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Benjamin West’s The Death of General Wolfe is a near perfect History Painting. Not because it’s accurate. Rather it sets a prime example of West’s reinvented genre. With his buddy, John Singleton Copley, West created a new form of history portrayal. The duo painted current events with dramatic flair. Before them, History Paintings stuck to Classical and Bible stories. These artist friends thus founded contemporary History Painting.

For instance, the General falls with tragic grace at the center of The Death of General Wolfe. This had just happened in 1759, during The Seven Years War. Eleven years later West weaved artistic license into it. In truth, Wolfe took three musket balls at the height of battle. There’s no way he died with such elegance. He appears to float into the arms of his compadres, gentle as a feather.

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https://www.ladykflo.com/the-death-of-general-wolfe-by-benjamin-west/

The painting Watson and the Shark tells a dramatic story. So much so, it made the painter famous. Before this, John Singleton Copley painted portraits. He made a name for himself portraying leaders like Myles Cooper, Thomas Gage, and Paul Revere. But Copley married into a stringent Tory family. So, in 1774, the American Revolution inspired his move to England. This changed his work. No longer painting gentlemen and lady portraits, he became a storyteller. In fact, with painter friend, Benjamin West, Copley created a whole new kind of art. They started what’s now known as History Painting. These pieces tell stories, often of heroic figures facing danger, in a historic manner. Watson and the Shark exemplifies such a History Painting.

Art historians often point to this painting as the reinvigoration of Copley’s career. After all, he couldn’t paint colonial characters anymore on British soil. He had to start over anyway. Lucky for us, he did it with drama. This painting has it all: nudity, imminent violence, heroism, and the funkiest shark of 1778. John Singleton Copley took General Watson’s tale from youth and crafted a masterpiece.

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https://www.ladykflo.com/watson-and-the-shark-by-john-singleton-copley/

Rooster, Hen, and Hydrangeas epitomizes the painstaking care of silk painting. There’s no room for error. Each brushstroke is permanent as soon as it hits the delicate fabric. Imagine the inner peace Ito Jakuchu must have had to achieve this level of detail.

He was an 18th century Buddhist Japanese painter. In fact, this work illustrates his Buddhist principles. They include stillness and respect for animals. Buddhists also value practice and spontaneity. These two opposite themes work together. In fact they’re both crucial aspects of this painting.

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https://www.ladykflo.com/rooster-hen-and-hydrangeas-by-ito-jakuchu/

American Gothic may be the most recognizable American painting. After all, tee shirts, memes, and mementos galore showcase various versions. But Grant Wood’s simple, esteemed, original’s my favorite. Viewer reactions are the best part of this masterpiece. It’s simple yet iconic. That’s why many seem to project their own lives onto these farm folk of yore. Few fine art fans share the stolid rigidity or spare lifestyle of this duo. Yet viewers often feel they know them. They seem real and not like caricatures.

Grant Wood painted this portrait the way a theater director puts on a show. First he discovered the setting. Wood saw the house, now famous for inspiring American Gothic, in a small Iowa town and knew it had to be in a painting. Then he cast his sister and dentist to play the two roles. Many presume them farmer and daughter. But that’s never been nailed down. In fact, the painter left it ambiguous on purpose. The pair’s grim faces seem more stubborn than sad. These are salt of the earth folks. The kind that take, “You’re a tough old bird,” as a compliment.

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https://www.ladykflo.com/american-gothic-by-grant-wood/

Andrew Wyeth’s The Drifter brings to mind a romantic archetype. A drifter’s that person you can never know. Right when you think you might understand them, they’re gone. Poof. The feelings this brings up make this a romantic painting. That’s why it’s so very unusual. Despite its emotion, this is a remote portrayal. We don’t know much about this man. But Wyeth gives us clarion details to point out every bit of information. He’s sad. His clothes are grubby. He looks away.


