William Etty and Nude Woman Asleep

'Nude Woman Asleep' (c.1828-30) by William Etty; Private Collection

I think this painting of William Etty, born on 10 March 1787, is beautiful. Again a painter who is unknown to me. Etty was an English artist, who was best known for his paintings of nudes. He studied under Henry Fuseli at the Royal Academy School and privately under Thomas Lawrence. His drawing is considered to be faulty and incorrect at times but nevertheless he holds a secure place among English painters. 

Daniel Ridgway Knight and the Shepherdess of Rolleboise

'The Shepherdess of Rolleboise' (c.1896) by Daniel Ridgway Knight; Brooklyn Museum, New York

Finding today's painter was easy. Choosing a painting was more difficult because there are so many that I like. The painter's name is Daniel Ridgway Knight, born on March 15, 1839, and died on March 9, 1924, and I had never heard of him before. But as soon as I found him to be a match for today's date, I didn't look further for another painter. Knight was an American artist who depicted peasant women outdoors in the field, amidst flowers, or doing the day's chores. If you google his name and images, you see women in similar outdoor settings, some paintings more colourful than others. Knight studied in Paris and was highly influenced by Jean-François Millet but he chose to portray his peasant women at happier moments as opposed to Millet. His paintings of peasant women were very popular and he received several prizes for his work, among others the Third Class Medal for Hailing the Ferry at the Paris Salon in 1888. His paintings are realistic and rich in detail. I love the earthy colour palette of this painting and the girl's coat. For further reading, click here.

Ernest-Ange Duez and The Rebuff

'The Rebuff' (1874) by Ernest-Ange Duez; Private Collection?

Today's painter Ernest-Ange Duez, born on March 8, 1843, is unknown to me. Wikipedia only has a French page on him so it might say something about his fame. French Wiki gives 7 March as his date of birth but other sites give 8 March. He was trained at the Parisian ateliers of Isodore Pils and Carolus-Duran. He made his debut at the Paris Salon in 1868. His painting The Honeymoon (1873) caused a scandal at the Salon because of the depiction of two lovers in modern dress strolling through the forest. He painted both portraits and landscapes. I like this painting posted here, because it makes you want to know the reason behind the rebuff and the blue colour of the dress is beautiful. But unfortunately I couldn't find any additional information on the painting. It was hard to find its location. Apparently it's been put up for auction at some point and it might be in private hands.

Edit 17.09.2025: I'm doing a blog maintenance. Though I have matched today's painter with 8 March, most reliable sources say he was born on 7 March 1843. In this post I linked to the French Wikipedia page of the artist; probably there wasn't an English page at the time. Now there is — here. So there are secundary sources where the date of birth is given as the 8th. I just leave it as it is, though I don't understand why I didn't rely on his French Wiki page for his date of birth in the first place.

Boris Kustodiev and Merchant's Wife with a Mirror

'Merchant's wife with a mirror' (1920) by Boris Kustodiev; State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg

After a couple of days of finding a painting easily, I struggled again today. There was a selection of painters to choose from but none of their paintings got me really enthusiastic. Then I discovered the Russian artist Boris Kustodiev, who was born on 7 March 1878, and I was quite pleased with his colourful paintings. He was born into the family of a professor but after his father died, the family rented a small wing in a merchant's house. This explains his series of portraits of merchant's wives, depicting them in different activities, e.g. drinking tea, sleeping. He had an eye for ripe beauty and women were often subjects of his paintings. Later on he got into book illustrating, and illustrated many works of classical Russian literature. Due to a grave illness he became paralysed but remained joyful. His paintings are evidence of that and don't reveal his physical suffering. I love the vibrant colours in this painting, but don't quite understand the story behind it. Is that the merchant lurking in the background and who is the other girl?

Michelangelo and The Creation of Adam

'The Creation of Adam (Sistine Chapel ceiling fresco)' (c.1511) by Michelangelo; Vatican City, Rome

6 March 1475 was the day that the great artist Michelangelo was born. I cannot ignore this fact and not dedicate this post to him. Well, actually I can because it's my blog, and I would have if I hadn't liked his work. But I think the fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is amazing and I haven't even seen it with my own eyes. Of course I can only post a section of the fresco and I chose 'The Creation of Adam' because this depiction shows Michelangelo's knowledge of human anatomy very well. This expertise is also manifested in his sculpture. The Sistine Chapel ceiling fresco tells the biblical story from the Book of Genesis, and 'The Creation of Adam' depicts the moment when God breathes life into Adam. Michelangelo was one of the greatest artists of the Italian Renaissance and by many regarded as the greatest artist that ever lived. He excelled in sculpture, architecture and painting. His masterpieces ('Sistine Chapel ceiling fresco', the statue of 'David', and 'Pietà') are world famous. Apparently sculpture was his passion and he didn't like to paint. Pope Julius II requested that Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and as a reward he would get to do a commission for the Pope, sculpting 40 massive figures for his tomb. It took him over four years to paint the ceiling but anybody will agree, it was well worth it. 

