European Art

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Grace Dalrymple Elliott by Thomas Gainsborough

The Frick Collection has an amazing ensemble of European masters. For example, works by Vermeer, Fragonard, and Goya grace its walls. Every room has...

James W Singer 14 May 2022

Dadaism

The Most Scandalous Artworks by Marcel Duchamp

In addition to Marcel Duchamp’s famous readymades, during his life he created less known works that were provocative and caused a scandal among...

Caroline Galambosova 13 May 2022

belgium argentina: Victor Delhez, composition with triangles, 1926, FIBAC, Antwerp, Belgium. Review

Belgium–Argentina. Transatlantic Modernisms at Mu.ZEE in Ostend

Belgium and Argentina have more in common than you might suspect. That’s what the current Mu.Zee exhibition explores until June 16th, 2022. During...

Tommy Thiange 9 May 2022

Review

Be Inspired! At Guildhall Art Gallery

Guildhall Art Gallery is hosting a fascinating new exhibition examining the ways in which visual artists have taken inspiration from the literary...

Isla Phillips-Ewen 2 May 2022

Impressionists, Gustave Caillebotte, The Floor Planers, 1875 Painting

Jobs in Art Which Don’t Exist Anymore (or Seem Not To)

I think the following motto perfectly fits today as we celebrate all the workers of the world (students count too!). On this occasion I would like to...

Magda Michalska 1 May 2022

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Iron Rolling Mill (Modern Cyclopes) by Adolph Menzel

The 19th century, the age of steel and steam, witnessed not only the developments of the industry but also the new themes in painting. Now, simple...

Kate Wojtczak 1 May 2022

Art State of Mind

Passing Time with Klee: Demonstrating Temporality in Visual Art

Paul Klee was a “musical” painter, not least because he chose the violin and bow before the brush and easel. Klee’s father was a music teacher...

Craig Wakerley 30 April 2022

Music

Tormented Lovers, Sumptuous Players – Guitarists in Art

Musical instruments have always had a particular significance in paintings. Throughout the history of depicting music-making in art, the iconography...

Alina Manevskaya 30 April 2022

Fauvism

Circus and Jazz of Henri Matisse

Henri Matisse (1869-1954) was a French artist famous for his use of color. The Circus (below) is a color stencil piece from Matisse’s book...

Isla Phillips-Ewen 30 April 2022

WTF Art History

How Would Superheroes Have Looked Like in the 17th Century?

The 17th century was a beautiful time full of people wearing ruffs. Huge, remarkable ruffs. Those ruffs stayed in my memory, like in Peter Paul...

Zuzanna Stańska 28 April 2022

Carl Gustav Carus, Woman on the Balcony, 1824, oil on canvas, Galerie Neue Meister, Dresden, Germany. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Woman on the Balcony by Carl Gustav Carus

Woman on the Balcony is an intimate portrait of a person lost in thought. There is no action and no obvious story to interpret. However, its quiet...

James W Singer 25 April 2022

tenebrism: Gerard van Honthorst, The Procuress, 1625, Centraal Museum, Utrecht, The Netherlands. Art History 101

Tenebrism 101: All You Need to Know

The Baroque movement, which characterizes much of the European art of the 17th century, is known for its dramatic flair. Gods, demigods, and saints...

Anastasia Manioudaki 24 April 2022