Johannes Vermeer, The Art of Painting (Detail), ca.
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Johannes Vermeer, “The Art of Painting (Detail),” ca. 1666–1668 (Photo:Google Arts & CultureviaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase, My Modern Met may earn an affiliate commission. Please readour disclosurefor more info.
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No matter the scope of theirfavorite subjects, most artists have dabbled in the age-old art ofportraiture.
While the artists behind these pieces are universally well-known, the subjects are often less obvious.
Jan Van Eyck, “Arnolfini Portrait,” 1434. (Photo: National Gallery viaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
The figure looks toward the viewer and softly smiles.
So, who is theMona Lisa?
For centuries, the identity of the highly recognizable figure remained a mystery.
Jan van Eyck, “Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini,” c. 1434 (Photo viaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
The portrait was commissioned by her husband, Francesco Giocondo, a merchant.
Though the portrait that hangs in Paris’Louvre Museumis the most famousMona Lisa, it’s not the only one.
Workshop of Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa (Prado Copy), ca.
Leonardo da Vinci, “Mona Lisa,” c. 1503–1516 (Photo:Galerie de tableaux en très haute définitionviaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
1503-1516 (Photo:Museo del PradoviaWikimedia CommonsPublic Domain)
Girl with a Pearl Earring,c.
Several art historians have questioned the true identity of the young woman depicted in the painting.
One of the mostcommon theoriesis that the woman in question isMaria Vermeer, the painter’s eldest daughter.
Workshop of Leonardo da Vinci, “Mona Lisa (Prado Copy),” ca. 1503-1516 (Photo:Museo del PradoviaWikimedia CommonsPublic Domain)
Girl with a Pearl Earringis actually atroniea study of an unidentified person.
Tronies by Rembrandt at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Arrangement in Grey and Black,c.
1871
James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Arrangement in Grey and Black No.
Johannes Vermeer, “Girl with a Pearl Earring,” c. 1665 (Photo:MauritshuitsviaWiki Art, Public domain)
1, a portrait of his mother,Anna McNeill Whistler, in 1871.
1as a nod to his lyrical approach to painting.
that is why I insist on calling my worksarrangementsandharmonies, he said in 1878.
Tronies by Rembrandt at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Sargent left Paris for London shortly afterward.
Stein’s support was particularly important toPicasso, who credited her patronage as a catalyst for hisearly success.
James Abbott McNeill Whistler, “Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1,” 1871 (Photo:Musée d’OrsayviaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
This monumental decision culminated in two of his most treasured paintings:The KissandPortrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I.
Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer Istars Adele Bloch-Bauer, a wealthy Jewish woman from Vienna.
Believed to be either a friend or mistress of the artist, Bloch-Bauer was a patron of the arts.
Anna Matilda Whistle (Photo viaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
In addition to its ethereal depiction of Mrs. Bloch-Bauer, the painting is famous for its controversial history.
It was often loaned to museums and galleries for exhibitions, but was stolen by the Nazis in 1941.
Months later, they sold it for $135 million.
“Madame X (Madame Pierre Gautreau),” John Singer Sargent, 1884. Now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Rather than seek out sitters for the painting, he asked Graham and McKeeby to model.
These particulars, of course, don’t really matter, the artist wrote in a letter in 1941.
What does matter is whether or not these faces are true to American life and reveal something about it.
Photograph of Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau, c. 1878 (Photo viaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Henri Matisse, “Woman with a Hat,” 1905 (Photo:SFMOMAviaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Amélie Matisse (Photo viaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Pablo Picasso, “Portrait of Gertrude Stein,” 1905–1906 (Photo viaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Carl Van Vetchen, “Portrait of Gertrude Stein, with American Flag as Backdrop,” 1935 (Photo:Library of CongressviaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Gustav Klimt, “Adele Bloch-Bauer I,” 1907 (Photo:Neue GalerieviaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Grant Wood, “American Gothic,” 1930 (Photo:Google Arts & CultureviaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Nan Wood Graham and Dr. Byron McKeeby
