WTF Art History

Theater & Cinema

May the 4th Be with You – Archetypes in Star Wars and Art

Today is Star Wars Day. The first documented use of the phrase “May the 4th be with you” came from Margaret Thatcher’s political party, to...

Ledys Chemin 4 May 2023

Erotica

The Many Rebirths of Venus

Sandro Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus is iconic in Western art. Alongside the Mona Lisa, it is probably a contender for “most famous...

Isla Phillips-Ewen 2 May 2023

Erotica

Venus Vincit Omnia: Venus in Art

Venus (also known by her Greek name Aphrodite) is the goddess of love. We’ve explored some famous Venuses here. Furthermore, Velázquez’s...

Isla Phillips-Ewen 2 May 2023

Art State of Mind

We Are All Summertime Venuses: Beach Bodies in Art

Venus, who wouldn’t envy her? She is the embodiment of beauty, sexuality, and love. She is perhaps the most often depicted woman in art history.

Magda Michalska 2 May 2023

Painting

First of May Celebrations in Painting

Happy May 1st to all workers and to all who have fought and still fight for their rights. I hope you’ll celebrate by doing nothing and chilling...

Magda Michalska 1 May 2023

Art State of Mind

Crowning the May Queen in Art

The May Queen is the personification of springtime. Crowned with fresh flowers, she leads her people to the Maypole for fun and frolicking. A maiden...

Candy Bedworth 1 May 2023

Contemporary Art

Damien Hirst’s Butterflies: From Tea-trays to Mandalas

Damien Hirst – a prominent Young British Artist (YBA) and now a billionaire – creates sculptures, paintings, and drawings. In all of...

Isla Phillips-Ewen 30 April 2023

Fashion

What Was It Like in the Roaring Twenties in Art and Fashion?

The Roaring Twenties was a period when many things changed – both socially and politically. The dramatic economic growth of the decade led many...

Pola Otterstein 28 April 2023

Relaxing Paintings: John Singer Sargent, Neapolitan Children Bathing, 1879, The Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, MA, USA. Art State of Mind

Relax! These Paintings Will Inspire You to Chill Out

The modern way of living is very hectic. There simply is no time to relax while keeping a job and trying to tackle a million chores that creep up.

Anastasia Manioudaki 27 April 2023

WTF Art History

Five Translation Mistakes That Changed Art History

Why did Michelangelo portray Moses with horns? Why are there monkeys in Giulio Romano’s Chamber of Giants? And why does the Nativity scene...

Arianna Richetti 17 April 2023

Bizarre

Trompe L’oeil: How Artists Deceived Our Eyes Throughout the Ages

Without knowing, you have more than likely seen an example or two of trompe l’oeil in art. It is a term that encompasses many art forms in its...

Rachel Witte 13 April 2023

Bizarre

James Ensor’s Fighting Skeletons

Do you know the late Victorian and avant-garde painter James Ensor? Often likened to Edvard Munch is his ability to convey the miseries of human...

Sarah Mills 13 April 2023