Portrait Archives

Mr and Mrs Andrews by Thomas Gainsborough, 1749

Some couples seem made for each other, like Mr and Mrs Andrews in their 1749 wedding portrait. In this Thomas Gainsborough masterpiece we find these newlyweds proudly perched before their grand estate. Robert Andrews and his wife Frances Mary look so well-matched they could be siblings. Their setting is as suitable to them as they are to each other. It’s both rich and natural just like the couple. Robert and Frances Mary Andrews wear fine clothes with casual ease – unbuttoned and comfortable. Even with her ridiculous skirt, […]

The Portrait of Isabella Brant by Peter Paul Rubens

Rubens loved to draw his wife, Isabella Brant. The old Flemish master married her in the early 1600s when he was a young upstart. Peter Paul Rubens was popular and famous for his baroque paintings in his lifetime. The work of Rubens now lives in the collective unconscious as an icon of sensual and lush depictions of dramatic scenes. Click here for the podcast version of this post. Rubens Sketches He’s considered an old master thanks to his classical training, role as Master of his local guild, and

Portrait Colors by Angelica Kauffman, 1780

The Swiss painter Angelica Kauffman created her self portrait Colors as part of a series for the Royal Academy of Arts in London. Kauffman was one of two women who founded the Academy. Her four part series on crucial elements of painting still graces that art institution today. This one sets the best example of her allegorical personification for teaching purposes. These four oval paintings grace the Academy’s lecture room ceiling. Kauffman’s quartet serve as reminders of fundamental principles but aren’t too academic. They’re accessible without seeming wholly