Animals

Artist Stories

Morris Hirshfield and His Bizarre Animals

It is a common opinion that if you would like to start a career in arts, you should begin as early as possible. But talent knows no boundaries, and...

Zuzanna Stańska 20 March 2024

Jeff Koons, Balloon Dog (Magenta), 1994-2000, Château de Versailles, Versailles, France. Photo by Marc Wathieu via Versailles' website. Contemporary Art

Jeff Koons and His Balloon Dogs

What do Jeff Koons, Jay Z, Christie’s, and clowns have in common? Balloon dogs. Koons is a controversial figure in the contemporary art world,...

Zuzanna Stańska 12 March 2024

Masterpiece Stories

George Rodrigue and His Blue Dogs

Hailing from New Iberia, Louisiana, George Rodrigue gained international acclaim for painting blue dogs—his favorite subject, as well as something...

Zuzanna Stańska 4 March 2024

Sir Edwin Landseer, Monarch of the Glen, ca 1851, Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh, UK. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Monarch of the Glen by Edwin Landseer

Monarch of the Glen by Edwin Landseer is one of the most famous British paintings of the 19th century. It is a Victorian melodrama at its most...

James W Singer 25 February 2024

A dark brown horse rears on its hind legs; an olive green background: George Stubbs, Whistlejacket, c.1762, The National Gallery, London, UK. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Whistlejacket by George Stubbs

If you visit London’s National Gallery, you can’t miss Whistlejacket. George Stubbs’ life-size, rearing stallion is visible down a...

Catriona Miller 25 February 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Threatened Swan by Jan Asselijn

Swans are normally characterized as graceful birds. They are magnificent and majestic. However, Jan Asselijn displays another side of these elegant...

James W Singer 25 February 2024

Cats

Meet Beautiful Cats by Charles Frederick Tunnicliffe

Charles Frederick Tunnicliffe, a British engraver, illustrator, and painter is perhaps best known for his paintings of birds. He painted many other...

Sarah Mills 17 February 2024

Cats

Maneki Neko – Those Lucky Cats

We’ve all seen those jovial, happy cat figurines in Asian restaurants and shops. Sitting upright with their raised paw, smiling face, and trademark...

Nadine Waldmann 17 February 2024

Asian Art

Dragons in East Asian Art

Imagination is the only limit to the stories and myths about dragons. From East to West, storytellers paint them as creatures of fire, of deep...

Yifan Xia 15 February 2024

Animals

Art’s Best Friend: Dogs in Paintings

No one will ever be as happy to see you coming back home as your dog. Since they are always with us, they do deserve their own place in art. And they...

Joanna Kaszubowska 13 February 2024

Maurizio Cattelan, KAPUTT, 2013, Foundation Beyeler Riehen, Basel, Switzerland. Source: Artsy. Long Read

From Specimen to Contemporary Taxidermy

There are many media through which artists can express their own vision, approach their aesthetic feeling, and capture the reality that vanishes in...

Caroline Galambosova 29 January 2024

Video

Watch the Hedgehogs from Medieval Bestiaries Come to Life!

I love animals from Medieval bestiaries. They are truly beautiful. So when I came across this video animating the hedgehog described in Latin...

Zuzanna Stańska, Nicole Ganbold 29 January 2024