Five Unmissable Paintings at the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC

From a 17th Century selfie to a shark attack

The third biggest museum in the United States, The National Gallery of Art in the nation's capital is home to some stunning works by European and American masters, including Johannes Vermeer, Rembrandt and Monet. Here are five highlights from the collection:

Self-Portrait- Rembrandt van Rijn
Rembrandt may have painted so many self-portraits because it allowed him to experiment with new techniques and styles without having to pay for a sitter. But the practice can also be seen as an exercise in introspection, as Rembrandt tried to draw out his inner emotions in a painting of his face. This portrait was produced in the year in which the artist had entered financial ruin and had most of his assets seized.

Self-Portrait Rembrandt van Rijn 1659 (From the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC)

The sense of vulnerability and weariness is evident here: if we zoom in on Rembrandt’s eyes they seem sunken, tired and glassy— perhaps holding back some tears, and the skin in his face is loose and sallow. But his upright pose, modeled on a portrait by Raphael, suggests that he still maintained an inner sense of dignity and status despite his hardships.

Detail from Self-Portrait Rembrandt van Rijn 1659 (From the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC)

Watson and the Shark- John Singleton Copley
This dramatic painting depicts a real-life incident in which a fourteen year old British boy, Brook Watson, was rescued from the certain death after being attacked by a shark in the Havana harbor in 1749. Copley’s work was widely celebrated when it was first unveiled at the Royal Academy in London in 1778, especially for the way that it captures the immediacy of the action. The boy is screaming and panicking— we can see from the crimson waters near his legs that his right foot has just been bitten off— while some of the rescue party strain to save him from the menacing shark whose teeth are just inches from the boy’s head. Others on the boat are visibly distressed and concerned, though some seem to be nervously eyeing up the shark, worried about their own safety. Incredibly however, Watson was saved and went on to become Mayor of London!

Watson and the Shark John Singleton Copley 1778 (From the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC)

Woman with a Parasol- Madame Monet and Her Son Claude Monet
Monet's painting of his wife Camille and their son on a casual stroll was produced en plein air to give the image a sense of authenticity. He wanted to capture the feeling of two people completely immersed in their surroundings; it’s almost hard to tell where Camille’s dress end and the sky in the background begins. Monet’s fluid brushwork creates the sense of an environment in flux. We can see the clouds rush by in the strong breeze which has also swept up the yellow petals of the wild flowers at the bottom of the composition.

Woman with a Parasol- Madame Monet and Her Son Claude Monet 1875 (From the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC)

This was meant as a lively spontaneous, rather than stuffy accurate and formal, family portrait— in fact if we zoom on the faces of Camille and the child we can see that they’re almost featureless.

Detail from Woman with a Parasol- Madame Monet and Her Son Claude Monet 1875 (From the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC)

Woman Holding a Balance- Johannes Vermeer
Vermeer’s allegorical painting of a woman weighing her jewelry is one of the Dutch artist’s most famous pieces, and it is filled with the ambiguity which defined much of his work. The scene depicted appears perfectly still— the woman wears an expression of pure serenity as she finally manages to get her scales to balance.

Woman Holding a Balance Johannes Vermeer 1664 (From the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC)

If we zoom in, we can see a painting-within-a-painting of Christ’s Last Judgement on the wall behind her. Is this an image showing us a good Christian woman making a concerted effort to find moderation in her indulgence in material goods, or are her measurements of her pearls and bracelets a kind of secular, consumerist parody of the Last Judgement? The fact that she is bathed in a glow from outside suggests that Vermeer might well have meant this as a depiction of spiritual enlightenment.

Detail from Woman Holding a Balance Johannes Vermeer 1664 (From the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC)

The Repentant Magdalen- Georges de La Tour
Here we see Mary Magdalen— a prostitute said to have been absolved of her sins by Christ— looking pensively into a mirror while touching a skull on her desk. Like with Vermeer’s painting, we’re keenly aware of the atmospheric silence here, as La Tour creates a sort of dark vacuum in which the only source of light comes from the softly flickering candle which gives Mary Magdalen a saintly glow. But like the skull, the candle serves as a memento mori or allegorical reminder of death, which makes us reconsider the subject as a mortal human, like us, and not just a mere symbol of penitence. It is a sombre realization, made all the more intense by the Caravaggio-esque heavy contrast between light and dark tones.