One of the greatest Spanish painters of all time, Diego Valazquez served at the court of Philip IV (r. 1621-1665), a man six years his junior, for four decades. He came to Madrid in 1622 under the patronage of Count Olivares, young King Philip IV’s First Minister. Philip and Olivares were opposites: weak, lazy and…

o little is known about Jan Vermeer, his goals and influences. He died unknown, penniless with 8 minor children, at age 43 and remained forgotten for 200 years. Today he is known as the “Sphinx of Delft,” a sobriquet attached to him by the French art critic Thore-Burger, who rediscovered his genius in the 1860s…

Bernini was a child prodigy and the greatest artist (possibly the greatest man) of his day, internationally famous by age 35, possessing the virtuosity of Leonardo and Michelangelo. He left an extensive and indelible mark on Rome, the only city he ever knew, especially St Peter’s Basilica, completed in 1626, where Bernini was responsible for…

Pieter Bruegel is celebrated for shifting the focus of art from the divine to the human, from the heroic to the humble, and from the exceptional to the everyday, which is how he earned the nickname “Peasant Brueghel.” Whereas the Italian High Renaissance was optimistic and saw man as large, idealized, and heroic, the Northern…

Flemish/Belgian artist Peter Paul Rubens had it all: looks, health, grace, and genius. After an 8 year sojourn in Italy working for the Duke of Mantua, he was influenced particularly by Titian, but also Tintoretto and Veronese, and Raphael’s pupil Giulio Romano. Rubens brilliantly synthesized the style of Italian and Dutch art into something entirely…

Rembrandt van Rijn was a Dutch master whose genius lay in his ability to fuse truth with artistry. Known for his extraordinary command of light and shadow, he brought emotional depth and psychological realism to the canvas, always privileging honesty over idealized beauty. In his hands, portraiture was transformed: sitters were not merely represented but…