WTF Art History

The Duchess of Alba and "la Beata" painted by Francisco Goya, 1795 Artist Stories

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

Love Story

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

Review

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

Music

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

Painting

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

WTF Art History

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

Art State of Mind

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

Painting

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 Stories

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

Theater & Cinema

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

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