8 Real-Life People Who Became the Stars of Art History’s Most Famous Paintings

No matter the scope of their favorite subjects, most artists have dabbled in the age-old art of portraiture. Defined by portrayals of people, this genre has been practiced by art history’s most influential painters, culminating in an extensive collection of world-famous portraits.

While the artists behind these pieces are universally well-known, the subjects are often less obvious. Though many, including Gustav Klimt’s glimmering gold Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, indicate the identity of the sitter, some are more vague, like the whimsical Woman with a Hat by Henri Matisse. In both cases, learning more about the paintings’ subjects can help us see these familiar and famous portraits in a new light.

 

Mona Lisa

Arguably art history’s most famous portrait, the Mona Lisa was painted by Italian artist, inventor, and writer Leonardo da Vinci in 1506. The masterpiece features a half-length portrait of a seated woman in a loggia (a room with at least one open side) that overlooks a hazy natural landscape. The figure looks toward the viewer and softly smiles.

So, who is the Mona Lisa? For centuries, the identity of the highly recognizable figure remained a mystery. However, in 2005, German scholars discovered a handwritten comment in the Heidelberg manuscript that positively identified her as Lisa del Giocondo (née Gherardini), a Florentine noblewoman. The portrait was commissioned by her husband, Francesco Giocondo, a merchant.

Though the portrait that hangs in Paris’ Louvre Museum is the most famous Mona Lisa, it’s not the only one. For centuries, many artists—including, in the case of the Prado Museum’s copy, Leonardo da Vinci’s pupils—have created their own portraits of the now-legendary Lisa del Giocondo.

 

Girl with a Pearl Earring

In 1665, Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer created his most well-known work of art: Girl with a Pearl Earring. Several art historians have questioned the true identity of the young woman depicted in the painting. One of the most common theories is that the woman in question is Maria Vermeer, the painter’s eldest daughter. However, there are still several scholars who doubt this, and while this oil painting is often considered one of the most significant portraits, it’s not technically a portrait at all.

Girl with a Pearl Earring is actually a tronie—a study of an unidentified person. Tronies were particularly popular during the Dutch Golden Age, when artists like Vermeer and Rembrandt began adopting unnamed subjects for their “portraits.” Often, these figures are dressed in opulent clothing and set against a plain backdrop, which emphasized their anonymous nature.

Girl with a Pearl Earring is a prime example of this tradition, as it portrays an unknown girl dressed in lavish garments. “Like a vision emanating from the darkness, she belongs to no specific time or place,” art historians Arthur K. Wheelock and Ben Broos state in an exhibition catalogue. “Her exotic turban, wrapping her head in crystalline blue, is surmounted by a striking yellow fabric that falls dramatically behind her shoulder, lending an air of mystery to the image.”

 

Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer

During his Golden Period, artist Gustav Klimt began embellishing his canvases with gold leaf. This monumental decision culminated in two of his most treasured paintings: The Kiss and Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I.

Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I stars Adele Bloch-Bauer, a wealthy Jewish woman from Vienna. Believed to be either a friend or mistress of the artist, Bloch-Bauer was a patron of the arts. She and her husband, Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, amassed a collection of over 400 works of art, including Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer—a painting commissioned by Ferdinand as an anniversary present for his in-laws.

In addition to its ethereal depiction of Mrs. Bloch-Bauer, the painting is famous for its controversial history. While she declared in her will that the painting should go to the Austrian State Gallery in Vienna, her brother-in-law considered this a “request” and decided to keep it in the family. It was often loaned to museums and galleries for exhibitions, but was stolen by the Nazis in 1941.

After the war, it was placed in Vienna’s Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, where it remained until it was returned to the Bloch-Bauer family in 2006. Months later, they sold it for $135 million.

window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:’j8NgDNDcS2Jzeqcmq1EaSg’,sig:’nemg9CVrbvzEXgIYxMzu3DGMzxch8VulKclweQuSvKc=’,w:’477px’,h:’594px’,items:’56455943′,caption: true ,tld:’fr’,is360: false })});

 

Arrangement in Grey and Black

American artist James Abbott McNeill Whistler painted  Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1, a portrait of his mother, Anna McNeill Whistler, in 1871.

Born in North Carolina, Anna McNeill Whistler moved to Russia with her husband, George Washington Whistler, in the 1830s. Following his death several years later, she moved to England, where she lived with her son, James. It was in their London home that he painted this famous portrait, which shows the 67-year-old woman seated before a grey wall.

Though this piece is often referred to simply as Whistler’s Mother, the artist titled it Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 as a nod to his lyrical approach to painting. “As music is the poetry of sound, so is painting the poetry of sight, and the subject-matter has nothing to do with harmony of sound or of color. . . that is why I insist on calling my works arrangements and harmonies,” he said in 1878.

 

Portrait of Gertrude Stein

In the early 20th century, acclaimed writer and art collector Gertrude Stein was at the forefront of Paris’ avant-garde. After moving from Oakland, California to the French capital in 1903, she worked closely with important modernist figures, from groundbreaking writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway to avant-garde artists like Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso.

Stein’s support was particularly important to Picasso, who credited her patronage as a catalyst for his early success. In 1905, he painted a portrait of Stein in a style typical of his Rose Period, a phase characterized by a warm color palette and hints of “primitive” influences, such as African masks and Iberian sculpture. 

On top of illustrating the key features of this important period, Portrait of Gertrude Stein also captures his sitter’s self-assured demeanor and self-made status—much to Stein’s satisfaction. “I was and I still am satisfied with my portrait, for me, it is I, and it is the only reproduction of me which is always I, for me,” she wrote in her book, Picasso. 

 

The post 8 Real-Life People Who Became the Stars of Art History’s Most Famous Paintings appeared first on My Modern Met.

Source: mymodernmet.com