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Painters

Getting to Know Whistler’s Father

Whistler’s mother is a superstar. But the painter’s dad has languished in obscurity—until now

The Forum was among the many sights in Rome that amazed Copley, who said he was “feasting my eyes.”

When Colonial America’s Greatest Painter Took His Brush to Europe

John Singleton Copley left for Europe on the eve of the American Revolution. A historian and her teenage son made the trip to see why

Madame Leon Clapisson, Renoir, 1883

New Research

Scientists Revitalize the Reds in Renoir’s Faded Painting

Paint fades over time, but scientific analysis can help reconstruct the original

Art Meets Science

Should We Use Body Painting to Teach Anatomy?

Artist Danny Quirk’s paintings on the skin of willing friends show in textbook-like detail the muscle, bone and tissue that lie underneath

Mood: experimental. Desired quality: active.

These Abstract Portraits Were Painted By An Artificial Intelligence Program

The Painting Fool, a computer program, can create portraits based on its mood, assess its work and learn from its mistakes

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Europe

How to Tour Michelangelo’s Rome

The Renaissance artist called art “a wife” and his works “my children.” Visit these five sites in the Italian capital and the Vatican to pay homage to him

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Want to See How an Artist Creates a Painting? There’s an App for That

The Repentir app reveals an artist’s creative process by allowing users to peel back layers of paint with the touch of their fingertips

April 4, 2013: Taylor Swift, by Klari Reis

Every Day a Different Dish: Klari Reis’ Petri Paintings

This year, a San Francisco-based artist will unveil 365 new paintings, reminiscent of growing bacteria, on her blog, The Daily Dish

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America’s Forgotten Landscape Painter: Robert S. Duncanson

Beloved by 19th-century audiences around the world, the African-American artist fell into obscurity, only to be celebrated as a genius a century later

Among the artists who emerged in the 1950s and '60s, Willem de Kooning, shown here in 1953, defied categorization.

Willem de Kooning Still Dazzles

A new major retrospective recounts the artist’s seven-decade career and never-ending experimentation

Samuel Morse consolidated Louvre masterpieces in an imaginary gallery.

Samuel Morse’s Reversal of Fortune

It wasn’t until after he failed as an artist that Morse revolutionized communications by inventing the telegraph

The Peacock Room, named for the birds James McNeill Whistler painted on its shutters and walls, reflects the tension between the artist and his first significant patron.

Freer|Sackler: Reopens

The Story Behind the Peacock Room’s Princess

How a portrait sparked a battle between an artist–James McNeill Whistler—and his patron–Frederick R. Leyland

American artist George Ault had the ability in his paintings to take specific locations in Woodstock, New York, where he lived from 1937 until his death in 1948, and make them seem universal. Shown here is Ault's Daylight at Russell's Corners, 1944.

George Ault’s World

Structured with simple lines and vivid colors, the paintings of George Aultcaptured the chaotic 1940s in a unique way

Born in Seville in 1599, Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez was the very embodiment of Spain's artistic golden age.

Velázquez: Embodiment of a Golden Age

The magic of Velázquez has influenced artists from his contemporaries to Manet and Picasso

Curator John Marciari discovered the Velázquez painting in a Yale storeroom and calls The Education of the Virgin "the most significant addition to the artist's work in a century or more."

A Velázquez in the Cellar?

Sorting through old canvases in a storeroom, a Yale curator discovered a painting believed to be by the Spanish master

Paul Gauguin's Tahitian mistress Tehamana modeled for many of his South Seas works, including the lush Te Nave Nave Fenua (The Delightful Land), 1892.

Gauguin’s Bid for Glory

Of all the images created by the artist Paul Gauguin, none was more striking than the one he crafted for himself

Wayne Thiebaud may be best known for confections, but friends and critics point to his underappreciated depths.

Wayne Thiebaud Is Not a Pop Artist

He’s best known for his bright paintings of pastries and cakes, but they represent only a slice of the American master’s work

A keen observer as well as celebrated wit, Arcimboldo created composite portraits that were both enjoyed as jokes and taken very seriously.

Arcimboldo’s Feast for the Eyes

Renaissance artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo painted witty, even surreal portraits composed of fruits, vegetables, fish and trees

Many works by Alexis Rockman are "a portent of events to come," says curator Joanna Marsh. The artist's 2006 Hurricane and Sun suggests menacing weather.

Painter Alexis Rockman Pictures Tomorrow

There’s trouble ahead in the artist’s eerie yet riveting paintings, now the subject of a major exhibition

"Happy Birthday Miss Jones" arrests everyone's attention, says collector Spielberg.

From the Castle: Show and Tell

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