top five paintings :)
AHH THIS IS SUCH A CUTE ASK!!!! these are just the first five that came to mind lol this is not a definitive list!!
5. The Red Boy (Master Lambton) by Thomas Lawrence
saw this in london and became OBSESSED with it. it’s hard to impart on a phone screen but the red color is soooo bright in person and the kid looks so sassy and authentic lol. it just pops off the wall
4. Woman with a Parasol - Madame Monet and Her Son by Claude Monet
UNDERRATED MONET PAINTING!!!! i love love love the perspective and lighting here - it’s so different from most of monet’s other work but it’s so striking!! one of my faves ever
3. Bar Boy by Salman Toor
toor is a contemporary artist (this was done in 2019!) and i am such a huge fan. i love the way his work plays with light + color, and how he depicts loneliness, community, queerness, sex, emotion, etc etc etc. also a big fan of his fag puddle series
2. The Execution of Lady Jane Grey by Paul Delaroche
yet another one i saw for the first time in the national gallery. so beautiful and haunting. you have to turn a corner to see it and it takes up a wall to itself and it just gut punched me. incredible use of composition as emotion
1. The Meeting on the Turret Stairs by Frederic William Burton
OK PERHAPS YOU WILL THINK THIS IS A BASIC CHOICE BUT i am keeping it as my number one because (a) you never know who could be part of today’s lucky 10,000 and (b) i am astonished every time i see this painting. the longing. the tenderness. the rich and compelling narrative told by a single still image. AND ALL OF THIS IS WATERCOLOR. THE DEEP BLUE OF HER DRESS. THE DETAIL IN THEIR EXPRESSIONS. THE CHAIN MAIL……. literally and genuinely a masterpiece.
(ask me my top 5 of anything!)
