If only the world looked like Sophie von Hellermann’s ethereal paintings. Born in Munich in 1975, the artist moved to London to obtain her masters in painting at the Royal College of Art. Distinguished by a vibrant color palette applied with soft brushstrokes, her work has been described as “gurlesque,” for its fundamentally feminine style. It’s as if we’re peering into the mind of a whimsical teenager. Von Hellermann’s latest exhibition pulls historical figures from art and literature into her orbit. One painting depicts the artist herself with J. M. W. Turner; another sees Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh gallivanting in a field of sunflowers. The works are romantic, suggesting an idyllic world of vivid sunsets and harmony between couples. —Maggie Turner