European Art

The Duchess of Alba and "la Beata" painted by Francisco Goya, 1795 Artist Stories

The Story Of Duchess of Alba – Francisco de Goya’s Muse

Few women in 18th-century Spain captured the imagination of contemporaries as thoroughly as Doña María de Pilar Teresa Cayetana de Silva Álvarez...

Zuzanna Stańska 1 July 2023

Artist Stories

Francisco Goya: The First Modernist?

Renowned as one of the most influential Spanish artists, Francisco Goya’s artistic prowess continues to bewitch and intrigue art enthusiasts...

Wendy Gray 17 June 2023

Artist Stories

Did Goya Make a Career?

Goya’s paintings are often disturbing and very very dark. It’s because his activity coincided with the last period of the Enlightenment, the...

Magda Michalska 17 June 2023

Nicaise de Keyser, William II (1792-1849), King of the Netherlands, when Prince of Orange, 1846, Royal Collection, UK. History

Willem II: The Queer King of the Netherlands

Willem II ruled the Netherlands from 1840 to 1849. In modern terms he would be considered a bisexual man, as he had relationships with both women and...

Jimena Escoto 14 June 2023

Herstory

The Hundred Faces of Kiki de Montparnasse

Kiki de Montparnasse was an actress, singer, and muse of Man Ray. Known as the “Queen of Montparnasse,” she influenced the trajectory of...

Zuzanna Stańska 12 June 2023

Lucas Cranach The Elder, The Suicide of Lucretia, 1525-30, Staatliche Museen, Kassel, Germany. Wikimedia Commons (public domain). Ancient Rome

A Woman with A Knife: The Story of Lucretia

If you see a woman with a knife in a painting – think of Lucretia. She was an ancient Roman heroine whose fate played a vital role in the...

Zuzanna Stańska 11 June 2023

Ancient Rome

The Portrait of Rome’s Decline: Bust of Decius

The turmoil of Rome’s decline in the 3rd century enclosed the 21-month reign of Decius. His tenure as emperor was not exceptionally short for the...

Guest Author 11 June 2023

Art State of Mind

Why Is St Sebastian a Gay Icon?

One may think that Christian saints have little in common with gay culture, but there is an exception to every rule. If you see a handsome guy in his...

Magda Michalska 1 June 2023

Surrealism

Meet the Surrealist Rita Kernn-Larsen

When you hear the word Surrealism, you probably think Dalí, Magritte, Ernst… But can you think of any female artists? Today you’ll meet one of...

Magda Michalska 26 May 2023

Italian Abstract Art Peggy Guggenheim on the staircase of the Venice City Hall on February 5, 1962, the day she was named Honorary Citizen of Venice. On the right are Italian artists Emilio Vedova and Giuseppe Santomaso. | © Archivio Cameraphoto Epoche/Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation European Art

Art of Another Kind: Italian Abstract Art from 1930 to 1970

In Italy, the abstract art period between 1930 and 1970 is characterized by five innovative movements: geometric abstract art, Arte Informale, The...

Guest Author 23 May 2023

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Football Players by Henri Rousseau

Welcome to the bizarre world of Henri Rousseau (1844–1910), the quintessential naïve artist, and meet his masterpiece depicting oneiric, striped...

Anastasia Manioudaki 21 May 2023

Fashion

Dior’s Revisit of Greece: Cruise 2022 Collection

The fashion industry’s deep interest in Ancient Greek aesthetics is not some recent fad. Many of the leading fashion houses have been integrating...

Erol Degirmenci 15 May 2023