Painting

Henri Rousseau, The Sleeping Gypsy, 1897, Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA Artist Stories

Henri Rousseau in 10 Paintings: Like Nothing You’ve Seen Before

Henri Rousseau is one of the greatest self-taught artists in art history, known for his vivid depictions of subtropical landscapes. Discover the...

Marta Wiktoria Bryll 23 December 2024

Cristiano Banti, Portrait of Alaide. European Art

Rediscovering the Macchiaioli: Italy’s Revolutionary Impressionists

You’ve heard of the larger-than-life Impressionists who captivated Europe and the world at large with their dazzling light and color. But what...

Natalia Iacobelli 18 December 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Two Shades of Love in Vermeer’s Paintings

Many of the paintings by Johannes Vermeer (Dutch, 1632–1675) focus on the theme of love. Some of them involve music, letters, or a glass of wine,...

Tom Anderson 16 December 2024

Impressionism

5 Things You Need to Know About Australian Impressionism

Australian Impressionism might not be as well known as its French counterpart, but this late 19th-century art movement was important to the country.

Kelly Hill 11 December 2024

Painting

Giovanni Boldini’s Beautiful Belles

Giovanni Boldini (1842-1931) was a popular society portrait painter in turn-of-the-century France and England. His elegant portraits are still much...

Alexandra Kiely 9 December 2024

Artist Stories

Diego Rivera’s Life in Self-Portraits

Diego Rivera is mostly famous for his controversial mural for the Rockefeller family and for being the husband of Frida Kahlo. Yet in his lifetime,...

Magda Michalska 9 December 2024

History

Diego Rivera: The Controversial Story of Man at the Crossroads

At the suggestion of his mother, Nelson Rockefeller commissioned Diego Rivera, a passionate Mexican socialist artist, to paint the mural that was...

Ruxi Rusu 9 December 2024

Jan Havicksz Steen, Woman at her Toilet, 1655-60, oil on panel, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Woman at Her Toilet by Jan Steen

Jan Steen’s Woman at Her Toilet is a provocative masterpiece of genre paintings because of its visual complexity and seductive allure, inviting...

James W Singer 8 December 2024

Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller, Conscript’s Farewell, 1854, Leopold Museum, Vienna, Austria. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Conscript’s Farewell by Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller

Conscript’s Farewell is a masterpiece by Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller. It explores a family’s reaction to the conscription of their beloved...

James W Singer 8 December 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Gallant Conversation by Gerard ter Borch

Gallant Conversation by Gerard ter Borch is a genre painting filled with a mysterious narrative. What are the three people doing? Why are they in a...

James W Singer 8 December 2024

Art History 101

Artists and Paintings: Everything You Need to Know About Impressionism

Impressionism is one of the most significant movements of modern art. The names of Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, or Edgar Degas are widely...

Nataliia Pecherska 8 December 2024

History

Yes, Santa Claus Is Real! His Name Is St. Nicholas

Who dressed in winter robes, bestowed gifts under the cover of night, and became a hero to children? This describes Nicholas of Myra, a Middle...

Helen Jeffery 6 December 2024