Regions

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Eruption of Mount Vesuvius by Pierre-Jacques Volaire

The ground shakes and rumbles as the nearby mountain awakens with smoke emerging from its peaks. The land trembles more and a fiery blast shoots into...

James W Singer 4 May 2025

Adam Elsheimer, Flight into Egypt, 1609, oil on copper, Alte Pinakothek, Munich, Germany. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Flight into Egypt by Adam Elsheimer

Flight into Egypt is a masterpiece found in the collection of the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, Germany. Human dramas are depicted with vivid...

James W Singer 4 May 2025

Vincent van Gogh, Terrace of a Café at Night, 1888, Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, Netherlands. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Terrace of a Café at Night by Vincent van Gogh

Terrace of a Café at Night is a subjective expression from Van Gogh that encapsulates a moment in French...

James W Singer 4 May 2025

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh

During his stay in the Saint-Rémy hospital in southern France, Vincent van Gogh created The Starry Night. It became one of his most recognizable...

Valeria Kumekina 4 May 2025

Quiz

Do You Know These Famous Artworks? Test Your Western Art History Knowledge with Our QUIZ!

Ruxi Rusu 3 May 2025

Quiz

QUIZ: So You Think You Know British Art?

Ruxi Rusu 3 May 2025

Quiz

American Art QUIZ: Do You Know These Iconic Works?

Anastasia Manioudaki 3 May 2025

Medieval Art

Ravenna’s Byzantine Treasures: Mosaics in San Vitale

The early medieval church of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy, is most famous for its spectacular mosaics. In a city full of rich, Byzantine-style...

Alexandra Kiely 2 May 2025

Animals

5 Fun Facts About Gargoyles—Quirky Creatures of the Middle Ages and Beyond

Everybody loves gargoyles! I used to think I was alone in this, but I’ve come to learn that’s not at all true. In case any of you don’t know, a...

Alexandra Kiely 2 May 2025

Love Story

Medieval Love Story: King Pedro and Inês de Castro

Every country has its legends and fairytales, and Portugal is no exception. One of the most well-known Portuguese tales is a love story about King...

Helena Pereira 2 May 2025

Viking Art: Gokstad Ship, ca 890 BCE, Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. Medieval Art

Ancient Treasures from the North: Viking Art

Vikings and their culture have interested us since the days of the Viking expansion. There are numerous TV shows about them and sports teams named...

Rachel Witte 2 May 2025

Review

The Abstract Glaciers of Wilhelmina Barns-Graham

Wilhelmina Barns-Graham’s life-long obsession with glaciers is catalogued in a new book edited by Rob Airey. Biography, geology, ecology, and...

Catriona Miller 1 May 2025