Mrs. Lavery Sketching

John Lavery (Irish, 1856-1941): Mrs. Lavery Sketching, 1910 (Oil on canvas, Dublin City Gallery) - Painter Lady Hazel Lavery, nee Martyn (1886-1935), was to figure in more than 400 of her husband’s paintings. Also, she modeled for the allegorical figure of Ireland he painted on commission, reproduced on Irish banknotes. Their marriage was tempestuous, and Lady Lavery is reputed to have had affairs with Kevin O'Higgins and Michael Collins, the Irish revolutionary leader…

Mabel Alvarez: Self-Portrait

Mabel Alvarez (American, 1891-1985): Self-Portrait, 1923 – (Oil on canvas, Alvarez Family Collection) The enigmatic Self-Portrait was a work of sober self-reflection and coloristic maturity. Alvarez’s image of herself is defined by broad areas of flat paint… The composition is simple, symmetrical, and focused - a lean description of her face in basic terms. The black line around the rim of her hat, which also appears on her shoulder, is a device to frame color…

Selbstporträt im Atelier

Lovis Corinth (German, 1858-1925): Selbstporträt im Atelier, 1914 – (Oil on panel, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, München) Self Portrait in the Studio is a sketchier portrayal of the painter at work, surrounded by his canvases, and looking much more haggard than in his pre-stroke days. Corinth suffered the stroke in 1911; thereafter his painterly style and his outlook on life changed in a number of ways. His brushwork generally became more expressive in nature…