Though he was eventually beheaded, this portrait encapsulates the king's notion of independent authority, and his belief in the divine right of kings. Anthony van Dyck, Charles I with M. ... by Matthew Wilson
How do you paint your own slave? Painter Julie Mehretu explores Velázquez’s answer to this troubling question. Diego Velázquez, Juan de Pareja by The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Van Dyck makes painting look easy! His king is just as self-assured—despite having dismounted, he exudes strength. Anthony van Dyck, Charles I at the ... by Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker
This puzzling painting about painting is half genre scene, half family portrait. But what’s on the large canvas? Diego Velázquez, Las Meninas by Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker
In Rubens’s hands, leaving a ship becomes a triumphal event—complete with a trumpeting angel. Peter Paul Rubens, Arrival (or Disembarkation) of ... by Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker
The Baroque doesn’t have to be loud, as this intimate and quiet sculpture demonstrates so well. Pierre Le Gros the Younger, Stanislas Kostka ... by Frank Dabell, Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker
Royal portraitists negotiated between historical accuracy and ideal form. Here, Rigaud flatters the aging king. Hyacinthe Rigaud, Louis XIV by Tessa Fleming
Be still, my heart! A portrait of Marie attracts the king’s gaze, yet our eyes zig-zag around this busy canvas. Peter Paul Rubens, The Presentation of the ... by Dr. Esperança Camara