'Jupiter and Io' by Correggio

'Jupiter and Io' (c.1530) by Antonio da Correggio; Museum of Fine Arts, Vienna

Today it was easy again to find a painting. I've always been interested in Greek mythology and as you might know, mythology, like symbolism, has always played an important part in art. I have books on mythology in art and one of the paintings that can be found in these books, is this one by Antonio da Correggio, born in August 1489 and died on 5th of March, 1534. He was one of the leading painters of the Parma school of the Italian Renaissance and a painter in the Mannerist tradition. In this painting, Io, the daughter of the first king of Argos, named Inachus, is seduced by Jupiter (Zeus in Greek). Jupiter had many mistresses, some of them mortal, and would appear to them in a transformed state in order to seduce them. Io was a mortal, a nymph. Jupiter had turned himself into a cloud and had hidden behind the dunes to be out of sight of his jealous wife Juno (Hera in Greek). This painting is quite erotic and sensuous. Imagine being caressed by a cloud!

Sir Henry Raeburn and The Skating Minister

'The Reverend Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch (The Skating Minister)' (1790s) by Sir Henry Raeburn; National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

Sir Henry Raeburn was born on March 4, 1756, so I knew right away what painting to post for today. I could have chosen another one, because he has made some nice portraits and sometimes I like it better to post a lesser known painting. Because when you say Raeburn, you think of the skating minister. The reason why I went ahead and chose this painting anyway, is because I like it and I've wondered about the subject choice and setting. When you're a portrait painter I can imagine that you want to portray a minister but you would have him sit down or portray him in a serious or respectful manner. But skating ... So for this post I searched a bit further and read the Wikipedia page dedicated to this painting. The clergyman he portrayed here is Reverend Robert Walker. The reason why you see him skating is because he was a member of the Edinbergh skating club. It was the first figure skating club in the world. The setting of this painting is Duddingston Loch. Furthermore I read that it was commonly believed that Raeburn was less succesful in painting female portraits but if I wouldn't have used the skating minister for this post, I would have posted this painting of a girl sketching. I think it is beautiful.

Guy Orlando Rose and Miss C.

'Miss C.' (date unknown) by Guy Orlando Rose; Private Collection

If I'd ask you to name an American Impressionist painter, you would probably not know any. Or would you? I found a painter for today's post whose work I already love. I had never heard of him before. His name is Guy Orlando Rose, born on 3 March 1867, one of California's most important Impressionist painters of the late 19th, early 20th centuries. He went to study in Paris in 1888 and a decade later, in 1898, he received an honorable mention at the Paris Salon. In the mid 1890s he went to New York and returned to France in 1899. He settled down in Giverny and lived there between 1904 and 1912. During that time he became highly influenced by the French Impressionist painters, mostly by Claude Monet. They even became friends. I like many of his woman portraits and he has also done a lot of landscapes, some of them really beautiful. My first thought was to post the portrait of the woman with The Green Parasol that is beautiful and stunning in colour. Then I found this one of Miss C. and was captivated by her green eyes and sad look on her face. So I basically cheated again but sometimes it is really hard to post only one painting. You should also check out his other paintings. To make it easier for you, click here. I don't know whether this is a complete list but it's certainly a lot. Most of it is in private collection though. What a shame! And I thought that I didn't like Impressionism as much as I used to!

Jean-François Gilles Colson and The Sleeper

'The Sleeper' (1759) by Jean-François Gilles Colson; Musée des Beaux-Arts, Dijon

I had some problems finding an artist and painting for today. This one is rather sweet and the painter is Jean-François Gilles Colson, born on the 2nd of March 1733. Colson was tutored by his father and became a reputable portrait painter. I like the sleeping girl in this portrait, and also the warm colours, but I'm not sure about the cat in the background. Looks a bit scary to me. What do you think?

Sandro Botticelli and Portrait of a Young Woman

'Portrait of a Young Woman (Simonetta Vespucci?)' (c.1480-85) by Sandro Botticelli; Städel Museum, Frankfurt

I think that most non-art lovers have heard of Sandro Botticelli, or I could be wrong. This Italian Renaissance artist was born on the 1st of March, 1445. Wikipedia doesn't mention the exact date of birth but this site does. Botticelli is world famous for 'The Birth of Venus' and 'Spring'. So I wanted to post something else and chose this beautiful woman portrait. I love this work of elegance and beauty. Look at the hair and the way he dressed it! This might be a portrait of Simonetta Vespucci, the married noblewoman whom Botticelli loved. It's been said that she was the model for 'The Birth of Venus'. She appeared in various paintings of Botticelli. He wished to be buried at Simonetta's feet in the Church of Ognissanti in Florence. She died some 34 years earlier than he did but his wish was granted. Botticelli never wed.