WTF Art History

Animals

Puppies, Doggies and Pugs in Art (For Dog Lovers Only!)

Dogs are man’s best friends. And if that man happens to be a painter or a sitter for a painting, their four-legged friends must be included in them...

Magda Michalska, Aniela Rybak 11 April 2023

Museum Stories

History of Medicine in Art: Collection of Artworks at Wellcome Library in London

London is a great place to be for the curious and inquisitive. Public museums, galleries, and libraries are homes to a vast collection of wonderful...

Bolor Jargalsaikhan 7 April 2023

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Swing by Jean-Honoré Fragonard

Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732–1806) was the most prolific French painter of the 18th century. He created over 550 paintings embodying the spirit of...

James W Singer 5 April 2023

WTF Art History

5 Artists Who Likely Suffered From Syphilis

Also known as the French disease or great pox, syphilis was a common sexually transmitted disease in Europe in the 1800s. In fact, 10-15% of...

Kelly Hill 4 April 2023

WTF Art History

Attention, Dangerous Art! How Art Can Hurt You

Every once in a while, an accident involving an artwork happens. Usually, it is the artwork that ends up damaged, but sometimes it is the audience...

Joanna Kaszubowska 3 April 2023

Bizarre

The Curious Lure and Strange Beauty of Ancient Anatomical Votives

Eerie, mysterious, and fascinating, ancient anatomical votives represent literal parts of people’s past. When most people think of a votive object,...

Marga Patterson 3 April 2023

Ancient Greece

Alexander the Great and His Mermaid Sister in Greek Folklore

There is no need for a long introduction to Alexander the Great’s place in history; he is one of the most famous military leaders and he has...

Errika Gerakiti 29 March 2023

Ted Cate Jr., Swamp Picnic, 2014, Museum of Bad Art, Somerville, MA, USA. Bizarre

What I Found in the Museum of Bad Art

MOBA, or the Museum of Bad Art, is replete with almost anything that could be wished for in terms of the good, the bad, the very bad, the hilarious,...

Sarah Mills 27 March 2023

Aleksandra Waliszewska, Untitled, 1997-2022, Museum of Modern Art, Warsaw, Poland. Contemporary Art

The Dark Arts of Aleksandra Waliszewska

Rather unsettling, quite macabre, and more than slightly erotic, the paintings and illustrations by Polish artist Aleksandra Waliszewska are...

Marta Wiktoria Bryll 23 March 2023

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...

Joanna Kaszubowska 23 March 2023

Animals

Dachshunds in Art

Dachshunds were first bred around the 15th century in Germany. Their primary purpose was to hunt small animals, particularly badgers, and they are...

Maya M. Tola 23 March 2023

Animals

See a Man About a Dog: Dogs in Paintings

The title sentence is a charming English euphemism, usually used to apologize for one’s imminent departure or absence—generally to conceal...

Joanna Kaszubowska 23 March 2023