John Singer Sargent painted his "Madame X," the socialite Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau, in a black dress in a simple room with no accessories. The use of the black dress stands in stark contrast to the subject's pale skin, which also emphasizes just how much of the subject's skin Sargent is exposing by painting her in such a dress.

Image: Portrait of Madame X by John Singer Sargent (1883-4)

John Singer Sargent was in many ways out of step with his own time, as the late nineteenth and early twentieth century saw new movements such as Impressionism, Fauvism, Pointilism, and Cubism that wanted to capture moods and feelings rather than exact representations. Sargent was, at his best, a realist painter, which is exemplified in this painting, Portrait of Madame X, through Sargent's precise drawing of his subject, clean lines, and focus on his subject's classical positioning.

Image: Portrait of Madame X by John Singer Sargent (1883-4)

This eighteenth-century portrait by Thomas Gainsborough, The Blue Boy, intentionally references the previous century and the style of King Charles I's court painter, Sir Anthony van Dyck. Gainsborough places his subject in seventeenth-century clothing and poses him in a manner similar to that in which Van Dyck placed the children of Charles I in his portrait of them.

Figure: The Blue Boy by Thomas Gainsborough (1834-1835)

In this painting, The Blue Boy, Thomas Gainsborough intentionally contrasts the light and color used for his subject with those used for the background. The dark, warm colors featured in the landscape background allow for the bright blue clothing the subject is wearing to shine even brighter. Additionally, the focus of the light is almost entirely on the subject, rather than the background.

Figure: The Blue Boy by Thomas Gainsborough (1834-1835)

This painting, The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons, is by J. M. W. Turner and features many of the painter's stylistic hallmarks. The paint itself is vivid and applied in a way that creates a light, ethereal effect, and the general subject is nature's power over man. Turner's incredible speed while painting is also evident in his ability to capture such a chaotic situation.

Figure: The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons by J. M. W. Turner (1834-5)

The Blue Boy, the portrait shown above, is a painting by the English artist Thomas Gainsborough. While the painting features clothing and artistic choices that were in vogue in the seventeenth century, particularly echoing the work of Anthony Van Dyck, Gainsborough's life and career were firmly in the eighteenth century. Gainsborough's brushwork and use of light more firmly show the style that was current in his own time.

Figure: The Blue Boy by Thomas Gainsborough (c. 1770)

The exact subject of this painting is not definitively known, but it is almost certainly the son of a wealthy merchant. The subject is not depicted in the manner of a royal, but he still looks wealthy.

Figure: The Blue Boy by Thomas Gainsborough (c. 1770)

The portrait shown above was painted by Thomas Gainsborough, one of the foremost artists of the eighteenth century in England. This painting, The Blue Boy, is one of Gainsborough's most famous works, although he is actually more known for landscapes rather than portraiture. Gainsborough's portraiture style was heavily indebted to Anthony Van Dyck, who was Dutch, but heavily influenced English painting.

Figure: The Blue Boy by Thomas Gainsborough (c. 1770)

The background of The Blue Boy, the above painting, is essentially a landscape that focuses on real naturalistic forms, which reflects the artistic preferences of the painter, Thomas Gainsborough. Gainsborough frequently discussed that he would rather paint landscapes, which were frequently achieved through quick and easy brushstrokes that allowed him to capture a natural moment as it happened.

Figure: The Blue Boy by Thomas Gainsborough (c. 1770)

The conflagration that engulfed both Houses of Parliament in October of 1834 was the largest fire in London for over 150 years. J. M. W. Turner, along with many other people, ran to view the huge fire. Turner was quickly sketching the images of the fire in order to make full-scale paintings at a later time. This painting was first exhibited just a few months after the fire.

Figure: The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons by J. M. W. Turner (1834-5)