The reading of a good book will always give one pleasure. Here the woman pauses from her reading, puts down the book, and appears to let her mind and imagination take her to...
Pleasurable Thoughts. Giovanni Piccone (Italian, 1842-1887). Oil on canvas.



Le Guide de Micheline. Illustration by Chéri Hérouard (French, 1881-1961). La Vie Parisienne, 1910’s.
“Suivez le guide!” One assumes that the young lady is named Micheline and the guide is the path for love (based on the cupid cover) rather than the...
Le Guide de Micheline. Illustration by Chéri Hérouard (French, 1881-1961). La Vie Parisienne, 1910’s.



The Picture Book. Albert Lynch (Peruvian, 1851-1912). Oil on canvas.
Lynch is closely tied to the French genre artists of the late 19th century. He was primarily known for is exquisite portraits of beautiful young women composed with exquisite...
The Picture Book. Albert Lynch (Peruvian, 1851-1912). Oil on canvas.




La Convalescente (exh.1910, Salon). Rupert Bunny (Australian, 1864-1947). Oil on canvas.
La Convalescente is devoid of that sentimentality which paralyzed so many paintings of sickness of the Victorian era. Yet, objectivity in presentation gives way...
La Convalescente (exh.1910, Salon). Rupert Bunny (Australian, 1864-1947). Oil on canvas.



Le Coeur S’Éveille (Awakening of the Heart) (1880). Anatole Vély (French, 1838-1882). Oil on canvas. Lawrence Steigrad Fine Art.
Set in a castle a young Princess sits spellbound at the feet of her grandmother the Queen who has momentarily paused in...
Le Coeur S’Éveille (Awakening of the Heart) (1880). Anatole Vély (French, 1838-1882). Oil on canvas. Lawrence Steigrad Fine Art.



A Quiet Moment. Edwin Harris, R.B.S.A. (English, 1855-1906). Oil on canvas.
Perhaps because his marriage to the niece of an art dealer brought him an easy market for his work, Harris specialised in relatively small-scale paintings, mostly of charming...
A Quiet Moment. Edwin Harris, R.B.S.A. (English, 1855-1906). Oil on canvas.



The Interruption. Vittorio Reggianini (Italian, 1858-1938). Oil on canvas.
Reggianini combined fantasy with reality, sensuality with sensibility and above all, furnished his costume pieces in luxury. The Interruption is unique due to its whimsy and...
The Interruption. Vittorio Reggianini (Italian, 1858-1938). Oil on canvas.




The Fireside Story (1859). Karl Becker (German, 1820-1900). Oil on canvas.
Becker first attained success with subjects of the Venetian Renaissance. Later in life, he made many visits to Venice to study paintings drawn from life in the 15th and 16th...

The Fireside Story (1859). Karl Becker (German, 1820-1900). Oil on canvas.




The Holy Family with the Young St John the Baptist. Bartolomeo Schedoni (Italian, 1578-1615). Oil on panel. The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology.
The Child guides the hand of St John in a tender domestic scene that also contains a clear...
The Holy Family with the Young St John the Baptist. Bartolomeo Schedoni (Italian, 1578-1615). Oil on panel. The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology.



In the Shadow of the Tree (1914). Helen Galloway McNicoll (Canadian, 1879-1915). Oil on canvas. Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec.
A young woman sits beside an infant in a perambulator under the shade of an umbrella. As she reads, she creates...
In the Shadow of the Tree (1914). Helen Galloway McNicoll (Canadian, 1879-1915). Oil on canvas. Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec.



Maternity (1917). Edmund Blair Leighton (English, 1852-1922). Oil on canvas.
The beautiful mother sits with her infant on a bench in the stone room which may be in a church or convent. The second woman, perhaps a novice in a religious order, reads...
Maternity (1917). Edmund Blair Leighton (English, 1852-1922). Oil on canvas.



Marie-Madeleine au désert (1886). Emmanuel Benner (French, 1836-1909). Oil on canvas. Musée d'Art moderne et contemporain de Strasbourg.
Marie-Madeleine’s pose and facial expression does not suggest penitence; it suggests laziness, caprice,...
Marie-Madeleine au désert (1886). Emmanuel Benner (French, 1836-1909). Oil on canvas. Musée d'Art moderne et contemporain de Strasbourg.




Alice in Wonderland (c.1879). George Dunlop Leslie (English, 1835-1921). Oil on canvas. Brighton and Hove Museums and Art Galleries.
Leslie’s painting Alice in Wonderland has his wife reading to their daughter Alice – the child’s name a deft...
Alice in Wonderland (c.1879). George Dunlop Leslie (English, 1835-1921). Oil on canvas. Brighton and Hove Museums and Art Galleries.