Artist Stories

Artist Stories

A Song and a Prayer – Croatia’s Ivan Mestrovic

My favorite thing about Instagram is coming across new art and artists – scrolling and finding things that excite you and catch your eye. A...

Nadine Waldmann 7 June 2023

Impressionism

Slava Raškaj, The Story of a Deaf Impressionist Watercolorist

In the final years of the 19th century, the art scene in Zagreb, Croatia, was pretty vibrant. The various ideas that circulated among artists...

Lana Pajdas 7 June 2023

Women Artists

Emma Amos: The Story of Postmodernist African-American Artist

Emma Amos is a great example of how a female Black artist can confront racism and sexism in the art world. On May 20th, 2020, Amos left us at the age...

Arianna Richetti 5 June 2023

Women Artists

Maria Sibylla Merian. An Artist Who Changed Science Forever

In the 17th century, it has been widely believed that insects were just spontaneously born of mud, dirt, or rotting flesh, but that notion has been...

Nicole Ganbold 3 June 2023

Belkis Ayon, The Supper, 1991 Artist Stories

Exploring the Collographs of Belkis Ayón, Cuban Master of Printmaking

Belkis Ayón's transgressive art explored a secret all-male religion called the Abakuá in Cuba. She died tragically aged just 32, leaving behind some of the finest print-making of the 20th century.

Candy Bedworth 1 June 2023

Baroque

10 Things You Should Know About Peter Paul Rubens

Peter Paul Rubens was a Flemish artist. Considered one of the greatest exponents of the Baroque, he is best known for his mythological, allegorical,...

Soledad Castillo Jara 1 June 2023

René and Georgette Magritte. Photograph. Love Story

René and Georgette Magritte: A Love Story

You’ve heard of René Magritte—the Surrealist icon behind the famous pipe and bowler hat. But who was the muse who inspired much of his oeuvre?...

Natalia Iacobelli 29 May 2023

Joaquín Sorolla, Playing at the Beach, 1915, private collection. Wikimedia Commons (public domain). Detail. Artist Stories

Joaquín Sorolla: The Luminosity of the Mediterranean

If you love summer light, long vacation days, walking on the beach, and lying on the sand with a good book in your hand, these paintings by Joaquín...

Andra Patricia Ritisan 28 May 2023

Romanticism

Somewhere at Sea – Ivan Aivazovsky and His Marine Art

Many artists painted the sea, but only Ivan Aivazovsky was completely devoted to it. Over his long life (1817–1900), he dedicated thousands of...

Elizaveta Ermakova 28 May 2023

Cats

Louis Wain and His Weird Cats

The British artist Louis Wain was a highly successful illustrator, mainly known for his humorous graphics of cats. His quirky feline pictures were...

Marta Wiktoria Bryll 27 May 2023

Remedios Varo, An unexpected visit, 1958. Women Artists

Remedios Varo: Forgotten Spanish Painter of Magic

Remedios Varo (1908-1963) was a 20th-century Surrealist painter. Born in Spain, she was forced to move to France and Mexico to escape the Spanish...

Jimena Escoto 26 May 2023

Surrealism

Meet the Surrealist Rita Kernn-Larsen

When you hear the word Surrealism, you probably think Dalí, Magritte, Ernst… But can you think of any female artists? Today you’ll meet one of...

Magda Michalska 26 May 2023