1. 24 Mar


    Portrait of Louisa Adams, wife of John Quincy Adams (c. 1825). Charles Bird King (1785–1862). Oil on canvas. The Granger Collection, NY. Adams was First Lady 1825-1829. She did break some traditions, encouraging dancing at her son’s wedding and participating herself. Uniquely, she was also one of only two known First Ladies, the other being Abigail Fillmore, who enjoyed providing musical entertainment for guests at the conclusion of formal dinners. An accomplished harpist, she was painted with her prized instrument.

    Portrait of Louisa Adams, wife of John Quincy Adams (c. 1825). Charles Bird King (1785–1862). Oil on canvas. The Granger Collection, NY.

    Adams was First Lady 1825-1829. She did break some traditions, encouraging dancing at her son’s wedding and participating herself. Uniquely, she was also one of only two known First Ladies, the other being Abigail Fillmore, who enjoyed providing musical entertainment for guests at the conclusion of formal dinners. An accomplished harpist, she was painted with her prized instrument.

     

  2. 19 Jul


    Two Young Girls at the Piano (1892). Auguste Renoir (French, 1841–1919, Impressionism). Oil on canvas. Robert Lehman Collection, 1975. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. In late 1891 or early 1892, Renoir was invited by the French government to execute a painting for a new museum in Paris, the Musée du Luxembourg, which was to be devoted to the work of living artists. He chose as his subject two girls at the piano. Aware of the intense scrutiny to which his submission would be subjected, Renoir lavished extraordinary care on this project, developing and refining the composition in a series of five canvases. The Lehman painting and a nearly identical version formerly in the collection of Renoir’s fellow Impressionist Gustave Caillebotte have long been regarded as the most accomplished.

    Two Young Girls at the Piano (1892). Auguste Renoir (French, 1841–1919, Impressionism). Oil on canvas. Robert Lehman Collection, 1975. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

    In late 1891 or early 1892, Renoir was invited by the French government to execute a painting for a new museum in Paris, the Musée du Luxembourg, which was to be devoted to the work of living artists. He chose as his subject two girls at the piano. Aware of the intense scrutiny to which his submission would be subjected, Renoir lavished extraordinary care on this project, developing and refining the composition in a series of five canvases. The Lehman painting and a nearly identical version formerly in the collection of Renoir’s fellow Impressionist Gustave Caillebotte have long been regarded as the most accomplished.