European Art

Baroque

King Drinks: Jacob Jordaens and the Feast of the Bean King

Jacob Jordaens (1593 – 1678), a wonderful artist of the Baroque era, was keen on painting the scenes from peasants’ life. He first painted the...

Elizaveta Ermakova 6 January 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump by Joseph Wright of Derby

An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump is not only a masterpiece from the Age of Enlightenment but also a monumental artistic achievement of Joseph...

Maya M. Tola 5 January 2024

Artist Stories

Max Ernst and Birds: A Relationship Explained Through Paintings

Max Ernst (1891–1976) was a prolific German avant-garde artist. He was a pioneer in the early 20th-century movements of Dada and Surrealism and...

Anastasia Tsaleza 5 January 2024

Women Artists

Eva Fàbregas: Sculpting Boundaries and Sensations

Few artists engage with sculpture as intimately as Eva Fàbregas. Her creations not only challenge the conventional notions of the medium, but also...

Celia Leiva Otto 4 January 2024

William Blake The Ancient of Days, from Europe A Prophecy, 1794, watercolor etching, The British Museum, London, UK. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Ancient of Days by William Blake

The Ancient of Days, designed, printed, and hand colored by William Blake, was the frontispiece of his 1794 poem Europe a Prophecy. An epic...

Catriona Miller 3 January 2024

Women Artists

A Lesson in Illustration – The Whimsical Characters of Beatrix Potter

Beatrix Potter, best known for the charming tale of Peter Rabbit, inspired the minds of budding young novelists and illustrators alike. Her most...

Tony Heathfield 3 January 2024

Literature

The Snow Queen – Book Illustrations

The Snow Queen is one of the most beautiful winter tales. It was originally published on December 21st, 1844. The fairytale has been continuously...

Errika Gerakiti 3 January 2024

Pontormo Detail from The Visitation Mannerism

Pontormo: The Neglected Mannerist Painter

Pontormo was a Renaissance painter, admired by both Michelangelo and Raphael. His first apprenticeship was in Leonardo da Vinci's workshop. His work is treasured by The National Gallery and The Uffizi. His luminous work is truly magnificent, so why is he so neglected?

Guest Profile 2 January 2024

Mannerism

Tuscan Secret Spot: Colosso Appenninico in Vaglia

A 30-minute drive from central Florence lies a true Tuscan secret: a 16th-century sculpture Colosso Appenninico by Giambologna. Discover with us this...

Noa Weisberg 2 January 2024

Art History 101

Elegance and Drama: All You Need to Know About Mannerism

Young artists who left workshops in the years following the activity of Michelangelo and Raphael must have had a very hard time: how could one create...

Magda Michalska 2 January 2024

Mannerism

The Mannerist Splendor: Meet Four Powerful Women of Bronzino

Agnolo di Cosimo (1503–1572), known as Bronzino, was an Italian Mannerist painter. He lived and worked in Florence and became the court painter of...

Joanna Kaszubowska 2 January 2024

Mannerism

Arcimboldo’s Allegories of the Seasons

Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s paintings of the four seasons have been astonishing audiences from the 16th century up to this day. Even though allegorical...

Anastasia Manioudaki 2 January 2024