European Art

Hans Eworth, Elizabeth I and the Three Goddesses, 1569 History

The Myth of the Judgement of Paris in Art

According to Greek mythology, the Judgement of Paris is a story which leads up to the start of the Trojan War. As the myth goes, three goddesses are...

Anna Ingram 17 April 2024

Europa Art: Valentin Serov, The Rape of Europa, 1910, The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moskva, Russia. Literature

How Europe Got Its Name — The Myth of Europa in Art

Have you ever wondered where the name of the continent Europe comes from? Meet Europa, a Phoenician woman who became the inspiration for the name of...

Magda Michalska 17 April 2024

Art History 101

The Complicated History of Norse Mythology in Art

Literally speaking, mythology is an old-school kind of storytelling. “Mythos” is a Greek word for “story” while “logia” means...

Lana Pajdas 17 April 2024

Rusiñol's painting of a garden view depicting a hedge maze with a sculpture in the center with trees. and filtered sunlight in the distance. Artist Stories

The Beautiful Gardens of Santiago Rusiñol

Santiago Rusiñol i Prats was a prolific painter, draftsman, playwright, novelist, poet, and cultural activist from the late 19th and early 20th...

Maya M. Tola 16 April 2024

Painting

The Most Beautiful Gardens in Art

To help fight off the blues, here’s a guide to some of the most beautiful gardens in art. Both art and the outdoors offer solace and a calmness...

Charlotte Stace 16 April 2024

plakatstil Lucian Bernhard, Manoli, 1910, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, USA. Design

Plakatstil in the 20th Century: Modern Poster Design from Germany

By the beginning of the 20th century, young designers had moved on from the intricate forms of Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts. The first golden age...

Wen Gu 15 April 2024

Architecture

Modern Living – Sonneveld House in Rotterdam

Visit the Sonneveld House Museum with us! It is one of the best-preserved examples of the Nieuwe Bouwen style, the Dutch branch of the International...

Joanna Kaszubowska 15 April 2024

WTF Art History

Five Translation Mistakes That Changed Art History

Why did Michelangelo portray Moses with horns? Why are there monkeys in Giulio Romano’s Chamber of Giants? And why does the Nativity scene...

Arianna Richetti 15 April 2024

Design

The Last Craftsman. Exploring Henry van de Velde and the Passage of Modernism

Until 1972, the Museen zu Berlin exhibited, among other things, a teapot and its accompanying set. From above, the teapot is around 22 centimetres...

Geoffrey Bunting 15 April 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Swing by Jean-Honoré Fragonard

Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732–1806) was the most prolific French painter of the 18th century. He created over 550 paintings embodying the spirit of...

James W Singer 14 April 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Madame de Pompadour by François Boucher

François Boucher (1703–1770) was the most celebrated French painter of the 18th century. His painting Madame de Pompadour captures the beautiful...

James W Singer 14 April 2024

François Clouet (School), Portrait of Louise de Lorraine, ca. 1575, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX, USA. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Louise de Lorraine by François Clouet (School)

Portrait of Louise de Lorraine is a French Renaissance painting that exudes the artistic ideas of its time and captures the queen’s personal and...

James W Singer 14 April 2024