WTF Art History

Asian Art

Dragons in East Asian Art

Imagination is the only limit to the stories and myths about dragons. From East to West, storytellers paint them as creatures of fire, of deep...

Yifan Xia 16 January 2025

Animals

The Medieval Bestiary—Cute, Quirky, and Weird Animals

Of all the medieval manuscripts, bestiaries are definitely the most fun. A medieval bestiary is a book about animals. It’s full of unusual...

Alexandra Kiely 16 January 2025

Medieval Art

Here Be Medieval Dragons

Dragons are everywhere in popular culture. People make movies about them, collect stuffed animals of them, and dress up as them for Halloween. They...

Alexandra Kiely 16 January 2025

Painting

One Final Masterpiece: 7 Last Paintings from Great Masters

Hippocrates said that life is short, and art is long. Every great artist left behind iconic works of art that have lived long after their death. Some...

Sam Malone 13 January 2025

Quiz

QUIZ: The Nude in Art

Candy Bedworth 11 January 2025

Winterfled Diptych: Mary Magdalene Raised by Angels WTF Art History

Why Is She So Hairy? Iconography of Mary Magdalene

Whenever I come across Gothic or early Renaissance representations of Mary Magdalene I always ask myself this question – why is she so hairy? Keep...

Magda Michalska 10 January 2025

Tatsuya Tanaka, Spoon Pool, 2024, MINIATURE CALENDAR Asian Art

10 Miniature Sculptures By Tatsuya Tanaka To Brighten Your Day

Japanese miniature craftsmanship has been evolving for the past couple of centuries. Their love for scaled-down everyday objects gained the interest...

Sandra Juszczyk 9 January 2025

Contemporary Art

Celebrities Who Are Little-Known for Their Painting Careers

They say that a creative mind will have its outlet in several areas of art. This explains Leonardo da Vinci’s gift in both painting and...

Merve Parla 8 January 2025

Art State of Mind

Artistic Families: Does Having an Artist Parent Seal Your Fate?

Imagine growing up with an artist mother or father. Watching them create art or making work together could spark your artistic passion. And,...

Marga Patterson 8 January 2025

Music

Have You Seen These Statues of Famous Musicians?

There are good, bad, and ugly statues of the musical greats. Let’s take a look at 10 sculptures of famous musicians, old and contemporary, that...

Candy Bedworth 8 January 2025

Animals

Dogs in Modern Art: From Greyhounds and Dachshunds to Keith Haring’s Canine Symbolism

Dogs have been inspiring artists for centuries, capturing their beauty, movement, and character on canvas. From Amadeo de Souza Cardoso’s elegant...

Joanna Kaszubowska 6 January 2025

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Breakfast of Birds by Gabriele Münter

Gabriele Münter (1877–1962) was a German Expressionist painter born in Berlin and most known for her landscapes and use of color. She developed a...

Heidi Werber 5 January 2025