The Story Of Duchess of Alba – Francisco de Goya’s Muse
Few women in 18th-century Spain captured the imagination of contemporaries as thoroughly as Doña María de Pilar Teresa Cayetana de Silva Álvarez...
Zuzanna Stańska 1 July 2023
WTF Art History
Women in Rossetti’s Life and Art: Muses and Lovers
Anyone who knows of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood will remember their style by the representation of a very particular type of woman – the ones...
Bolor Jargalsaikhan 1 July 2023
On Ugliness by Umberto Eco – A Sublime Journey Through Horrid Texts and Faces of the Western World
This book stood on one of my shelves for far too long. The compelling ugliness of its cover attracted me each time I longingly glanced at it. Now...
Giordana Goretti 26 June 2023
Farinelli – The Best Castrato In Portraits
What does “castrato” mean? Castrati were male singers who had been castrated before puberty to retain the so-called voce bianca, that is...
Magda Michalska 26 June 2023
The Dog Days Are Coming – 10 Beaches in Art for Summer Time
In the Northern Hemisphere, we will soon reach the height of summer. The time between 3 July and 11 August is also known as “the dog days.” And...
Joanna Kaszubowska 18 June 2023
Wind in Paintings for a Breath of Fresh Air
Have you ever thought of the wind in a painting? How to capture something you can’t really see? It either reflects on the sitters or the...
Magda Michalska 15 June 2023
Why Is St Sebastian a Gay Icon?
One may think that Christian saints have little in common with gay culture, but there is an exception to every rule. If you see a handsome guy in his...
Magda Michalska 1 June 2023
Cute Babies in Art: From Rubens to Cassatt
Who doesn’t like a cute baby? Lucky for us, history is full of cute babies in art. And while we could dedicate one whole article to babies in Mary...
Rachel Witte 22 May 2023
Masterpiece Story: The Football Players by Henri Rousseau
Welcome to the bizarre world of Henri Rousseau (1844–1910), the quintessential naïve artist, and meet his masterpiece depicting oneiric, striped...
Anastasia Manioudaki 21 May 2023
The Best Star Wars and Classic Art Mashups
It is fascinating how people combine two products of culture that are so different – classic art and Star Wars. Here you will find the best (in our...
Zuzanna Stańska 4 May 2023
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
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
