Welcome to /r/ArtHistory

My father had been given a painting with the comment that it 'was an original Rembrandt but had dissapeared somehow''. We always thought it was a funny story and kept it up until a few days ago my father posted it to Chatgpt who gave us the real painting and painter: 'Man behind desk by Theodore Gerard'.

This seems to be supported by flickr, but now we are interested in finding where the true original paintig is, and whether or not there is a chance this might be it. Does anyone here know what has happened to the original, where it is, and/or how we could find out?

Thanks a lot in advance!

https://preview.redd.it/64rqi668918e1.jpg?width=900&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=79e6622ae464acfe510dc950a9ae453d4ea0ede0

Smiling Girl, a Courtesan, Holding an Obscene Image” by Gerard van Honthors

I love this one, simply because how very human it is. We've always had childish humor, we've always had fun, and historic people could always use a little humanizing, with how many people treat them as backwards thinking monoliths.

I also find myself smitten with peasant paintings, the common folk of the era, since we so little get to see them.

What are your favorite paintings from the 17th century?

Hi there! Im from Slovakia and would really want to learn about Social Realism. Im talking about the art of propaganda, artists, the most used motives.. especially in USSR, or in the Eastern Blocks. What are some great resources to learn about this? Like some documentary movies, books, youtube videos? I can't really find anything longer than 10 minutes, explaining something in-depth. Thanks!

Excuse me for having such clumsy dates, I myself have a bunch of folders and just instinctively choose the dates.

In my opinion, I feel that the best of Italy was already in the past and while you do have Guido Reni, Guercino, and, my personal favourite, Luca Giordano, it does overall feel like a period that Italy takes a tumble. Keep in mind that there is also the Thirty Year's War (1618-1648) which devastates Italy.

On the other hand, this is the age of Diego Velazquez, of Peter Paul Rubens, of Rembrandt and Vermeer, etc... and over in France, we have Tournier and Poussin.

But one thing I notice about this period is that we start seeing a lack of that chaotic nudity and violent action that made up so much of the previous decades. Let's say starting around the 1530s to the 1610s or so. I'm particularly focused here on the artists in Flanders and Italy, but also El Greco and Antoine Caron in France is another example. These guys love intense action.

What's going here? If there's one example of an older artist that lived into the 1630s that I still stays strong with this style, it would be Cornelis Van Haarlem.

The 1610s or perhaps 1620s at the latest is when this style really falls flat.

What was the motive for this change? The art of the 1630s to the 1690s is certainly very beautiful, but it has this more reserved quality to it. In the case of the Dutch masters, it's very naturalistic.

There are, of course, many lovely masterpieces from this era, but Im also trying to understand its general ethos more or less.

I’m leaving the question intentionally open.

whether your favorite picks are focused one medium, comprise of only pictures, are a guide about how to draw or paint, are theoretical, technical, contemporary, or historical, or anything else! I want to hear about them!

Maybe it’s a book focused on one artist you admire, or a collection that spans movements and styles. Perhaps it’s an out-of-print gem you found tucked away in a secondhand store, a coffee table book with breathtaking visuals, or a niche guide that helped you master a tricky technique. i’d really like to know! as im a voracious reader of art books and i really like being introduced to new things.

I asked this in contemporary art, and artist lounge. so thought I’d try it here. i’m interested in how the answers will be different. :)

I will collect all the picks and post them on the art subs, I found a lot of cool art books I’d never would have found through an algorithmic suggestion, and I’m hoping you will too!!

Some time ago I found an image of an engraving that I would like to find again. What I remember:

• It showed a lute (or some other plucked instrument) player
• He was in a prison cell and in the stocks
• I think it had some text which talked about how playing the instrument helped to alleviate the burden in his soul given the player's situation as a prisoner. Something like that.
• I think it was one in a collection of images of the arts (or maybe only music). Maybe it was in a book, not a standalone piece.

It was beautiful but I am unable to find it. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Found on Pinterest. Instantly fell in love with not only the style, but this image in particular.

Does anyone know the name of the title, or if it's from one of his books? What are your favourite illustrations by him?

I would also like to know the name of this style of art, and would LOVE any discussion on it. If you know more artists who make stuff like this - please let me know :)

If so, what's it called? What did or did you not like about it?

