Regions

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 16 February 2025

Love Story

5 Ideas For Valentine’s Day Inspired By Art History

Valentine’s Day is here and the internet is full of advice on how to make it special. We’re joining with a few ideas inspired by art history,...

Europeana 14 February 2025

Abstract Expressionism

The Irascibles: The Birth of American Abstract Expressionism

This photograph of New York-based Abstract Expressionist painters was published in Life magazine in January of 1951. The photograph, dubbed “The...

Tom Anderson 13 February 2025

European Art

The First-Ever Femme Fatale: Lilith in Paintings

The apparent sweetness of this work by John Collier (1850–1934), a Pre-Raphaelite painter, is a wonderful testimony of the two sides of Lilith’s...

Guest Author 13 February 2025

Women Artists

A House of Their Own: The Red Rose Girls

In an old house in Philadelphia at the turn of the 20th century, four women made their home and their art together. Three decades before Virginia...

Guest Author 13 February 2025

Women Artists

Paula Rego and Other Strong Women

Paula Rego (1935-2022) was a Portuguese-British visual artist considered one of the pre-eminent woman artists of the late 20th and early 21st...

Magda Michalska 13 February 2025

Photography

Gerda Taro—The Girl with the Leica

Have you ever heard of the photographer Gerda Taro? You may know her as Robert Capa‘s girlfriend and muse, and I’m sure you have heard of Capa at...

Arianna Richetti 13 February 2025

Asian Art

Hanuman: The Revered Monkey God in Hindu Mythology

The revered monkey god Hanuman is one of the most iconic in Hindu mythology. He embodies unparalleled strength, unwavering devotion, and boundless...

Maya M. Tola 12 February 2025

discarding image: Rothschild Canticles, Flanders, c. 1300 Medieval Art

The Best of Discarding Images

During the Middle Ages, illuminated manuscripts were first used in the Roman Catholic Church for liturgical services and prayers. The popularity of...

Anna Ingram 12 February 2025

Animals

Holy Cow! Why Did the Dutch Painters Love Cows?

Every time I look at 17th-century Dutch paintings, I ask myself the same question: why do they always show cows? You will probably think this is a...

Magda Michalska 12 February 2025

Animals

7 Images of Dürer’s Animals That Are Better Than Trip to a Zoo

Albrecht Dürer’s keen interest in nature was a typical manifestation of Renaissance curiosity. Animals were not generally considered to be...

Zuzanna Stańska 12 February 2025

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 11 February 2025