Art Movements

Group of three figurines, Early Cycladic II, early spedos type, museum number K9, Badisches Landesmuseum, Karlsruhe, Germany. Detail. Ancient Art

Demystifying Cycladic Figurines

Cycladic figurines have a mythical aura. Their gleaming abstract forms speak of timeless beauty. But what actually are they? Why do they look like a...

Isla Phillips-Ewen 28 July 2023

Ancient Art

Living Memories: The Funerary Stelae of Ancient Cyprus

The majority of sculpture that survives from ancient Cyprus are funerary stelae, elaborate grave markers to commemorate the dead. Possessing an...

Marga Patterson 28 July 2023

Ancient Greece

Ancient Greek Pottery: 4 Ways To Decipher Non-Greeks from Greeks

There is a plethora of Ancient Greek pottery pieces to dive into when discussing Ancient Greece and Ancient Greek citizens. Similarly, there is a lot...

Rachel Witte 25 July 2023

Ancient Greece

The A to Z of Ancient Greek Pottery Terms Pt. 1

In Ancient Greece, vases were a commonplace item. There was no explanation needed as to what they were or how they were used. They each served a...

Rachel Witte 25 July 2023

Ancient Greece

The A to Z of Ancient Greek Pottery Terms Pt. 2

And so the saga continues in our adventures of learning about Ancient Greek pottery! You will probably have noticed that I chose to skip a few...

Rachel Witte 25 July 2023

Ancient Greece

Depictions of Ajax in Ancient Greek Pottery

Ancient Greek literature is abundant in legendary heroes who live and die for everlasting glory. Their names and deeds echoed in the conscience of...

Erol Degirmenci 25 July 2023

Ancient Greece

Not So Dark After All: Greek Designs from the Dark Ages

Despite lasting only a century (c. 1100-1000 BCE), the dark ages in Greece were an era of material poverty, cultural isolation, and artistic decline.

Lauren Dorsey 25 July 2023

Volcanoes in Painting:Joseph Wright of Derby, Vesuvius from Portici, 1774. Romanticism

When Romanticism Meets Eruptions: Volcanoes in Paintings

Active volcanoes are great places to visit, but the danger of a potential eruption is always there. When some of them erupted with artists as...

Maia Heguiaphal 24 July 2023

Maria de Knuijt Baroque

Meet Maria de Knuijt: Was Vermeer’s Main Patron a Woman?

We all know Girl with a Pearl Earring, but have you ever wondered to whom the piece originally belonged? In light of the recent, largest Vermeer...

Nicole Ganbold 23 July 2023

Johannes Vermeer, Art of Painting, ca 1666-68, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Art of Painting by Johannes Vermeer

Johannes Vermeer is an enigmatic figure in the history of art. He is considered one of the most famous artists of the Dutch Golden Age. Why are his...

James W Singer 23 July 2023

* Johannes Vermeer, Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid (c. 1670–71), National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin, Ireland. Artist Stories

5 Things You Should Know About Johannes Vermeer

Johannes Vermeer was a Dutch painter who lived and worked during the Dutch Golden Age. Along with Rembrandt and Frans Hals, he is considered one of...

Anastasia Manioudaki 23 July 2023

Johannes Vermeer, Girl With a Pearl Earring, c. 1665, Mauritshuis, Hague, The Netherlands. Wikimedia Commons (public domain). Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer

The Girl with a Pearl Earring is usually the first image that comes to mind when we think of Johannes Vermeer. It has inspired multiple references in...

Soledad Castillo Jara 23 July 2023