George Hughes Art

Spring Collection: Pocket Bluebells is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her Pocket Painting series featuring small scale realistic oil paintings, with a nod to...

A wonderful depiction of a dapper Parisian dandy, dating from 1848. I love his air of decadence! It is a work by F de Korff, a mysterious French aristocratic portrait artist who had ...

This impressionist still life by French painter Léon Garraud depicts a table set with a plate of peaches and a vase of pink peonies and delicate white flowers. The warm palette of or...

Edwin Loder – son of famous artist James Loder – originally enlisted in the 62nd Regiment of Foot in 1846 at the age of 19, serving mainly in India. After 20 years in the Forces, Ed...

This evocative oil painting, titled Studio Muse, depicts a seated nude in a quiet moment of contemplation. The model is shown in profile, resting on a simple wooden stool against a n...

'Piazza di Spagna, Roma' oil on canvas, by Yves Brayer (1933). At the bottom of the Spanish Steps, is one of the most famous squares in Rome. It owes ...

British painter (late 19th century) - View of Loch Lomond at Sunset. 50.5 x 76.5 cm. Old oil painting on canvas, unframed. - Signed indistinctly lower left. - Handwritten inscrip...

Oil Painting of a Woodland Scene in the English Countryside by 20th Century Modern British Artist, James Wright Art measures 30 x 16 inches Frame measures 36 x 22 inches This 198...

Jean François Portaels 1818 - Brussels - 1895 Belgian Painter ‘Oriental Girls - Mediants à Tanger, Maroc’ Signature: signed lower right ‘J. Portaels’ Medium: oil on canvas Dimensions: image size 40,5 x 28,5 cm, frame size 67,5 x 56 cm Biography: Jean François Portaels, also known as Jan Portaels, was a versatile Belgian painter born on April 3, 1818, in Vilvoorde and passed away on February 8, 1895, in Schaerbeek. He was celebrated for his genre scenes, biblical stories, landscapes, portraits, and Orientalist subjects. As a teacher and director of the Academy of Fine Arts of Ghent and the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, Portaels significantly impacted Belgian art, becoming a pivotal figure in the Belgian Orientalist school. His works were known for their 'everyday elegance and feminine grace,' and he played a crucial role in influencing the next generation of Belgian artists, including notable figures like Théo van Rysselberghe. Portaels was the son of a wealthy brewer who also served as Vilvoorde's mayor. Showing an early passion for drawing, he was sent to the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels in 1836, where he studied under François-Joseph Navez, a former student of Jacques-Louis David. Navez invited him to his studio, which was renowned at the time, allowing Portaels to refine his skills alongside other talented students like Charles de Groux and Joseph Stallaert. In 1841, Portaels moved to Paris, enrolling at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and studying under Paul Delaroche. He became influenced by the emerging Orientalist movement, which was gaining traction in Paris. In 1842, he won the Grand Prix de Rome, which funded his travels across Italy and other regions, including Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Judea, Spain, Hungary, and Norway. These journeys profoundly influenced his artistic vision, particularly his Orientalist works. Upon his return to Belgium in 1847, Portaels was appointed Director of the academy in Ghent. In 1849, he married Marie Hélène Navez, the daughter of his first teacher. Despite being offered the directorship of the Brussels Academy, he initially declined, opting to preserve his independence. He later accepted a teaching position at the Academy and eventually became its director in 1878, succeeding Eugène Simonis. Portaels was known for his broad range of artistic talents, including history painting, portraiture, and genre art. He was particularly recognised for his Orientalist depictions, often portraying the 'Oriental woman' with distinctive features like arched eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes. His style, marked by charm and elegance, distinguished him from the dominant artistic movements of Classicism and Romanticism. He was a pioneer in monumental art in Belgium, working with Jean Baptiste van Eycken to introduce fresco techniques like water glass painting...

Antique American school modernist portrait painting. Housed in a period frame. Measuring 29 by 33 inches overall and 20 by 24 painting alone.

Umbrian-Roman Master (16th-17th century) - Madonna in Prayer. 84 x 58.5 cm unframed, 96 x 70.5 cm with frame. Antique oil painting on canvas, in a wooden frame (not signed). Condi...

In Greek mythology, Gaia is the primordial goddess of the Earth, the mother of all, and a powerful force who shaped the cosmos and intervened in the affairs of gods and mortals alike...