Art History 101

Leonardo da Vinci, Portrait of Mona Lisa del Giocondo Renaissance

Masterpiece Story: Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci

The Mona Lisa is an icon and masterpiece featured in numerous movies, television shows, and music videos. It is famous for being Leonardo da...

Anna Ingram 4 August 2024

Art History 101

Artist and Patron – Friend or Foe?

Since ancient times, patrons have played a vital role in art history. Patronage can be found almost everywhere – in Europe, feudal Japan, and...

Candy Bedworth 30 July 2024

Baroque

15 Things You Didn’t Know About the Night Watch by Rembrandt

The Night Watch painted by Rembrandt van Rijn is a monumental canvas displayed today in the “Gallery of Honour” of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam,...

Zuzanna Stańska, Nicole Ganbold 12 July 2024

Art History 101

Orientalism – Quick Explanation

19th-century Europeans were fascinated by the Near East and North Africa. Everything began roughly around the time of the Napoleonic invasion of...

Magda Michalska 3 July 2024

Art of Australia & Oceania

Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Looted from Australia

At the end of the 18th century, the British Empire added Australia to its territory. Since the infamous arrival of Captain Cook white people have...

Jimena Escoto 20 June 2024

Art History 101

5 Things You Need to Know About Cupid

Cupid is the ancient Roman god of love and the counterpart to the Greek god Eros. It’s him who inspires us to fall in love, write love songs...

Valeria Kumekina 14 June 2024

Paris Salon. Alexandre Jean-Baptiste Brun, View of the Salon Carré at the Louvre, ca. 1880, Musée du Louvre, Paris, France. Art History 101

Paris Salon: 101 on France’s First Public Exhibition

If you were an artist in the 19th century, you probably dreamed of having your painting in the Paris Salon. Simply put, this exhibition was the most...

Jimena Escoto 9 June 2024

Renaissance

What’s Special About the Venetian Renaissance?

The Italian Renaissance was driven by two key players: the Florentine school and the Venetian school. In the 15th century, while each cluster was...

Guest Profile 6 June 2024

Art History 101

Everything You Must Know About Las Meninas

This is one of Velázquez’s largest paintings in which he worked very hard to create a complex and credible composition that would convey a...

Zuzanna Stańska, Nicole Ganbold 6 June 2024

cézanne portraits Art History 101

5 Portraits by Paul Cézanne You Have Probably Never Seen Before

Paul Cézanne is mostly associated with still-lifes. Characteristic square apples and oranges laid on the tables with kicked perspective are...

Zuzanna Stańska 5 June 2024

Asian Art

Shiva Nataraja – The Hindu Lord of the Dance. Iconography and Symbolism

Nataraja, the manifestation of the Hindu god Shiva as the Lord of the Dance, holds a profound significance in Hindu mythology and symbolism. Depicted...

Maya M. Tola 3 June 2024

European Art

5 Things You Should Know About the Victorians

What do we think of when we ponder the Victorian era? I for one almost always think of steam trains, the Victoria & Albert Museum, Sherlock...

Sarah Mills 3 June 2024