50 best/most important/most interesting paintings in Boston, post number 3, Rembrandt’s “Artist in his Studio.” This little work--it’s only 9.75 x 12.5 inches--is one of my favorite paintings anywhere, not just in Boston. It’s a portrait; it’s a narrative painting; it’s an amazing study of light. And it’s filled with so many wonderful details: a mahlstick held with a pinkie, palettes hanging on the wall, vessels to the left of the artist, door hinges and latches, worn floorbo

This portrait, “Luis de Góngora y Argote,” by Diego Velazquez is the first in a series of posts that will feature what I consider the 50 best/most important/most interesting paintings in Boston-area museums. Although small (19 3/4 x 16 inches), and not among Velazquez’s best-known works, it might be one of his most significant. According to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where the painting hangs, “this portrait may well have led to [Velazquez’s] first royal commission and s