Category Archives: Baroque

Inspired by the 17th-century: An Interview with Paul Workman, Artist

The Seventeenth Century Lady Interview with Paul Workman. The seventeenth century had some amazing art, and it’s no wonder that some of that brilliant art continues to inspire artists in our day. Paul Workman is a perfect example of this, for he is an artist who, inspired by the likes of major portraitists such as Peter Lely, makes… Read on

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Review: Masters of the Everyday, a new exhibition at the Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace

Masters of the Everyday, a new exhibition at the Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace. For the purposes of this review, I will only be focusing on the 17th-century exhibition, although there is another which is being presented at the same time, High Spirits: The Comic Art of Thomas Rowlandson, comprising works from one of the wittiest and most popular caricaturists of… Read on

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Clytie: The Spurned Nymph

Earlier today I walked past a flower and plant stall in Reading and there were so many beautiful plants, including some lovely sunflowers. Although I didn’t buy any sunflowers (I came away with begonias and cornflowers), seeing these sunny flowers reminded me of Clytie. I don’t know about you, but I love mythology and have done since I… Read on

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George Jamesone: The ‘Scottish Van Dyck’ – Guest Post by Alison Lodge

Good day to you! Today we have Art Historian Alison Lodge as our guest writer on The Seventeenth Century Lady! I’ve known Alison for several years now on Twitter, where she mainly tweets about 18th-century topics. Today, however, she’s in our century with a wonderful, fact-filled post on George Jamesone: The Scottish Van Dyck! George Jamesone: The ‘Scottish Van Dyck’… Read on

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‘Rubens & His Legacy- Van Dyck to Cezanne’ Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts

Yesterday I visited the current Rubens exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts on Piccadilly, London. This was my first time visiting this world-renowned place, and I would like to now share my observations and personal impressions, if I may. Artistic taste is very subjective, as I am well aware, but if you are looking for this to be… Read on

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Rembrandt: The Late Works at The National Gallery, London

This morning I attended the press preview of The National Gallery’s newest exhibition (opening tomorrow) of Rembrandt: The Late Works. Sponsored by Shell, this stunning exhibition is from 15 October 2014 – 18 January 2015. It is located in the Sainsbury Wing of The National Gallery, London. The closest Tube station being Charing Cross. I hope you enjoy… Read on

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The Beauty of van Bijlert

Jan van Bijlert was a Dutch Golden Age painter who lived from 1598 – 1671. He was a major artist from the Utrecht school and he lived in Rome for some time. I like to think you can see a bit of an Italian influence in his works, which sometimes reminds me of the works of Artemisia Gentileschi or… Read on

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The Painted Hall, Old Royal Naval College

I finally was able to visit the Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College at Greenwich, and egads! it was an amazing experience. First you see the towering architectural buildings designed by the great Sir Christopher Wren and Nicholas Hawksmoor in 1698: I looked up to see the intertwined initials of Queen Anne and George, and William… Read on

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Artemisia Gentileschi

Artemisia Gentileschi, female Baroque painter, was born on the 8th of July, 1593, the daughter of Orazio Gentileschi (another masterful painter). Whenever people discuss Artemisia, her work is almost always associated with painful events that occurred during her teens, which I will get to a bit later on. But, first, here is a self-portrait from the lady herself: One of the… Read on

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Agostino Carracci’s Erotica

Agostino Carracci, Italian Late Renaissance/Early Baroque painter, was born on the 6th of August 1557 and died on the 22nd March, 1602. One of the main aims of this article, initially, was to raise interest in this little-known artist. Since first posting this in March, however, some things have changed. I’ll address that later on. “The Penitent Magdalene:” As… Read on

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The King’s Stairs at Hampton Court Palace

The King’s Stairs in William III’s State Apartments in the newer half of Hampton Court Palace is a stunning example of Baroque architecture and artwork. The walls were painted (circa 1700) by Italian Baroque painter Antonio Verrio and conjure up mythological and historical figures depicting the strength of William III. Note how many allusions to warfare and might… Read on

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Simon Vouet

Simon Vouet, French painter who helped usher in the elaborate Italian Baroque style of painting into France, was born on this day the 9th of January, 1590. King Louis XIII’s wife (and King Louis XIV’s mother) Anne of Austria posed for Vouet in this next painting, where she is depicted as Minerva:   As you can see, Vouet… Read on

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Anthony Van Dyck – Painter to King Charles I

Anthony van Dyck, Flemish painter of the Baroque style, died on this day the 9th November, 1641. van Dyck is undoubtedly best known for being a painter for the ill-fated King Charles I of England and for this painting of the king: For a lovely selection of van Dyck’s works, please visit The National Gallery.

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The Fabulous Peter Lely

Famous for the sensual portraits known as “The Windsor Beauties,” Lely was the leading portrait painter of the Restoration. He died on this day 30th November, 1680. Lely, whose birth name was Pieter van der Faes, was born to Dutch parents in Germany, and he trained in art in Haarlem, back in the Dutch Republic. He made portraits… Read on

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The Little Banqueting House at Hampton Court Palace

The Little Banqueting House was made for King William III for his private entertainment – a place to get away from it all. The beautiful Dutch terraced landscape garden known as the Pond Garden is in the foreground in the picture above, and in the background, the lovely Little Banqueting House. I was able to enter this lovely… Read on

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Claude Lorrain – Baroque artist

Claude Lorrain – French Baroque artist, engraver, & draughtsman, died on this day the 23rd of November, 1682, in the Papal States, Roma. As we do not have an exact year of birth, it is thought that Lorrain was in his late seventies/early eighties when he died. Throughout his career, Lorrain made many works of art depicting mythological,… Read on

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Death of Nicolas Poussin

One of my favourite painters from the Seventeenth Century – Nicolas Poussin – died on this day 19th November, 1665, in Rome. I thought I’d share a few of my favourite paintings of his, courtesy of the amazing www.nicolaspoussin.org I was fortunate that, during my time in college, I had the opportunity to study with a painter who… Read on

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“The Lost Prince – The Life & Death of Henry Stuart”

I visited the National Portrait Gallery yesterday to attend the “The Lost Prince – The Life & Death of Henry Stuart.” For those who plan on visiting, please do, but perhaps you shouldn’t read more below, as I’ve written this mainly for people who live abroad and will not be able to go to the exhibition. I was… Read on

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Canaletto – A Venetian Master

Master Baroque landscape painter, Giovanni Antonio Canal, aka “Canaletto,” was born on this day the 28th of October, 1697, in Venice. His use of colour is remarkable and sometimes even photo realistic. Look at the incredible amount of detail in the boats, in lighting, the distance – everything done to a very high quality. I remember pathetically trying… Read on

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Happy Birthday, Sir Christopher Wren!

One of the greatest architects of the Seventeenth century, Sir Christopher Michael #Wren, was born on this day 20 October, 1632. So, what were some of the structures Wren designed? Hampton Court Palace, Baroque side, for William & Mary Kensington Palace (it was converted from the smaller Nottingham House to Kensington House). Old Royal Naval College (then a Royal Hospital for… Read on

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Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646-1723)

I love Godfrey Kneller. Kneller was a German painter and an exceptionally good painter, in my opinion, and a worthy successor to Peter Lely as a painter to the nobility. Why? His portraits of some of the most influential and important people of the Seventeenth century provide us with fascinating visuals of that beloved time. He’s kinda cute.… Read on

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