Painting

Portrait of Madeleine. Marie-Guillemine Benoist, Portrait of Madeleine, 1800, Musée du Louvre, Paris, France. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Portrait of Madeleine by Marie-Guillemine Benoist

What is the message behind Marie-Guillemine Benoist’s Portrait of Madeleine? The history and tradition behind this 1800 painting might explain...

Jimena Escoto 8 March 2026

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Portrait of Virginia Woolf by Vanessa Bell

Rebellious, creative and productive. Three of the so many adjectives to depict the two very intelligent artists sisters Vanessa Bell and Virginia...

Merve Parla 8 March 2026

Herstory

10 Mythological Female Warriors from Around the World

Men have been waging war for the longest time. But when we look closely, we find women fighting gallantly in bloody battles, who also commanded...

Jimena Escoto 6 March 2026

Herstory

Joan of Arc in 10 Paintings

Mystic, warrior, and martyr, Joan of Arc has inspired art, culture, and politics for almost six centuries. The list is innumerable but includes:...

Candy Bedworth 6 March 2026

Art of Athena Ancient Greece

Athena in Art: The Beautiful Warrior Goddess

Athena, the revered Greek goddess of wisdom, war and the arts, has captivated the imagination of artists for centuries. Her image, from ancient...

Jimena Aullet 6 March 2026

Review

Not Your Average Portrait Show in New York—Gainsborough: The Fashion of Portraiture at the Frick

Thomas Gainsborough assembled a veritable army of portraits of “the great and the good” in Georgian Britain. And the new exhibition at the Frick...

MJ Rivera 5 March 2026

Marietta Robusti, Self Portrait with Madrigal Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Self-Portrait with Madrigal by Marietta Robusti

The Venetian Renaissance painter Marietta Robusti has recently caused a stir in the art history world. Although only a few works are attributed to...

Anna Ingram 5 March 2026

Women Artists

Rediscovering Catharina van Hemessen: The Story of a Renaissance Artist in 6 Paintings

Do you know which artist created the very first self-portrait depicting themselves at work? Let me introduce you to Catharina van Hemessen. She was...

Anna Ingram 5 March 2026

Women Artists

Everything You Need to Know About Plautilla Nelli

Sister Plautilla was a Florentine nun and artist who lived in the 16th-century Italy. After centuries of neglect, her work is finally being...

Vithória Konzen Dill 5 March 2026

Painting

5 Best Seascapes in Art History

The sea has a mind of its own. Whether it is stormy or calm, a man knows that it is to be respected. In art, the seascape, as it is called, is a...

Anastasia Manioudaki 3 March 2026

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Seascape Near Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer by Van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh is one of the most popular painters of all time. He dominates Post-Impressionism, he fills art books, and he inspires modern...

James W Singer 3 March 2026

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Miranda by John William Waterhouse

The subject of this eerie painting by John William Waterhouse is Miranda, a character from William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. She was detained on...

Guest Author 3 March 2026