Androgyny
While the Renaissance phrase Every painter paints himself uses the masculine to denote both genders, as the English of my youth did too, the artists themselves were under no delusion that their male minds would be sufficient to become like God (see The Divine Artist). They needed a feminine side too (or a masculine one in the case of female artists) because a mind reflecting the cosmos – whether God’s or a visual poet’s – contains both genders as any reasonable thinker since Plato would have known. This is important to grasp because the patriarchal norms of everyday life in the Renaissance, of particular interest to feminist art historians, were markedly different from the intellectual concepts so important to mystical thought.
All Articles (Alphabetical by Artist, then Title)
One way to make sense of Miró's abstractions is to remember, as ever, that 'every painter paints himself.'
Miró‘s Drawing-Collage (1933)
If a self-portrait was collected by Picasso as this one was, there must be a reason beyond remembrance. It's our job to find out what.
Miró‘s Self-portrait (1919)
Many were scandalized by this painting in the 1990's yet still missed the "real" scandal!
Ofili’s The Holy Virgin Mary (1996)
Keeping alert to differences in style within a painting can help unlock its meaning
Parmigianino’s Allegorical Portrait of Emperor Charles V (1529-30)
Find out why so many of Perugino's faces look alike
Perugino’s Madonna and Child (n.d.) and Mary Magdalene (1500)
"Genius" is derided nowadays in academia but, if there is no such thing, how did a 13-year old Picasso know what art historians never have?
Picasso’s A Gentleman Greeting a Lady (1894-5)
Two protagonists in one painting must both represent the artist. It's a given in art so it's your job to find out how.
Picasso’s Cat Catching a Bird (1939)
Here is a very obvious example of one artist's identification with another
Picasso’s Female Nude in Profile (1902)
See how Picasso turns one scene into another in ways that have never been seen
Picasso’s Five Figures in a Boat (1909)
See how Picasso understood Manet's meaning, a meaning that still escapes art historians who think and see superficially
Picasso’s Girl Before a Mirror (1932)
When you discover what is underneath Picasso's early Blue Period paintings, the meaning changes...drastically.
Picasso’s Harlequin (1901) and Blue Period
Learn how to use double-vision, a critical tool for interpretation
Picasso’s In the Sculptor’s Studio (1963)
Learn how the young Picasso played around with several themes in a relatively simple composition
Picasso’s La Toilette (1906)
Not a particularly successful picture but an excellent learning tool
Picasso’s Portrait of Jacqueline (1965)
There is always more in Picasso than meets the eye
Picasso’s Reclining Nude with Man and Bird (1971)
Never forget the importance of an artist's hand. It can pop up anywhere.
Picasso’s Reclining Nude, Fernande (1906)
Hear how Karen Kleinfelder interprets Picasso's scene
Picasso’s Untitled Plate 58 from Suite 156 (1971)
Just like Michelangelo's, Picasso's women are masculine too....here's how and why.
Picasso’s Woman in an Armchair (1948)
Ignore the title of a painting; they can lead you far astray
Picasso’s Woman with Clasped Hands (1907)
Don't accept your first understanding of a line. Think again; because artists do before drawing it.
Picasso’s Women on the Beach (1947)
New revelations, as always, about one of the world's most famous portraits
Raphael’s La Donna Velata (c.1516)
Beware of biographical stories trying to explain a great portrait; they are rarely, if ever, true.
Raphael’s La Fornarina (1518-20)
Sometimes the most difficult features to see in art are the most obvious
Raphael’s Sistine Madonna, Part 1 (1512)
How the setting is so rarely what you think....you must think differently
Rembrandt’s Bathsheba at Her Bath (1643)
See how Rembrandt concisely expresses the underlying idea of art in a Roman myth
Rembrandt’s Lucretia (1666)
Find out why people pee on etchings
Rembrandt’s Man Making Water (1631) and Woman Making Water and Defecating (1631)
Learn about other methods Rembrandt used to convey his message
Rembrandt’s Portrait of a Young Woman (1632)
Learn how to look and what to look for, and how touching is painting
Rembrandt’s Self-Portrait with Saskia (c.1635)
The presence of a mystery in an artwork, intentionally made mysterious by the artist, does not mean that the mystery cannot be solved. Mysteries are made to be resolved.
Rembrandt’s Woman with the Arrow (1661)
An essential question about any picture: does the figure resemble an artist at work?
Rembrandt’s Young Woman Leaning Against a Door (1657)
Discover a common way how artists demonstrate their identity with their protagonist. You can use the method to interpret other paintings by other artists.
Reni’s David with the Head of Goliath (1605)
If you like Renoir but can't see Raphael, you won't see Renoir's Raphael
Renoir’s Dance in the Country (1883)
Learn how a mythological scene represents the anatomy of the brain/mind
Rubens’ Perseus Freeing Andromeda (c. 1622)
The concise expression of meaning is as aesthetically satisfying in art as it is in poetry
Schiele’s Embrace (1912)
Don't take portraits at face value. If they're art, there's always more to them.
Schiele’s Portrait of a Lady in an Orange Hat (1910)
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