These features point to loneliness and isolation. They also make us wonder. Viewers want to know more about him. When I first saw this painting I felt like I was waiting for The Drifter to lift his head and look at me. That’s how much I wanted it to happen. I wanted to meet his gaze and know him a little better. There’s a sense of longing built into this portrait. It tells us that Wyeth chose this man because he had a similar sense. That there was more to this drifter than what we see on the surface.

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https://www.ladykflo.com/the-drifter-by-andrew-wyeth/

Rosalba Carriera’s Self Portrait Holding a Portrait of Her Sister fascinates me. In fact, this masterpiece highlights what makes self portraits special. These paintings reveal how artists see themselves. On some level, every painting is a peek into its painter’s point of view. It’s their gift to us – a new way of seeing. When they portray themselves, painters convey a few levels of perspective. There’s what they see in the mirror. On the surface, this is how they see themselves. Of course, one can’t presume utter candor in all cases. So, on another level, artists show what they want us to see about them with a self portrait. However, the painter also has in mind what they want viewers to think is how they see themselves.

But Carriera’s frank depiction here sets a stunning example of honest reflection. It’s charming. The cleft chin of the artist and her sister’s pock mark point to the reality of their looks. She emphasizes their noticeable imperfection. Both women were what was oft-called spinsters in their day. In fact, Rosalba’s sister, Giovanna, worked as her housekeeper. They supported each other in both the literal and symbolic sense. Self Portrait Holding a Portrait of Her Sister points out, warts and all, their unconventional stature.

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https://www.ladykflo.com/self-portrait-holding-a-portrait-of-her-sister/

The little girl in A Princess of Saxony seems weird at first. She’s got that impossibly high 1500s forehead. The iconic Queen Elizabeth had one too. As did most lady court portraits in those days. That’s because big foreheads were a sign of intelligence and class in the 16th century. This enormous noggin doesn’t quite suit our princess’s vulnerable young face. It also doesn’t take away from the resonant sense that she’s a child, though. That sets this painting apart from others of its day. After all, many 16th century kid portraits look more like an adult with a child body. Sure, this princess has a strange face. But she’s also the real deal.

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https://www.ladykflo.com/a-princess-of-saxony-by-lucas-cranach-the-elder/

Paul Klee entitled this painting The Golden Fish. But it's often called The Goldfish by viewers and even art historians. I'm not a fan of this practice. Words matter. There's a big difference between the two entities. Klee's fish here is nothing like an actual goldfish. The Golden fish has a sleek, slender figure.

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https://www.ladykflo.com/the-golden-fish-the-goldfish-by-paul-klee/

Brushwork flips reality to the abstract in Vaulting. Modern artist Susan Rothenberg’s known for her expressive technique. Her paintings exemplify movement. This is the key element to Vaulting. A vaulter becomes motion rather than mere man. This American painter reveals the inner experience of movement. It’s also how she created this masterpiece.


As a dancer, Susan Rothenberg knew what it felt like to move. There’s intensity inside a moving body. This is what comes through in her painting Vaulting. It’s not just a body moving. This portrays a body as movement. When she painted this, Rothenberg was living by the sea. Its constant shifting inspired her to capture the concept of movement itself. So, her painting took on a fresh quality. She used paint to show the liquidity of motion.

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https://www.ladykflo.com/vaulting-by-susan-rothenberg/

People love to talk about The Tempest by Italian Master Giorgione. There are a few reasons behind its appeal. Of course, it’s gorgeous and portrays a fantasy with expertise. It’s mysterious. Those are obvious answers. Women didn’t breastfeed nude outside in the early 1500’s. Controversy noted.

But there’s also binary imagery and composition throughout this painting. Two of everything with few exceptions. That makes it easy to categorize and discuss. People are comfortable with pairs: new and old, male and female, urban and rural, etc. So, The Tempest’s a frequent discussion target.

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https://www.ladykflo.com/the-tempest-by-italian-master-giorgione/