Category
Artwork Analysis
Have you ever seen yourself pondering over art and trying to learn why it is made in such an unfamiliar and unconventional manner? If so, then PortraitFlip’s Artwork Analysis category will take you through those famous artworks and explain their background, objective, and creative process in the most understandable way.

The Wounded Deer Painting: Explaining Wounds of Frida’s Life
“I don't paint dreams or nightmares; I paint my own reality” One of the famous quotes by Frida Kahlo. Every artist presents their thoughts and feelings on canvas in one way or another. But no one has done it like Frida Kahlo. I would definitely agree on this, as whenever I came across her painting,…

The Swing Painting: Exploring Eroticism and Desire with Fragonard
Does The Swing painting ring a bell to you? A jovial beauty in the wilderness, happily hoisted in the air on her crimson cushioned seat of the swing. With the charm of the lovely maiden, you almost miss out on the two figures on the ground level. Yes, there are two men, one in front…

The Death Of Socrates Painting: Descriptive Analysis of the Artwork
The Death of Socrates is a painting that holds a deeper meaning than what is shown on a canvas. It goes beyond Socrates voluntarily drinking hemlock and his students giving him patronage. A creation by Jacques Louis David, The Death of Socrates pays homage to one of the greatest mathematicians of all, Socrates. Do you…

Michelangelo’s The Last Judgement: Art History, Facts, & More
This is the story of the year 1508. The popes tasked a well-known artist to adorn the ceiling of the most famous place in Vatican City—Sistine Chapel. Now that I’ve mentioned the Sistine Chapel, can you guess the name of the artist? Who else other than the great Michelangelo? When you visit the Sistine Chapel,…

Explaining The Great Wave Off Kanagawa (Japanese Wave Art!)
In a mood for some stories? Then let me start my blog by narrating an interesting backstory about a country. 1639 was the year when a nation closed its borders and entirely disconnected itself from other countries. Western culture was banned, foreigners were dismissed, and entering or leaving the state became a punishable act. This…

Café Terrace at Night by Van Gogh: Artists’ Depiction Of Rural France
Imagine you are in the streets of rural France, and it is nighttime. You are sitting in a little street-side cafe with a book in your hand, and a cup of creamy espresso with a croissant is set on your table! Despite being in a crowded cafe, you can still feel the solace in your…

The Raft of the Medusa: A Horrific Tale of Survival Amid the Ocean
Art is a depiction of happening events, either in reality or in an artist’s imagination. Not necessarily that the events will always be pleasant or serene! And that is what lands us on the painting we are going to talk about today. The Raft of the Medusa! It is one of the famous paintings of…

The Two Fridas: Analysis of Frida’s Double-Self Portrait
We have come across numerous renowned paintings in our lives. Each artwork tells you about its artist’s mindset and the places they’ve been influenced by. The histories behind those paintings are unique, capturing our minds. But today I came across an artwork whose saga captured my soul, leaving me with an emotional and aching feeling…

Skeleton Skull With A Cigarette: Van Gogh’s Tale of Memento Mori
“I am seeking, I am striving, and I am in it with all my heart." - Van Gogh A life filled with sorrows and grief is often mixed in rolling sheets with tobacco and smoked till you get numb. Van Gogh's Skeleton Smoking is the exact representation of the feeling of being so lost in…

The Scream: Unhinged Anxiety Personified by Edvard Munch
The personification of anxiety and horror which is sure to run a chill down your spine; that is The Scream painting for you in short. Imagine a grotesque face with a hollow yet horrified expression, with frail hands on the figure’s sunken face in shock. The hues of red blatantly stand out, warm crimsons and…

Impression, Sunrise by Claude Monet: Revitalization of France
The warmth of the rising sun, the chirping of the birds, and the slow and salient waves of the oceans. Doesn’t it all sound dreamy? If you have experienced a sunrise, then you can actually feel what I am talking about! And that is what Claude Monet tried to express when he painted one of…

Rothko’s White Center (Yellow, Pink and Lavender on Rose)
What if you enter a gallery and the painting you are witnessing doesn’t have any backstory to share? A painting that is just a painting. Maybe it was created to be just looked at and not have a deeper meaning or history. Feeling weird after thinking about an artwork that doesn’t have an explanation to…
