Category: 17th century

The Origin of the Milky Way by Rubens: a mythological masterpiece

The Origin of the Milky Way is an oil painting on canvas made by the famous Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens between 1636 and 1638. It depicts the Greco-Roman myth that explains the formation of the Milky Way, this luminous band that crosses the night sky and which is actually composed of billions of stars. […]

Incredulity of Saint Thomas: the painting that caused scandal in Caravaggio’s time

Caravaggio (1571-1610) was a 17th century Italian painter, considered the leader of the Baroque movement. He is famous for his dramatic use of chiaroscuro, his realistic representation of characters and his ability to express human emotions. Among his most striking works, The Incredulity of Saint Thomas is a masterpiece that caused scandal in its time […]

Still Life with Peaches, Quinces and Jasmine Flowers: the delicate realism of Fede Galizia

Fede Galizia (1578-1630) was an Italian Baroque female painter active in Milan in the 17th century. She is best known for her portraits and still lifes, a genre in which she was a pioneer. Historical context Still life is a type of painting that depicts inanimate objects, often fruits, flowers, utensils or animals. This genre […]

Lucretia by Guido Cagnacci: a masterpiece of Italian Baroque

Guido Cagnacci’s Lucretia is an oil on canvas painting created around 1657 and housed in the Museum of Fine Arts in Lyon. It depicts the suicide of Lucretia, a Roman noblewoman who took her own life after being raped by the son of King Tarquin the Proud. This heroic act triggered the revolt that ended […]

The myth of Orpheus and Eurydice revisited by Nicolas Poussin

Nicolas Poussin is a 17th century French painter, considered the leader of classicism. He created many landscapes inspired by nature and antiquity, including the famous Landscape with Orpheus and Eurydice, housed in the Louvre Museum. The subject of the painting The painting depicts an episode from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, a collection of mythological poems. It tells […]

The Embarkation of the Queen of Sheba by Claude Gellée: a luminous and harmonious painting of the French Renaissance

The Embarkation of the Queen of Sheba is an oil painting on canvas by the French painter Claude Gellée, known as “Le Lorrain,” created in 1648. The painting depicts a biblical scene of the departure of the Queen of Sheba to visit King Solomon in Jerusalem, transposed into an idealized maritime landscape. The canvas measures […]

The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus by Rubens: a mythological scene full of movement and sensuality.

The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus by Rubens is an oil painting on canvas created around 1618, during the Flemish Baroque period. It depicts a scene from Greek mythology, where the twins Castor and Pollux, sons of Jupiter and Leda, abduct Hilaire and Phoebe, the daughters of Leucippus, king of Argos. It is on […]

Velazquez’s meninas: an enigmatic and innovative work 

The meninas (in Spanish: Las Meninas) is a painting by the Spanish painter Diego Velazquez, made between 1656 and 1657. It depicts a scene from the court of King Philip IV, in which several characters appear, including the infanta Margarita-Theresa, surrounded by her ladies-in-waiting, a dwarf, a dog and the painter himself. It is kept […]

The Rape of the Sabine Women: dive into the myth with Poussin!

The rape of the Sabine women is the subject of two paintings by the French painter Nicolas Poussin, made between 1634 and 1638. They depict a mythological scene taken from the work of Plutarch and Livy, which tells how the Romans seized the Sabine women to take them as wives. These works are considered as […]

Girl with a Pearl Earring: history and analysis of a masterpiece by Vermeer

Girl with a Pearl Earring is a famous painting by the Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer, made around 1665. It depicts the portrait of a young woman with an intense gaze, wearing a blue turban and adorned with a pearl earring. This work is considered one of the most beautiful tronies of Flemish baroque painting, a […]
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