Atala: The Tragedy That Transcended Pages
In the 19th century, Europeans went crazy for one story: Atala, or the Story of Two Lovers in the Desert. It is a novel by René de Chateaubriand...
Jimena Escoto, Guest Author 12 September 2025
Academic Art
Alexandre Cabanel in 10 Paintings—Master of French Academic Painting
Alexandre Cabanel rose to fame for his historical, classical, and religious subjects, all executed in the refined style of French academic painting.
Errika Gerakiti 10 September 2025
An Orientalist from the Orient: Theodoros Rallis
Not every Orientalist painter journeyed to the Orient or the Levant to observe and interact with the socio-cultural fabric they intended to portray...
Erol Degirmenci 10 September 2025
Masterpiece Story: Birth of Venus by William-Adolphe Bouguereau
The Birth of Venus is probably the most famous painting by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, and it is considered a masterpiece of French Academic...
James W Singer 10 September 2025
Amélie Beaury-Saurel: The Incredible Life and Works
A true femme fatale in the art world, Amélie Beaury-Saurel was a French painter in the 19th century and a prominent member of Académie Julian. At...
Ruxi Rusu 10 September 2025
The Naked Truth About Nudes in Academic Art
Academicism was the dominant style in European art in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was called so because it was dictated by the French Academy of...
Magda Michalska 10 September 2025
Osman Hamdi: The First and Last Ottoman Orientalist
The first and last Orientalist painter of the Ottoman Empire is Osman Hamdi Bey. Born in modern-day Turkey, educated in Paris, and highly regarded as...
Irina Diana Calu 15 July 2025
Life and Art of José Ferraz de Almeida Júnior
José Ferraz de Almeida Júnior (1850–1899) was a popular Brazilian artist from the late 19th century. His commendable paintings paved the...
Maya M. Tola 22 May 2025
Masterpiece Story: Cleopatra by Alexandre Cabanel
Queen Cleopatra is a popular subject today – as she was in the late 19th century. Alexandre Cabanel’s Cleopatra explores a single moment of her...
James W Singer 11 March 2025
Six of the World’s Most Famous Art Academies
Have you ever wondered where the world’s most famous artists went to school? Many studied at one (or more) of these six art academies. The schools...
Alexandra Kiely 24 January 2025
Masterpiece Story: Leonidas at Thermopylae by Jacques-Louis David
Whether you are within an academic environment or at a coffee shop, when the term “Neoclassicism” and its huge influence on the visual arts...
Erol Degirmenci 13 October 2024
Masterpiece Story: Anguish by August Friedrich Schenck
Surrounded by menacing crows, a mother sheep wails in anguish as her lifeless young lamb rests on a snowy bed. This scene, painted by August...
Montaine Dumont 18 September 2024
