Masterpiece Stories

Jan van Eyck, The Arnolfini Portrait (detail), 1434, The National Gallery, London, England. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck

The Arnolfini Portrait is as enigmatic as it is iconic. Painted by Jan van Eyck in 1434, it spawns a lot of speculation – over half a millennium...

Vithória Konzen Dill 18 August 2024

Pablo Picasso, Lovers, 1923, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, USA. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Lovers by Pablo Picasso

The Lovers by Pablo Picasso explores the dynamics of courtship. It returns to an earlier painting tradition and invents a new interpretation.

James W Singer 18 August 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: American Gothic by Grant Wood

Under the blue sky of Iowa, a man and a woman stand solemnly in front of their house. They are farmers, as suggested by their clothing and the...

Anastasia Manioudaki 18 August 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Madonna of Port Lligat by Salvador Dalí

Salvador Dalí’s The Madonna of Port Lligat is an image of Mary holding baby Jesus in her lap. Seems simple, but it has layers upon layers of...

Isla Phillips-Ewen 15 August 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Ocean Breezes by Edward Henry Potthast

This seems to be the perfect painting depicting a nice memory of a summer vacation. It is titled Ocean Breezes and was painted by Edward Henry...

Alexandra Kiely 14 August 2024

Vincent van Gogh, Terrace of a Café at Night, 1888, Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, Netherlands. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Terrace of a Café at Night by Vincent van Gogh

Terrace of a Café at Night is a subjective expression from Van Gogh that encapsulates a moment in French...

James W Singer 11 August 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh

During his stay in the Saint-Rémy hospital in southern France, Vincent van Gogh created The Starry Night. It became one of his most recognizable...

Valeria Kumekina 11 August 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Seascape Near Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer by Van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh is one of the most popular painters of all time. He dominates Post-Impressionism, he fills art books, and he inspires modern...

James W Singer 11 August 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Bridge in the Rain (after Hiroshige) by Vincent van Gogh

In the mid-19th century, Japanese ports were suddenly opened up to international trade, and Europeans went crazy for Japanese culture and art,...

Kelly Hill 11 August 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Almond Blossom by Vincent van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh only sold one painting during his lifetime. He was not a financially successful artist, and he was entirely dependent on his...

James W Singer 11 August 2024

Pop art

Andy Warhol’s Ladies and Gentlemen

A club The Gilded Grape, situated in the no man’s land of Eighth Avenue and West 45th Street in New York City, was a hub of drag queens and Black...

Magda Michalska 6 August 2024

Masterpiece Stories

The Story of Vincent van Gogh’s First Self-Portrait

Vincent van Gogh’s career lasted only about 10 years. Yet, during that time, he painted some 36 self-portraits. Only Rembrandt painted more, with...

Ledys Chemin 5 August 2024