Artist Stories

Renaissance

The Surprising Career of Lavinia Fontana: Painter of Popes, Nudes, and Noblewomen

There weren’t many women who became successful artists in Renaissance Europe. However, there were probably more than most people think, and we try...

Alexandra Kiely 25 October 2022

Edwin Lord Weeks, Temples and Bathing Ghat at Benares, ca. 1883-1885. Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY, USA. Art Travels

Memoirs of India by Edwin Lord Weeks

Edwin Lord Weeks was a remarkable American painter and one of the most celebrated Orientalists of his time. He lived a coveted life of travel and...

Maya M. Tola 24 October 2022

Abstract Expressionism

Abstract Expressionism: Joan Mitchell

A master of the New York School who expatriated to France, Joan Mitchell tirelessly explored new ways of expression and reinvented the landscape in...

Louisa Mahoney 15 October 2022

Rococo

The Mysterious Master of Rococo: Watteau

Who was Watteau, one of the most prominent Rococo painters? Not much is known about his life, which makes it and his art all the more mysterious. Are...

Magda Michalska 10 October 2022

Women Artists

Meet Catharina van Hemessen: The Female Renaissance Artist You Haven’t Heard About

Do you know which artist created the very first self-portrait depicting themselves at work? Let me introduce you to Catharina van Hemessen. She was...

Anna Ingram 28 September 2022

Women Artists

Everything You Need to Know About Plautilla Nelli

Sister Plautilla was a Florentine nun and artist who lived in the 16th-century Italy. After centuries of neglect, her work is finally being...

Vithória Konzen Dill 28 September 2022

Museum Stories

Alma Thomas. The Tale of an Extraordinary Life at Columbus Museum

This year, the Columbus Museum in Columbus, GA, USA, presented two major retrospectives. They shed light on Alma Thomas’ exceptional life and...

Carlotta Mazzoli 27 September 2022

North American Art

Henry Ossawa Tanner, An African-American Artistic Pioneer

Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859–1937), the first African-American artist who became internationally successful, was known for his beautiful religious...

Alexandra Kiely 27 September 2022

Photography

10 Photographic Reasons Why You Should Fall in Love with Toulouse-Lautrec

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, was a French painter, printmaker, draughtsman, caricaturist, and illustrator. He produced a collection of provocative...

Zuzanna Stańska 9 September 2022

Artist Stories

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec: Life Is Beautiful

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was born on 24 November 1864 in Albi, France. He wanted to be a doctor or a surgeon but due to illness became a painter.

Petra Dragasevic 9 September 2022

Post-Impressionism

Meet Jane Avril – The Great Muse of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Jane Avril was a dancer and star of the Moulin Rouge in the 1890s. Her legend is alive until this day – her semi-fictionalized character was...

Zuzanna Stańska 9 September 2022

Giorgio Vasari, St Luke Painting the Virgin WTF Art History

Best Gossips on Renaissance Artists by Giorgio Vasari

Known as the first art historian, Giorgio Vasari wrote the legendary book The Lives of the Artists. The book was published in 1550 and followed...

Anna Ingram 8 September 2022