Sir Edward Poynter and An Evening at Home

'An evening at home' (1888) by Sir Edward Poynter; can't find location

Each time I look at this painting, I like it better. It was painted by the English artist Edward Poynter, born on 20 March 1836, whose name rang a distant bell. He was no minor artist. He met Frederic Leighton in Rome who introduced him to classical paintings. He became a member of the Royal Academy and was even elected President of the Academy. Go visit the link above to read more about him. To go back to the painting posted here: it's called 'An evening at home' and I really like this peaceful scene. I love the interior and the soft light. This is how I'd like to spend an evening myself. Although I wouldn't look that pretty. And I don't have a cat.

Alonso Cano and Mary

'Mary' (1646-50) by Alonso Cano; Budapest Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest

Doing this blog, I realise how few painters I actually know. Alonso Cano, born on 19 March 1601, is one of them. This Spanish artist, who was born in (my beloved) Granada, was sometimes called 'The Spanish Michelangelo' because of the diversity of his talents. Not only was he a painter, but also a sculptor and an architect. He designed the façade of the Cathedral in Granada (1667), one of the most original works of Spanish Baroque architecture. He painted the portrait 'Mary' before returning to Granada in 1652. I think it's beautiful and serene.

Julien Dupré and Haymaking

'Haymaking' (1892) by Julien Dupré; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

You may make the same mistake as I did and confuse the painter, Julien Dupré, born on 18 March 1851, with Jules Dupré, the great French landscape painter who was a famous member of the Barbizon School. I thought they were one and the same but apparently Julien was the nephew of Jules. Anyway, I had already chosen a painting for today but it turned out that it was by Jules so I have to wait till his date of birth comes up. It wasn't difficult to choose a painting by Julien because there are many that I like. Actually, come to think of it, it was a bit difficult because his paintings are so much alike that there is not a particular one that really stands out. Julien was a painter of peasant scenes, representing farmers at work, mostly haymaking. If you want to see more of his paintings, click here.

John Rogers Herbert and The Wine that Maketh Glad the Heart of Man

'The wine that maketh glad the heart of man' (c.1860) by John Rogers Herbert; Private Collection

So many painters I have never heard of. John Rogers Herbert, born on 23 January 1810 and died on 17 March 1890, is another one. He was an English painter who influenced the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood with his catholic paintings. Herbert's conversion to the Catholic Church happened around 1840 and was of great consequence to his work. The painting chosen for today is called 'The wine that maketh glad the heart of man' which is a bible text (Psalm 104:15). I love the warm colours of this art work but don't entirely understand the scene depicted in this painting. The leaves must be of vines, I think, but I don't know what the story is with the two women and couldn't find it on the internet.

Giuseppe Maria Crespi and The Kitchenmaid

'The Kitchenmaid' (after 1712) by Giuseppe Maria Crespi; Uffizi Gallery, Florence

I had a small list of painters for today to choose from, none of whom I had ever heard of. I googled the images of their paintings and when I saw this one by the Italian artist Giuseppe Maria Crespi, I stopped looking. Then I read that the English Wikipedia page names the 14th of March as his date of birth, but the German one says the 16th of March. Luckily I found another site that gives 16 March 1665 as his date of birth, so that is good enough for me. Crespi was a Baroque painter and most famous for his genre paintings. Until the 17th century, Italian painters had mainly concentrated on painting religious, mythological or historical scenes, whereas e.g. Dutch painters had already a strong tradition in depicting the everyday life. This is such a painting, a domestic scene from everyday life. I love the use of light in this work. Actually, I love the whole scene because I like depictions of solitary activities. This scene of the maid doing her chores seems so peaceful to me.

Francesc Masriera y Manovens and Winter of 1882

'Winter of 1882' (1882) by Francesc Masriera y Manovens; Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Barcelona

For this post I chose the Catalan painter Francesc Masriera y Manovens, born on 21 October 1842, and died on 15 March 1902. His father, an artist as well, encouraged him to paint and he studied in Geneva, Paris and Rome. He dedicated himself to painting Oriental subjects and these were to establish his reputation. The painting I chose is obviously very different from his Oriental subjects. But I like this one. Here is the link to the Catalan museum where it's on display.

Jules Joseph Lefebvre and Girl with a Mandolin

'Girl with a Mandolin' (c.1870) by Jules Joseph Lefebvre; Private Collection

French painter Jules Joseph Lefebvre, born on 14 March 1836, was a baker's son whose father encouraged him to pursue painting. He studied in Paris, became a pupil of Léon Cogniet and attended l'École des Beaux Arts. He made his debut at the Paris Salon in 1855. At first he painted historical paintings. Later on in his career he turned to painting the female figure, especially the nude. This made him very succesful. I could have chosen one of the beautiful nude paintings he had made but I was sort of captivated by the dark eyes of this gypsy girl with a mandolin. I like portraits that seem to tell a story. But I couldn't find the background story for this painting except for a discussion on a forum. For more information about the painter, you can also click here.

William Glackens and Young Woman in Green

'Young Woman in Green' (c.1915) by William Glackens; St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, Missouri

I was quite content having found American artist William Glackens, born on 13 March 1870, for today's post. If you google his name and images, you see paintings with a very different colour palette and at first I wasn't sure whether the paintings were by the same artist. Glackens was an illustrator first and then became a Realist painter. He became known for his dark-hued tones and scenes with crowds, e.g. in parks and on beaches. The influence of the Impressionists and foremost Renoir was evident. His later work included portraits and flower pieces, in lavish colours. If you want to read more about his style and subject matter, that changed throughout his life, then click on the link above. I chose the painting of the woman in green because I love portraits and I think this one is beautiful in colour and the woman is really pretty.

Carl Vilhelm Holsøe and Woman with fruit bowl

'Woman with fruit bowl' (1900-10) by Carl Vilhelm Holsøe; Museum Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid

Today I discovered another Danish artist Carl Vilhelm Holsøe, born on the 12th of March, 1863. His interior paintings are very similar to those of Vilhelm Hammershøi. I just read that Holsøe, Hammershøi and Hammershøi's brother-in-law, the Danish painter Peter Ilsted, were the leading artists of the early 20th century in Denmark. They were all members of the progressive art society 'The Free Exhibition' and their work was referred to as 'The Copenhagen Interior School'. Their paintings have the same subtle colours and the same serenity and calmness. Last year I had a calendar with women reading in art and there was also a painting of Holsøe in it: A lady in an interior.

Benjamin West and Venus Consoling Cupid

'Venus consoling Cupid stung by a bee' (1802) by Benjamin West; State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg

Today's painter is well-known artist Benjamin West, born on October 10, 1738, and died on March 11, 1820. I don't know about you but I had never heard of him. He's in the same league as Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Lawrence, painters I do know, all three members of the Royal Academy of Arts in London. West was an American-born painter but moved to England in 1763 where he developed a wide reputation as court painter and historical painter. With Joshua Reynolds, West founded the Royal Academy and he became the second President of the Academy succeeding Reynolds. He is well-known for his historical paintings, large in scale and expressive in colour and composition. I'm not particularly fond of these large scale paintings with big compositions so I have chosen a portrait of Venus and Cupid. West did a number of paintings on Venus and Cupid between 1797 and 1814, after a poem by Anacreon called 'The Wounded Cupid'. I quite like this painting. It's beautiful in colour and detail. There's another painting called 'Cupid stung by a bee', but it's larger in scale and less beautiful than the one I've posted here. I don't like it well enough to give you the link here but go ahead and google the image.