Probably the original still life theme, and always a popular one, examples from Fantin-Latour, Bazille, van Gogh, and poignant paintings by Lovis Corinth and Charles Demuth.
Bazille
These became popular during the 18th century, revealing models and those painting them, assistants, and many others. They also became complex allegories.
The exquisite and lucrative floral still lifes of Fantin-Latour, and those painted by artists on the periphery of Impressionism. Plus a surprise from Monet.
Did Vermeer use a camera obscura? What went wrong with Impressionist oil sketches? When did Klimt paint from photographs? Does any of this really detract from the art in a painting?
The story of landscape paintings which are dominated by the sky, from the Dutch Golden Age to Surrealism.
Impressionists seem not to have taken to skying, and most of their paintings have high horizons. But there are exceptions.
He excelled across all genres, one of few painters of the time to do so. He was, and remains, one of the greatest European painters of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
He created some of the most important Impressionist paintings during this period, at La Grenouillère, and painting with Monet and Sisley.
From early portraits of his mother, to wooded landscapes in the style of Corot. When Renoir painted alongside Sisley, Bazille and Monet.
His parents intended him to run the family business, but he met the Impressionists in 1862 and became hooked on painting landscapes.
