Art Movements

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Saint George and the Dragon

There is a skirmish between the hero and the villain. Fabrics whip about, horse hoofs trample, and a dying scream erupts as Saint George slaughters...

James W Singer 16 January 2025

Medieval Art

Here Be Medieval Dragons

Dragons are everywhere in popular culture. People make movies about them, collect stuffed animals of them, and dress up as them for Halloween. They...

Alexandra Kiely 16 January 2025

John Singer Sargent, Lady Agnew of Lochnaw, 1892, Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh, UK. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Lady Agnew of Lochnaw by John Singer Sargent

Lady Agnew of Lochnaw is a masterpiece by John Singer Sargent. It portrays a Victorian woman in a bold, modern manner. Sargent combined masterful...

James W Singer 12 January 2025

Winterfled Diptych: Mary Magdalene Raised by Angels WTF Art History

Why Is She So Hairy? Iconography of Mary Magdalene

Whenever I come across Gothic or early Renaissance representations of Mary Magdalene I always ask myself this question – why is she so hairy? Keep...

Magda Michalska 10 January 2025

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Woman Combing Her Hair by Władysław Ślewiński

Władysław Ślewiński was a leading artist of the Young Poland movement—a modernist period in Polish arts at the turn of the 19th century. Today,...

Zuzanna Stańska 10 January 2025

Ancient Rome

How to Identify a Roman Emperor by His Beard

How many times have you walked into a museum full of statues or busts and not been able to tell one ancient sculpture from another? It can be...

Lauren Dorsey 10 January 2025

Artist Stories

Winslow Homer—Painter of America

From soldiers to frolicking schoolchildren and New England fishing communities, Winslow Homer depicted American life. His works present unidealized,...

Alexandra Kiely 9 January 2025

Medieval Art

Medieval Take on Comic Books—Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry

The Middle Ages have a very sketchy reputation. On one hand, we know that a lot of amazing art was created during that time. On the other hand,...

Joanna Kaszubowska 9 January 2025

Contemporary Art

Let Your Voice Be Heard: Ai Weiwei in 10 Artworks

Ai Weiwei is the world’s most famous art dissident. Here we take a tour of ten of his most significant works.

Candy Bedworth 6 January 2025

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Threatened Swan by Jan Asselijn

Swans are normally characterized as graceful birds. They are magnificent and majestic. However, Jan Asselijn displays another side of these elegant...

James W Singer 5 January 2025

Animals

Franz Marc: The Painter Who Loved Horses

The German Expressionist movement had many faces. One of the most interesting ones was that of the painter Franz Marc. Marc looked to the natural...

Zuzanna Stańska 3 January 2025

Contemporary Art

5 Works to Get to Know Christelle Oyiri—Tate’s New Infinities Commission

Christelle Oyiri, also known as Crystallmess, is a French interdisciplinary artist, DJ, and music producer of mixed heritage—Ivorian, Guadeloupean,...

Seoyoung (Alyssa) Kim 2 January 2025