European Art

Herstory

Joan of Arc in 10 Paintings

Mystic, warrior, and martyr, Joan of Arc has inspired art, culture, and politics for almost six centuries. The list is innumerable but includes:...

Candy Bedworth 6 March 2026

Art of Athena Ancient Greece

Athena in Art: The Beautiful Warrior Goddess

Athena, the revered Greek goddess of wisdom, war and the arts, has captivated the imagination of artists for centuries. Her image, from ancient...

Jimena Aullet 6 March 2026

Review

Not Your Average Portrait Show in New York—Gainsborough: The Fashion of Portraiture at the Frick

Thomas Gainsborough assembled a veritable army of portraits of “the great and the good” in Georgian Britain. And the new exhibition at the Frick...

MJ Rivera 5 March 2026

Marietta Robusti, Self Portrait with Madrigal Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Self-Portrait with Madrigal by Marietta Robusti

The Venetian Renaissance painter Marietta Robusti has recently caused a stir in the art history world. Although only a few works are attributed to...

Anna Ingram 5 March 2026

Women Artists

Rediscovering Catharina van Hemessen: The Story of a Renaissance Artist in 6 Paintings

Do you know which artist created the very first self-portrait depicting themselves at work? Let me introduce you to Catharina van Hemessen. She was...

Anna Ingram 5 March 2026

Sofonisba Anguissola, Elisabeth of Valois Holding a Portrait of Philip II Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Elisabeth of Valois by Sofonisba Anguissola

The portrait of Elisabeth of Valois by Sofonisba Anguissola depicts a beautiful young Queen of Spain. However, while the imagery is intriguing, the...

Anna Ingram 5 March 2026

Women Artists

Everything You Need to Know About Plautilla Nelli

Sister Plautilla was a Florentine nun and artist who lived in the 16th-century Italy. After centuries of neglect, her work is finally being...

Vithória Konzen Dill 5 March 2026

Sofonisba Anguissola, Self-Portrait Painting the Madonna, 1556, 66 x 57 cm, Lancut Museum, Poland. ArtStor digital library. Women Artists

Sofonisba Anguissola: The Life of a Rule-Breaker Painter

During the Italian Renaissance, women artists did not have the same access to artistic education as men. Sofonisba Anguissola, however, was very...

Nina Relf 5 March 2026

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Seascape Near Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer by Van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh is one of the most popular painters of all time. He dominates Post-Impressionism, he fills art books, and he inspires modern...

James W Singer 3 March 2026

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Miranda by John William Waterhouse

The subject of this eerie painting by John William Waterhouse is Miranda, a character from William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. She was detained on...

Guest Author 3 March 2026

Romanticism

Somewhere at Sea—Ivan Aivazovsky and His Marine Art

Many artists painted the sea, but only Ivan Aivazovsky was completely devoted to it. Over his long life (1817–1900), he dedicated thousands of...

Elizaveta Ermakova 3 March 2026

Women Artists

QUIZ: How Well Do You Know Artemisia Gentileschi?

Elizabeth Provost 2 March 2026