Baroque

Masterpiece Stories

Portrait of Sofonisba Anguissola by Anthony van Dyck

Anthony van Dyck was a Flemish painter born in Antwerp (then Spanish Netherlands, now Belgium) in 1599 and passed away in London in 1641. From 1621...

Soledad Castillo Jara 10 March 2024

Women Artists

Maria Sibylla Merian. An Artist Who Changed Science Forever

In the 17th century, it has been widely believed that insects were just spontaneously born of mud, dirt, or rotting flesh, but that notion has been...

Nicole Ganbold 9 March 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Aeneas Taken by the Sibyl to the Underworld by Jacob van Swanenburgh

Aeneas Taken by the Sibyl to the Underworld is one of only 11 known surviving works by Jacob van Swanenburgh. It is a rare gem of late Renaissance...

James W Singer 9 March 2024

Sor Juana, Juan de Mirando, c.1680 History

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz: Scholar, Feminist, Revolutionary

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz was a 17th-century nun and the first published feminist poet of the New World. Her written works display her sense of wit...

Natalia Iacobelli 6 March 2024

Giambattista Tiepolo, The Banquet of Cleopatra, 1744, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia. Artist Stories

Tiepolo: The Last Venetian Master

Mainland Italy is a perfect country for fresco production since it is dominated by a dry climate that preserves frescoes very well. Even though...

Magda Michalska 5 March 2024

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 25 February 2024

Gerrit Dou, Dog at Rest, 1650, oil on oak panel, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, USA. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Dog at Rest by Gerrit Dou

Gerrit Dou’s Dog at Rest is a masterpiece of Dutch genre painting, perfect for both dog enthusiasts and art...

James W Singer 25 February 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The African King Caspar by Hendrik Heerschop

White subjects have dominated the Western art tradition for millennia, while people of color have been vastly underrepresented and misrepresented.

James W Singer 20 February 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 18 February 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Children Eating Grapes and a Melon by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo

Children Eating Grapes and a Melon, currently located in the Alte Pinakothek, is one of the most famous paintings by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo. This...

Vithória Konzen Dill 17 February 2024

Sculpture

Cupid and Psyche: Love Story Through Sculpture

Cupid and Psyche, mythological characters immortalized in Metamorphoses by Apuleius, have been inspiring artists through the centuries. Sculptors...

Valeria Kumekina 14 February 2024

Vanitas painting with dark background. On the table are flowers, a scalloped dish filled with almonds, dates, and raisins, and pretzels on a pewter dish. There is also a pewter urn, a gold goblet, and wine glass filled with a red liquid. Women Artists

10 Women of the Dutch Golden Age

The art produced during the Dutch Golden Age is known for its beautiful genre scenes, landscapes, and still lifes. However, the artists associated...

Lauren Kraut, Nicole Ganbold 5 February 2024