Asian Art

Design

Six Exquisite Mother-of-Pearl Artifacts from Gujarat

Mother-of-Pearl is an iridescent layer carved out of snail shells, usually the Turbo Marmoratus. It is a luminous material that naturally reflects...

Maya M. Tola 5 July 2023

Asian Art

Seven Famous Modern Indian Printmakers

Indian printmaking traces its lineage from the narrative of the father of Indian modern art, Raja Ravi Varma, and his oleographs. Besides, Varma was...

Urvi Chheda 5 July 2023

Asian Art

Qi Baishi, China’s Master of the Ordinary in an Extraordinary Way

Qi Baishi is probably not someone you expect to become one of the highest-valued artists in the world, right next to Andy Warhol and Picasso, but he...

Barry Russell 20 April 2023

Contemporary Art

Contemporary Art Made in China

Chinese art is booming. The country has been experiencing a major economic uplift for more than a decade and you can feel that in the art world too.

Michel Rutten 20 April 2023

Architecture

Jali in Mughal Architecture, the Most Delicate Stone Curtains

The jali, or pierced screens, have been extensively employed in Indian construction since time immemorial. They appear in both Hindu and Islamic...

Maya M. Tola 18 April 2023

Seated Buddhas at Vatadage, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka. Art Travels

An Artsy Travel to the Ancient City of Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka

Many edifices, shrines, dagobas, and colossal figures attest to the glory of Polonnaruwa, the second (and strikingly beautiful) capital of ancient...

Elsa Vallarino 6 April 2023

Asian Art

Peek into the Court: Stunning Qajar Portraits

I’m sure you’re well acquainted with European royal portraiture. But have you ever seen portraits of rulers from beyond Europe? We want to show...

Magda Michalska 20 February 2023

Painting

Stunning Abstractions by Seven Indian Modern Painters

It was the early 20th century when Modernism spread its wings in India. This happened as a result of exposure to various European artists. The...

Urvi Chheda 30 January 2023

Women Artists

Amrita Sher-Gil – India’s Frida Kahlo

Amrita Sher-Gil lived a short but certainly interesting life. Her artistic oeuvre is extremely impressive and she is considered to be one of the most...

Zuzanna Stańska 30 January 2023

Contemporary Art

Siah Armajani – An Iranian Installation Artist

It’s high time to learn more about Iran and its contemporary artists. Meet Siah Armajani (1939–2020). His works are known across the United...

Magda Michalska 19 January 2023

Nafiseh and Bahareh, Bronze pendant. Women Artists

Hoping Against Hope: Interview with Nafiseh and Bahareh, Iranian Multidisciplinary Artists

Nafiseh and Bahareh are two female multidisciplinary artists. This story began with the discovery that, as artists in Iran, they were unable to sell...

Isla Phillips-Ewen 24 November 2022

Plate with Arabic Inscription, ca 975-1000, painted and glazed earthenware, Musée du Louvre, Paris, France. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Plate with Arabic Inscription

Plate with Arabic Inscription is a masterpiece of 10th-century Islamic art. It combines minimalism, abstraction, and morality into a beautiful and...

James W Singer 20 October 2022