WTF Art History

Animals

Franz Marc: The Painter Who Loved Horses

The German Expressionist movement had many faces. One of the most interesting ones was that of the painter Franz Marc. Marc looked to the natural...

Zuzanna Stańska 3 January 2025

Theater & Cinema

H. R. Giger: Father of the Alien, Nightmares, and All Things Obscure

H.R. Giger is the pioneer of Fantastic Realism. His artworks are iconic and define the very notion of sci-fi horror. His biomechanical dreamscapes...

Errika Gerakiti 2 January 2025

Artist Stories

The Dystopian Surrealism of Zdzislaw Beksinski

There are many fans of gruesome and gore art who are attracted to the dystopian surrealism of Zdzisław Beksinski. After all, he created such a...

Errika Gerakiti 2 January 2025

Bizarre

Punk in Art: Steampunk, Dieselpunk, and Cyberpunk

There are many artistic styles and genres not recognized by the official art world. In some cases, the artists of a certain genre struggle for...

Errika Gerakiti 2 January 2025

Dine & Wine

Why Did So Many Artists Drink Absinthe?

Curious about the abundance of paintings featuring people indulging in absinthe throughout art history? You’re not alone. As I pondered this,...

Magda Michalska 30 December 2024

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 30 December 2024

Fashion

Wearing the Message: Changing the World One Outfit at a Time

From the original silk banners worn by the Suffragettes, through to slogan T-shirts, we often quite literally wear our protest message. This...

Candy Bedworth 30 December 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Cupid Untying the Zone of Venus by Sir Joshua Reynolds

Cupid Untying the Zone of Venus by Sir Joshua Reynolds is a complex masterpiece of mythological allusion, seductive implications, and historical...

James W Singer, 29 December 2024

Women Artists

Roll up, Roll up, for the Greatest Show on Earth! Jeanne Mount and Her Circus Mosaics

Artist Jeanne Mount designed a series of spectacular circus mosaics in 1969 that are as fresh and vibrant today as when they were first displayed on...

Guest Author 26 December 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Two Shades of Love in Vermeer’s Paintings

Many of the paintings by Johannes Vermeer (Dutch, 1632–1675) focus on the theme of love. Some of them involve music, letters, or a glass of wine,...

Tom Anderson 16 December 2024

Jan Havicksz Steen, Woman at her Toilet, 1655-60, oil on panel, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Woman at Her Toilet by Jan Steen

Jan Steen’s Woman at Her Toilet is a provocative masterpiece of genre paintings because of its visual complexity and seductive allure, inviting...

James W Singer 8 December 2024

North American Art

Ed Wheeler’s Santa Classics: Santa Claus and Masterpieces

Photographer Ed Wheeler has been dressing up as Santa Claus for years and posing in hilarious compositions. He started over  20 years ago with...

Zuzanna Stańska 6 December 2024