European Art

Photography

The True Star of Early Photography: Virginia Oldoini

Virginia Elisabetta Luisa Antonietta Teresa Maria Oldoini – in short, Countess of Castiglione – was a real celebrity of her times. I imagine that...

Zuzanna Stańska 9 October 2024

Art State of Mind

Tableaux Vivants: A Long History of Recreating Art

A fanciful costume, a theatrical pose, the right light… and for a few seconds the viewer is immersed in a “living picture.” You have probably...

Guest Author 9 October 2024

Caravaggio Amor, Amor Vincit Omnia, ca. 1601 Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Amor Vincit Omnia by Caravaggio

Virgil’s famous saying amor vincit omnia means “love conquers all.” Famous Baroque painter, Caravaggio, clearly inspired by the famous sentence...

Zuzanna Stańska 8 October 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 Author 7 October 2024

Architecture

An Urban Gesamtkunstwerk: The Ringstrasse in Vienna

We all associate the city of Vienna with Mozart – Europe’s greatest composer – Austrian Empress Sissi and its magnificent architecture...

Nicole Ganbold 7 October 2024

Animals

The Magical Menagerie of Norbertine Bresslern-Roth

Always moving, impenetrable, and ephemeral, animals are among the most difficult subjects for an artist to depict. Using a new style of printmaking...

Louisa Mahoney 4 October 2024

Medieval Art

The Unicorn Tapestries – Allegory of Christ, or a Happy Husband?

The Unicorn Tapestries are a set of medieval tapestries depicting a hunt for a unicorn, a popular motif at the time. They’re probably the most...

Alexandra Kiely 4 October 2024

Animals

Dachshunds in Art

Dachshunds were first bred around the 15th century in Germany. Their primary purpose was to hunt small animals, particularly badgers, and they are...

Maya M. Tola 4 October 2024

Symbolism

5 Facts That Will Help You Understand Symbolism

Symbolism as a term can be confusing. Usually grouped with the other Post-Impressionist movements, Symbolism emerged at just about the same time as...

Zuzanna Stańska 3 October 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Bacchus by Caravaggio

A youthful Bacchus, god of fertility, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre is reclining in classical fashion with grapes and vine leaves in...

Zuzanna Stańska 30 September 2024

Luisa Roldan, Ecstasy of Mary Magdalene. Women Artists

Luisa Roldán: The Groundbreaking Career of Spain’s First Woman Sculptor

She wrote letters to kings, was Spain’s first documented woman sculptor, and became the official escultora de cámara, or court sculptor, to...

Natalia Iacobelli 30 September 2024

Erotica

The Unashamed Gaze: The Story of Goya’s Naked (and Clothed) Maja

Which one do you prefer? The Naked Maja or The Clothed Maja? – this question might have been asked by the painter Francisco Goya when he completed...

Magda Michalska 24 September 2024