Frida Kahlo – Self-Portrait in a Velvet Dress (1926)

Bedridden after the gruesome accident that left her pelvis, legs, spinal column, collarbone and ribs fractured, Frida Kahlo spent her long convalescence painting, reading voraciously, studying German and Italian Renaissance art and writing passionate letters to her boyfriend, Alejandro Gómez Arias. Although the couple was once inseparable, after the accident Alejandro started pulling away and […]

Sandro Botticelli – Portrait of a Young Woman (1480 – 1485)

A few weeks ago I was telling you about Simonetta Vespucci, the beauty of 15th century Florence, who is said to have been loved by Giuliano de’ Medici and painted, at least once, by Renaissance Italian artist Sandro Botticelli (1445 – 1510). After she died in 1476 just before turning 23, the Medici brothers and […]

Piero di Cosimo – Portrait of a Woman, said to be of Simonetta Vespucci (c. 1480)

Possibly one of the most eccentric painters of his time, Piero di Cosimo (1462 – 1521) was an Italian Renaissance artist that frequently depicted elaborated mythological scenes and was often commissioned to do the portraits of the noblemen and women of Rome and Florence. Also known as Piero di Lorenzo, he borrowed the Cosimo name […]