My blog piece about the painting Portrait of a Young Man in his Study explores:

• Details as personae in the Young Man in his Study painting.
• Lorenzo Lotto’s secretive, telling lizard.
• This Young Man’s dating profile.

In this evaluation of the painting Primavera by Botticelli I cover the following concepts:

• Why Primavera is such a popular painting
• Mythical characters featured in Primavera
• Love stories in the Primavera painting
• My Primavera YouTube video
  

In this piece on Lady With a Unicorn by Raphael you’ll find answers to:

• Frequently Asked Questions including, “Who is the woman portrayed in the Lady With a Unicorn painting?”
• What do Unicorns represent?
• Why does Lady With a Unicorn have such a smudgy looking example?
• What’s the story behind Lady With a Unicorn?

In this analysis for the painting Calling of St. Matthew by Caravaggio I include:

• Caravaggio’s everyday perspective.
• The biblical story behind Calling of St. Matthew.
• Which guy in Calling of St. Matthew is the future saint?
• A selection of Frequently Asked Questions including, “Why did Caravaggio paint Calling of St. Matthew?”

In this piece on Portrait of a Lady by Correggio I answer these questions:

• What’s the symbolism in Correggio’s Portrait of a Lady?
• Why is Portrait of a Lady a significant painting?
• Who did Correggio paint in Portrait of a Lady?

Check out the mad skills of painter Rosalba Carriera in Self Portrait Holding a Portrait of Her Sister:

• Carriera’s fame and success in 18th century Italy.
• Sisters with intimate, interdependent lives.
• A pastel spotlight in the secret Medici Tunnel.
• Answers to Frequently Asked Questions like, “What’s the story behind the women in Self Portrait Holding a Portrait of Her Sister?”

Learn about Giorgione’s The Tempest with topics including:

• Lightning’s inherent mystery.
• Renaissance nudity in The Tempest.
• The popularity of pairs.
• Answers to Frequently Asked Questions such as, “What is the Giorgione painting The Tempest most known for?”

Guido Reni’s famous for 17th century Italian frescos of 17th century. But here’s his masterpiece – Salome with the Head of St. John the Baptist. It captures a Bible story with a singular image.

Caravaggio tells a compelling story in The Cardsharps painting. Our newbie in the green sleeves at front plays the leading man. He cares the most and this intensity makes us feel for him. This shows Caravaggio’s hand. He’s pulling for the kid.

The Annunciation marks a critical inflection point for Christianity. Keeping that in mind, painter Fra Angelico uses a golden laser beam to direct viewers’ eyes.

Birth of Venus serves up instant recognition. We’re all familiar with Sandro Botticelli’s masterpiece. But have we looked at it? It’s a birth – messy baby business. But this portrait shows neither mess nor baby, only beauty.

What twists await in the Apollo and Daphne painting?

The God Apollo’s Me Too moment.
Daphne prefers life as a tree over Apollo’s advances.
In Apollo and Daphne – her choice is everything.

Lorenzo Lotto painting Lady With a Drawing of Lucretia is more than a portrait. It revels in story. This bold lady in an ornate dress calls back to the tale of Lucretia. In Livy’s History of Rome, Lucretia was raped. She then killed herself as a statement that she was not responsible for the shame it brought upon her. We see the direct strength of this act in the face of Lotto’s woman here. She’s got nothing to be ashamed of and she knows it.

The Flea by Guiseppe Crespi tells a story without revealing the main character. We only see the reaction to the flea, not the pest itself.