Regions

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

Architecture

7 Beautiful Mosques Around the World

Let’s take a virtual journey to seven exceptional mosques around the world, each a magnificent architectural masterpiece.  Role of...

Maya M. Tola 9 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

Men praying by turbulent waters in a torrential downpour. Asian Art

Rain in Japanese Art

Although Japanese weather varies greatly across the archipelago, the abundance of rain throughout the year remains a common phenomenon across Japan.

Maya M. Tola 7 January 2025

Asian Art

Shadows in Japanese Culture

Jun’ichirō Tanizaki (1886–1965) was an important Japanese writer, mainly during the Shōwa period. One of the author’s most important essays...

Luciana Craciun 7 January 2025

hiroshige moon Asian Art

Autumn Moon in Japanese Woodblock Prints

Does anyone here live by the water? If you do, you will probably confirm that evenings have something transcendental when the moon reflects on the...

Magda Michalska 7 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

European Art

All You Need to Know About the Epiphany

The Epiphany was already a popular subject in painting in the Middle Ages, yet it became a topos during the Renaissance when each respected painter...

Magda Michalska 6 January 2025

Painting

The Adoration of the Magi: Depictions in Christian Art

The Adoration of the Magi (or the Adoration of the Kings) is one of the two biblical accounts that convey the birth of Jesus Christ and describes the...

Maya M. Tola 6 January 2025