How did you find out about the book?

Hey, figured this would be the best place to ask.

Saw this painting on FB and I like saving painting references but this one had a clearly AI generated caption that was entirely nonsense. I'm next to certain I've seen this painting before. I'm HOPING it's not an AIGen (a pox upon it and its enablers). To my untrained eye it looks like 19th century Romanticism?

Thanks for the help

https://preview.redd.it/38ng1wne6q7e1.png?width=2048&format=png&auto=webp&s=34bd0b12b172b2ee5d5b2158df3025ae6136c078

Hi art history buffs,

My teenager has asked for an introductory textbook on art history for Christmas. He has specifically said he wants it to be "textbook-y" and primarily informational, and does not have to be "exciting". His words.

He is a smart kid in his sophomore year of high school, and something written for first year college students is probably at the appropriate level for him.

Any recommendations?

Looking for book recommendations that document art and design, specifically in reference to furniture in the art nouveau period, featuring illustrations and that are well written.

I’ve just recently noticed a puncture on this painting towards the right where the sky is. Does anyone have any information on how this occurred?

Hi art history community! I saw this lovely painting on the Wikipedia page of Queen Anu of the Dzungar Khanate. The image seems only to exist on Wikipedia (or other sites which clearly got the image there) and is labeled as 'Private Collection'. I find it striking for several reasons, but mostly I just think it is a striking depiction of a warrior queen, perhaps my favorite I have ever seen. I wanted to order prints of it, but I can't find any information about it online apart from on Wikipedia where is says it was done by a contemporary Mongolian artist named Dolgoon.
Does anyone know anything about this painting? Or the artist?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Anu#/media/File:Queen_Anu,_Portrait_by_Dolgoon.JPG

i appreciate that art is binary “good” or “bad”… but seeing survival piece V at the Whitney almost felt a little bit like a joke… the idea of plants in pots inside being art is a little ridiculous to me…. could my bromeliad also be considered part of this work?! i looked online to see if there were only positive reviews - would appreciate some other realistic viewpoints on the pieces, maybe there’s a part to it i’m not understanding.

Title says it all: these artworks can be from any country but I’m partial to Spanish and Italian Baroque.

Not looking for still life paintings! sculpture can be small-scale, tombs, reliefs, and/or metalwork.

My partner is a very artistic and creative person, who had a decent artistic education in school but hasn't pursued it. However, I know she is still very interested in art, art history, and particularly feminist art.

I decided I wanted to make an art box for her for Christmas. The original idea was one of those subscription boxes that would send you a little kit every month so learn some things, but there doesn't seem to be anyone doing that, so I've decided I need to DIY it. The vision is 12 separate 'kits', each based around a theme of art history, with some reading material (academic articles or maybe printouts from books), maybe a print or two, links to videos if there are any good ones, and perhaps even some suggested field trips as we live in London, so lots of art opportunities.

However, there's so many resources out, and I'm not much of an art historian myself, and I'm finding it a bit overwhelming figuring out how to distil it all.

I've already started going through Berger's Ways of Seeing, and the Story of Art and the Story of Art without Men. I'm thinking the first 1-3 boxes will be more general intro to viewing art (largely inspired by Ways of Seeing), and the eras of art history, and then I'd like to dedicate a few specifically to feminist art theory and art history. However, I don't want to remake the wheel if anyone has suggestions for resources they think would be useful, class syllabuses, online textbooks etc. All help appreciated! Thanks :)

Complete novice here but doing a deep dive on Rembrandt. I recall how some other artists' paintings, upon x ray, were shown to have underdrawings of basic borders etc. Is it known whether Rembrandt did that? I just saw interesting video on the paints he used, but it didn't mention this aspect of it. thank you for any info.

I am 25 years old, and I work as a business analyst for an IT company. I have completed BSc and then completed MBA in marketing. I always wanted to study art or fashion designing or Journalism since I was young. But my parents forced me to get a “useful” degree, so that I won’t end up being unemployed. Anyways I did get what they wanted and now I hate my job. Everyday I literally cry, thinking how much I hate it.

Would it be a stupidity to now throw all that degrees and job away and pursue BA in art history? Is it too late? Am I going to be unemployed?