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Italian Renaissance Stories

Renaissance

Carlo Crivelli—Enigmatic Renaissance Trickster

We know very little about the life of Carlo Crivelli. The basics of life and death, and little else. We do have a collection of awe-inspiring works,...

Candy Bedworth 9 October 2025

Giorgio Vasari, St Luke Painting the Virgin WTF Art History

Best Gossips on Renaissance Artists by Giorgio Vasari

Known as the first art historian, Giorgio Vasari wrote the legendary book Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects. The book...

Anna Ingram 9 October 2025

Art History 101

The Italian Renaissance: A Brief Guide

To the general public, the Italian Renaissance is the pinnacle of art history. More than 500 years on, it’s still the subject of blockbuster...

Alexandra Kiely 9 October 2025

Painting

A Peek Into the Masters’ Workshops: How Artists Worked in the Italian Renaissance

The illustrious Renaissance masters and their celebrated artworks have lesser-known stories behind them. The Renaissance art world abounded in tales...

Guest Author 9 October 2025

Renaissance

The Surprising Career of Lavinia Fontana: Painter of Popes, Nudes, and Noblewomen

There weren’t many women who became successful artists in Renaissance Europe. However, there were probably more than most people think, and we try...

Alexandra Kiely 9 October 2025

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Women Artists

Faith Ringgold: An American Icon

Faith Ringgold was an artist, educator, storyteller, activist, and a mother. Ringgold was also an American treasure whose artistic journey has...

Jennifer S. Musawwir 8 October 2025

History

Jacob Lawrence and the Great Migration

As a child of the Great Migration, Jacob Lawrence was well placed to undertake such a mammoth task in detailing the journey from the rural South that...

Wendy Gray 8 October 2025

Faith Ringgold, Self-Portrait, 1965, Brooklyn Museum, New York City, NY, USA. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Self-Portrait by Faith Ringgold

Self-Portrait by Faith Ringgold is a masterpiece of 1960s portraiture, feminist art, and Black...

James W Singer, 8 October 2025

North American Art

The Bright Age of African-American Art: Harlem Renaissance in the US

In the first quarter of the 20th century, the Harlem region of New York City witnessed an unprecedented surge in artistic production. Known as the...

Merve Parla 8 October 2025

Masterpiece Stories

Faith Ringgold, Sunflowers, and Van Gogh

Faith Ringgold’s The Sunflower Quilting Bee at Arles is part of the artist’s series of mixed media works titled The French Collection, in which...

Aniela Rybak-Vaganay 8 October 2025

Artist Stories

Too Much Love Will Kill You—The Death of Raphael

Raphael Sanzio, one of the greatest Renaissance painters, died on Good Friday in 1520. He was only 37 years old and at the peak of his artistic...

Zuzanna Stańska 7 October 2025

Artist Stories

Death by Art: The Story Behind Luis Jiménez’ Iconic Blue Mustang

Creating art is not usually a very dangerous endeavor, but for Luis Jiménez, it unfortunately was. This is the story of a misunderstood piece of art...

Rachel Istvan 7 October 2025

Vincent van Gogh - Self-portrait with bandaged ear (1889, Courtauld Institute) Artist Stories

The Mystery of Vincent van Gogh’s Death

Vincent van Gogh’s death occurred in the early morning of 29 July 1890, in his room at the Auberge Ravoux in the village of Auvers-sur-Oise in...

Zuzanna Stańska 7 October 2025

Caravaggio David with the Head of Goliath, c. 1610, Galleria Borghese, Rome, Italy. Artist Stories

How Did Caravaggio Die? The Answer Is Not Easy

Caravaggio was a great artist, no doubt about it, but he was also rowdy. An early published notice on him, dating from 1604 and describing his...

Zuzanna Stańska 7 October 2025

Women Artists

Where is Ana Mendieta? The Unresolved Mystery

“Where is Ana Mendieta?” was shouted in 1992 by over 500 protesters in front of the newly-opened Guggenheim Museum site in SoHo, New York (the...

