History

Paris Salon. Alexandre Jean-Baptiste Brun, View of the Salon Carré at the Louvre, ca. 1880, Musée du Louvre, Paris, France. Art History 101

Paris Salon: 101 on France’s First Public Exhibition

If you were an artist in the 19th century, you probably dreamed of having your painting in the Paris Salon. Simply put, this exhibition was the most...

Jimena Escoto 9 June 2024

Art History 101

Mexican Colors in Art: From Mesoamerica to the World

Not so long ago, artists got their pigments from nature. In consequence, every region of the world had its own pigments and shades of colors. In...

Jimena Escoto 3 June 2024

WTF Art History

Top 10 Weird Christian Relics

Heads, shoulders, knees, and toes… Saintly toes? The variety of saintly relics really offers it all. I hope all of this is not too morbid for you.

Marta Wiktoria Bryll 24 May 2024

History

Joséphine de Beauharnais: Patron of the Arts

Joséphine de Beauharnais was born in Martinique as Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie. She evolved into the sophisticated and cultured...

Maya M. Tola 20 May 2024

North American Art

The True Story of Pocahontas Shown in Art History

If you ask any kid in America who Elizabeth Cady Stanton was, you’ll probably get a silent stare. Mention Pocahontas and the majority will light up...

Cecilia Dancourt 20 May 2024

History

When in Mexico: Mysterious and Beautiful Flower Crowned Nun Portraits

Gambol into the lobby of most Mexican hotels, or visit any antique store in Mexico, and you’re bound to find a portrait of an 18th or 19th-century...

Guest Profile 10 May 2024

Hans Holbein the Younger, Portrait of Henry VIII of England, ca. 1537, Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid, Spain.  History

Royal Portraits: The Art of Image

Shakespeare once wrote, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” For monarchs...

Abreeza Thomas 6 May 2024

History

Do You Fancy a Party? Elegant Gatherings in Art

Social gatherings have consistently inspired artists across history, enabling them to encapsulate the spirit of diverse eras, cultures, and social...

Maya M. Tola 2 May 2024

History

The Great Depression: An Unprecedented Time in Art History

In the late 1920s and early 1930s, the Great Depression wreaked havoc on the world, especially in the United States. In 1933,  Franklin D. Roosevelt...

Sam Malone 1 May 2024

Academic Art

Constructing Racism in Western Art – Hans Makart and the Case of Cleopatra

When Netflix cast Black actress Adele James as Cleopatra in a docu-series on the life of the famous Egyptian queen, the world went viral in a heated...

Kero Fichter 29 April 2024

Asian Art

The Eighth Wonder of the World: Terracotta Army

When people mention the Terracotta Army, the first thing that comes to mind is the phrase “the eighth wonder of the world”. It is a symbol of...

Marina Kochetkova 29 April 2024

Left: Martin Droeshout, Portrait of William Shakespeare, 1623. Right: Titian, Tarquinius and Lucretia, ca. 1571, Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, UK. Literature

The Art of Ekphrasis: Shakespeare’s Lucrece

It is most common to talk about paintings or sculptures inspired by a piece of literature. Yet, this relationship between arts is not unidirectional.

Jimena Escoto 23 April 2024