Special

WTF Art History

Attention, Dangerous Art! How Art Can Hurt You

Every once in a while, an accident involving an artwork happens. Usually, it is the artwork that ends up damaged, but sometimes it is the audience...

Joanna Kaszubowska 3 April 2023

Andrea Mantegna, Bridal Chamber, Ocluus. Mantua, Italy. Renaissance

Fooling the Eye: Illusionistic Games in Andrea Mantegna’s Bridal Chamber

A masterpiece of the early Italian Renaissance, Andrea Mantegna’s Bridal Chamber has been described as the most beautiful room in the world.

Natalia Iacobelli 30 March 2023

Artist Stories

Life and Art of José Ferraz de Almeida Júnior

José Ferraz de Almeida Júnior (1850–1899) was a popular Brazilian artist from the late 19th century. His commendable paintings paved the...

Maya M. Tola 30 March 2023

Museum Stories

Van Gogh Museum Staff Picks

Have you ever wondered who knows the best of a museum’s collection? Probably the people who spend most of their lives between these artworks: the...

Kate Wojtczak 30 March 2023

Ancient Greece

Alexander the Great and His Mermaid Sister in Greek Folklore

There is no need for a long introduction to Alexander the Great’s place in history; he is one of the most famous military leaders and he has...

Errika Gerakiti 29 March 2023

Lily Furedi, Subway, 1934, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC, USA. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Subway by Lily Furedi

Subway by Lily Furedi is a masterpiece of New Deal art that expresses the excitement of modern transportation. It is populated with commuting workers...

James W Singer 27 March 2023

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Theatre Box by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Entertainments such as cabarets, theatres, and the circus were popular themes among the Impressionist painters whose mission was portraying modern...

Zuzanna Stańska 27 March 2023

Art History 101

Famous Self-Portraits You Should Know

Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all? Self-portraits are closely tied to the existence of mirrors. Although mirrors have...

Anastasia Manioudaki 25 March 2023

Aleksandra Waliszewska, Untitled, 1997-2022, Museum of Modern Art, Warsaw, Poland. Contemporary Art

The Dark Arts of Aleksandra Waliszewska

Rather unsettling, quite macabre, and more than slightly erotic, the paintings and illustrations by Polish artist Aleksandra Waliszewska are...

Marta Wiktoria Bryll 23 March 2023

Animals

See a Man About a Dog: Dogs in Paintings

The title sentence is a charming English euphemism, usually used to apologize for one’s imminent departure or absence—generally to conceal...

Joanna Kaszubowska 23 March 2023

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 23 March 2023

Painting

Finest Lake Paintings in Art

I’m guessing we all have a happy memory that took place on or near a lake. Look at the sumptuous color in the James Dickson Innes (1887-1914)...

Candy Bedworth 22 March 2023