Magda Michalska 7 October 2025

Women Artists

Discover the Art of Clara Peeters Through 5 Tasty Still Life Paintings

Lavish banquets, appetizing cakes, savory Dutch cheeses, and colorful fruits elegantly arranged on fine china come to mind when we think of Clara...

Andra Patricia Ritisan 6 October 2025

Mary Beale. Mary Beale, Self-portrait, c. 1670, Moyses Hall Museum, Bury St Edmunds, London, UK. Women Artists

Mary Beale—England’s First Professional Female Artist

Mary Beale was a Baroque painter from the 17th century. Her talent led her to become the first professional British female artist. Luckily, she...

Jimena Escoto 6 October 2025

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Suzanne de Court. Suzanne de Court, Oval Plaque with the Annunciation, c. 1600, Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, MD, USA. Women Artists

Suzanne de Court’s Enamel Masterpieces

Suzanne de Court was a French artist who was active at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries. She focused on the production of enamel pieces with...

Jimena Escoto 6 October 2025

Photography

An Homage to Tadeusz Rolke in 10 Photographs

Tadeusz Rolke, hailed as an icon and legend of Polish photojournalism, died in his native Warsaw in July 2025, at the age of 96. He dedicated his...

Guest Author 6 October 2025

Jan de Baen (attributed to), The Corpses of the De Witt Brothers, c. 1672 - c. 1675, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands WTF Art History

A Bizarre Story of Brothers De Witt Who Were… Eaten by a Mob?

Legend has it that in 1672, two important Dutch statesmen and brothers, Johan and Cornelis de Witt, were murdered, mutilated, and eaten by an angry...

Nicole Ganbold 6 October 2025

Cubism

Growing Up Between Two Artists—Enchanting Portraits of Claude and Paloma Picasso

Ever wondered what it’s like to be raised by two world-famous artists? Pablo Picasso and Françoise Gilot shared a decade of creativity and family...

Szymon Jocek 6 October 2025

Women Artists

Elisabetta Sirani: Pioneer, Teacher and Artist

Elisabetta Sirani (1638-1665) was born in Bologna, a progressive city with a liberal attitude towards educating women. She was a pioneering female...

Gokce Dyson 6 October 2025

Women Artists

5 Things You Should Know About Michaelina Wautier

Michaelina Wautier was born in Mons in 1604. This Flemish painter has been absent in art history for many years, but her life and work are slowly...

Vithória Konzen Dill 6 October 2025

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Aubette by Theo van Doesburg

Have you ever visited Strasbourg in Alsace, France? It’s a charming city full of picturesque narrow and tiny houses scattered along the canals.

Magda Michalska 5 October 2025

Louis Comfort Tiffany, Parakeets and Goldfish Bowl, 1889, glass, lead, copper, bronze, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, USA. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Parakeets and Goldfish Bowl by Louis Comfort Tiffany

Parakeets and Goldfish Bowl is a masterpiece of Tiffany and American Art Nouveau. It expresses Tiffany’s zeal towards the pursuit of...

James W Singer 5 October 2025

Plate with Arabic Inscription, ca 975-1000, painted and glazed earthenware, Musée du Louvre, Paris, France. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Plate with Arabic Inscription

Plate with Arabic Inscription is a masterpiece of 10th-century Islamic art. It combines minimalism, abstraction, and morality into a beautiful and...

James W Singer 5 October 2025

Jean-Henri Riesener, Bureau du Roi, 1760-1769, oak, rosewood, bronze, gold, porcelain, enamel, glass, leather, Château de Versailles, Versailles, France. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Bureau du Roi by Jean-Henri Riesener

Jean-Henri Riesener’s Bureau du Roi is a masterpiece of 18th-century French art. It was and still is a designer piece fit for a...

James W Singer 5 October 2025

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Acapulco Chair

The Acapulco chair, with its unmistakable egg-shaped silhouette and PVC cord weaving, has become synonymous with Mexico’s vibrant culture and...

Lisa Scalone 5 October 2025

Quiz

QUIZ: Guess the Art Technique

Ania Kaczynska 4 October 2025