Live models for figures, landscape oil sketching in front of the motif, the sensuous nude, narratives with multiple readings, incredibly loose brushwork, and so much more than portraits.
reflections
Not his last great painting by any means, but his greatest and most thought-provoking. Where are the royal couple, seen only in reflection, and who is everyone looking at?
Is it just a quirky re-telling of the myth of Arachne and her weaving contest? What do the foreground and background have in common? A superb visual riddle, perhaps.
A sibyl, or an allegory of painting? Maybe the ‘maid of Corinth’ who legends says ‘invented’ painting. And are they spinners, or the story of Arachne?
Three religious paintings, including two skilfully-told narratives, a history, and the only nude of his to have survived.
Between 1905 and 1916, he often painted his models in front of a mirror, and played games with their reflections.
He returned to one theme repeatedly: reflections in the rippled and turbulent surface of a river.
Realist, Naturalist, or Impressionist? The distinctive landscapes of Thaulow complemented the figurative painting of his friend Christian Krohg.
Specialising in Dutch domestic scenes in the 17th century, she explored reflections, and was assiduous in authenticity of details.
She started with packs of fruit wrapped in clear plastic, and systematically investigated the complex balance between transmitted and reflected light.
