Artist Stories

Baroque

Francisco de Zurbarán: The Spanish Caravaggio

Francisco de Zurbarán was one of the major Spanish painters of the 17th century. He is especially known for his religious subjects and for the...

Vithória Konzen Dill 7 November 2024

Art Nouveau

René Lalique, The Master Jeweler of Art Nouveau

René Lalique (1860-1945) was a French jeweler and one of Art Nouveau’s most renowned craftsmen. Trained in Paris and London, Lalique was unusual...

Europeana 6 November 2024

Artist Stories

Powerful or Problematic? Robert Mapplethorpe’s Photographs

Photographer Robert Mapplethorpe shocked the world with his images of bondage, gay sex, female bodybuilders and naked black men. Technically brilliant or politically problematic, what do you think?

Candy Bedworth, Guest Profile 4 November 2024

Photography

Capturing the Truth: The Courageous Lens of Letizia Battaglia

Letizia Battaglia was an Italian photographer who gained international recognition for her powerful and poignant documentary work, particularly...

Lisa Scalone 4 November 2024

Painting

Amy Sherald and the Quiet Revolution of Black Portraiture

Imagine a portrait of a woman, her skin rendered in shades of gray, her gaze direct yet serene, dressed in a strikingly modern, patterned dress. The...

Sabrina Phillips 4 November 2024

Women Artists

Lee Miller—Photographer of the Extremes

Lee Miller (1907–1977) was a fashion and war photographer, a model, a muse, and a gourmet cook. She lived life to the fullest with all its bright...

Joanna Kaszubowska 4 November 2024

Photography

Photographer Nan Goldin: Tender Truth Teller

Nan Goldin is an American photographer. She is just as famous for her art as she is for social activism, particularly around gay and transgender...

Candy Bedworth 4 November 2024

Artist Stories

Claude Cahun—A Surrealist Queer Prophet

—Claude Cahun famously said “Masculine? Feminine? It depends on the situation. Neuter is the only gender that always suits me.” Photographer,...

Candy Bedworth 4 November 2024

Artemisia Gentileschi, Self Portrait as Saint Catherine of Alexandria Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Self-Portrait as Saint Catherine of Alexandria by Artemisia Gentileschi

Artemisia Gentileschi (1593–c. 1656) was “one of the best Italian Baroque painters.” Despite this, you won’t find any of her works in...

Chris Dobson 1 November 2024

Harry Clarke, Its Figures Passed By Me from Edgar Allan Poe, Tales of Mystery and Imagination, George G. Harrap and Co., London, 1919. Public Domain Review. Detail. Literature

Beautiful and Scary: Illustrations for Poe’s Horror Stories by Harry Clarke

Harry Clarke was an Irish stained glass artist and book illustrator. He made notable works in both fields but somehow his stained glass works are a...

Marija Canjuga 31 October 2024

Impressionism

Painting Bordighera: From Monet’s Canvases to Call Me By Your Name

Italy experienced a significant cinematic milestone when it was selected as the backdrop for the film Call Me By Your Name (2017, dir. Luca...

Helena Pereira 30 October 2024

Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Self-Portrait, c. 1635, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, Italy. Artist Stories

Gian Lorenzo Bernini in 5 Facts and 5 Artworks

Gian Lorenzo Bernini was a multifaceted artist. He is mostly known as a sculptor and architect, but he was also a painter and a city planner. He...

Vithória Konzen Dill 24 October 2024