Portrait of Edmond Maitre (The Reader) by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

1871
Oil on canvas
22.23 cm x 28.89 cm (8.75 in. x 11.38 in.)
Currently in a private collection

Renoir is a master of impressionist style and his paintings are notable for their saturated color with people in intimate and candid compositions at the center of them. This painting is a fine example of that with Maitre portrayed casually reclining on the couch with a book in which he appears to be engrossed.

Anna Reading by Aaron Coberly

I found a picture of this painting on Pinterest and it intrigued me with its air of quiet, and not just because reading is usually a quiet activity. The muted colors and the relaxed posture of the model helped create the peaceful atmosphere and made me want to find out more about the author.
Aaron Coberly is an artist in Seattle, Washington, who specializes in figurative oil painting and most of his portraits are done in one or two sessions. I have looked through the paintings Coberly presents on his website and most of them have that subdued feel to them that appealed to me in Anna Reading, and yes, quite a few are nudes. Mr. Coberly is undoubtedly a talented artist and I'm glad to have stumbled onto his work. Internet is a great thing!

Special Feature - Art: The Reader by Mary Cassatt

1877
Oil on canvas
32 x 25 1/2 in. (cm. 81.3 x 64.8)
Currently part of the collection of Electra B. McDowell, New York, New York

I stumbled upon this picture on the Smithsonian website here and immediately fell in love with it. Black and white art has always been my favorite and the subject of this painting seemed warm and alive despite the monochromatic color scheme.
Mary Cassatt is known as the "painter of women and children" and a brief visit to marycassatt.org revealed how she earned that reputation. Of 400+ paintings catalogued there only one has a man in it. She has several other paintings of readers but this one is my favorite. If you enjoy impressionist art I urge you to visit the gallery on this website, especially since Cassatt was hailed as one of the best three impressionist women artists of her time.

Since very few of Cassatt's works aren't done in color I was curious to see an image of the actual painting and finally found one at the web page of the Adolph Mentzel Museum. Doesn't disappoint, does it?

The Reader (aka Springtime) by Claude Monet
1872
Oil on canvas
50 cm x 65 cm (19.69" x 25.59")
Presently located at The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Curious tidbit: there is a theory that the lady portrayed in this painting is Monet's wife, Camille

The Bookworm by Carl Spitzweg
(Der Bücherwurm)
1850
19½ in × 10½ in (49.5 cm × 26.8 cm)
Oil on canvas
Presently located at the Museum Georg Schäfer in Schweinfurt, Germany

When I first googled "bookworm art" this was one of the results that came up and I just fell in love with this painting for its warm colors, what looks like an amazing library, the ladder and the fact that the old gentleman obviously doesn't have enough hands for all the books he wants to read. Some day that might be me, but of course wearing something more fashionable :)
There is an extensive article about this painting on Wikipedia, you can find it here.

P.S. And doesn't "bookworm" sound totally cute in German? 

Special Feature: The Reader by Edouard Manet

80 x 98 cm (31.4" x 38.4")
Currently at Missouri St. Louis Art Museum

I always want to know more about a work of art than the basic details such as size, date, present location. It's always intriguing to find out who the subject of the painting is, how they came to sit for the artist, whether there's any kind of personal connection there. Unfortunately less famous works of even famous artists present a challenge in that they're hardly mentioned anywhere and when they are only the most basic details are available. That's the problem I face with this painting as well and if any of you, my wonderful readers, know anything interesting about it please share!

The Novel Reader by Vincent Van Gogh

Oil on canvas
c. November 1888, Arles
73.0 cm x 92.0 cm (28.74 in x 36.22 in)


This painting is part of a group of works Van Gogh made for or about his family members and is thought to be of his sister, Wilhelmien. It is currently part of a private collection.

The Reader by Ferdinand Heilbuth

1856
32x40 cm
Oil on canvas
Current location: The Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg, Germany

The Reader by Jean-Honoré Fragonard

aka "A Young Girl Reading"
ca. 1770-1772
Oil on Canvas
82×65 cm (32.28" × 25.59")
Current location: National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC