Category: Eye Candy for Today

The Scullery Maid, Jean-Simeon Chardin In the collection of the National Gallery of Art, DC. Use the Zoom or Download links to the right of the image on their page. 18th century French painter Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin was noted for his wonderful still life paintings (that I think magically hold time still in a way comparable…

The Factory Village, Julian Alden Weir In the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Use the “Download” or “Enlarge” links under the image on their site. In this late 19th century scene — that makes factory life seem almost idyllic — I love Weir’s textural application of paint and the way he uses it…

Springtime, Claude Monet Link is to zoomable version on the Google Art Project; downloadable version on Wikipedia; original is in the Walters Art Museum. In this painting by Monet of his first wife and frequent model, Camille Doncieux, we can see the painter’s fascination with light and color. The foliage is gesturally indicated, with mere…

Young Woman Drawing, Marie-Denise Villers In the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. When I first encountered this painting, it was hanging in a gallery at the Met in such a way that those entering the gallery were immediately confronted with it, and couldn’t help but be struck by its presence. The painting is…