From Apelles, in around 330 BCE, the personification of Truth has had particular importance to painters, in the faithfulness and accuracy of their work. Here she is.
Le Brun
From the Adoration of the Shepherds to the Corydon Shepherd of Virgil’s Eclogues, they all had their crooks.
Not just a pretty atmospheric effect, she’s a messenger of the gods, and is involved in many myths. Superb paintings by Guérin, Fuseli and others.
Goddess of youth, and cupbearer to the Olympian deities, she was a popular guise for portraits, and shown in a few mythological paintings.
Rome saved from invasion of Lars Porsena and his Tuscans/Etruscans, by the bravery of one man, Horatius Cocles.
Often an excuse for a classical nude, at least two paintings show her clothed, and many reveal her love affairs.
Painted by Bosch, the animal painter Paulus Potter, Charles Le Brun, and others. Best known from Hannibal’s crossing of the Alps.
Look where the figures are looking: that helps you read many paintings. Fine examples from Moreau, Gérôme, Lovis Corinth, Velázquez, and others.
Bridges have had huge impact on man, but aren’t normally considered aesthetically attractive. Paintings from van Eyck to Jongkind show increasing interest among artists.
From fresco to varnish: a succinct summary of all the different media which have been used in painting, with links to more detailed articles.
The Eclectic Light Company 