European Art

Johannes Vermeer, The Milkmaid, ca. 1660, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Wikimedia Commons (public domain). Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Milkmaid by Johannes Vermeer

Among many representations of domestic scenes of respectable Dutch middle-class households, there is one that never ceases to impress and capture the...

Giordana Goretti 31 March 2024

Post-Impressionism

Vincent van Gogh and Nature

Vincent van Gogh’s relationship with nature was complex, and it defined both his life and his art. The Dutch artist hated the hustle and bustle of...

Anastasia Manioudaki 30 March 2024

Women Artists

Madame de Pompadour As an Artist

Madame de Pompadour was the most influential mistress of Louis XV. Even though having influence over a king was no small deal, there is more to De...

Vithória Konzen Dill 30 March 2024

Vincent van Gogh - Self-portrait with bandaged ear (1889, Courtauld Institute) Artist Stories

The Mystery of Vincent van Gogh’s Death

Vincent van Gogh’s death occurred in the early morning of 29 July 1890, in his room at the Auberge Ravoux in the village of Auvers-sur-Oise in...

Zuzanna Stańska 30 March 2024

Post-Impressionism

Vincent van Gogh Copying Other Artists

Vincent van Gogh is famous today for two reasons. Firstly, his unstoppable creativity. He produced 2,100 artworks in just over a decade. And,...

Anastasia Manioudaki 30 March 2024

Love Story

The Sad Story of Vincent van Gogh and His Lovers

Vincent van Gogh’s love life was a really sad one. The list of the artist’s lovers is full of unsuccessful advances and rejections. This is the...

Zuzanna Stańska 30 March 2024

Dance

A Meringue Ballerina: Anna Pavlova in Paintings

Anna Pavlova, a Russian ballerina, was highly independent for her times. She formed her own company and choreographed her own performances. She toured the world for twenty years and introduced ballet to other parts of the world. Pavlova was so famous that she was honored with a dessert named after her, it is called the Pavlova cake!

Anuradha Sroha 29 March 2024

Architecture

10 Gorgeous French Churches (That Aren’t Notre-Dame de Paris)

Do you still remember the Notre-Dame de Paris? It suffered a horrible fire in April 2019. Notre-Dame is by far France’s most famous church, but it...

Alexandra Kiely 28 March 2024

Bizarre

Chilling Beauty: Exploring Europe’s Bone Churches

From the ancient period through the 18th century, European Catholics and Orthodox Christians displayed and maintained bones of the deceased to honor...

Julia Bourbois 28 March 2024

Vivienne Westwood Fashion

Vivienne Westwood: An Activist and Punk’s Fashion Queen

Vivienne Westwood needs no introduction: she was a prolific fashion designer who gained fame by making punk designs before it was cool and by...

Errika Gerakiti 28 March 2024

Art Travels

All You Need to Know About the Duomo of Florence

Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, or the Duomo of Florence, along with Giotto’s Campanile and Baptistery of Saint John are designated UNESCO...

Maya M. Tola 28 March 2024

Artist Stories

Painting a Woman: The Story of Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener Through Their Art

The Danish landscape artist Lili Elvenes (1882-1931), born Einar Wegener and better known as Lili Elbe, and her spouse, the Art Deco portrait artist...

Iolanda Munck 27 March 2024