Animals

Print with large white hare with red eyes presented frontally on pink background. The body of a hare is rounded. Asian Art

10 Rabbits in Asian Art for the Year of the Rabbit

Happy Year of the Rabbit, everyone! January 22, 2023, in the Chinese lunisolar calendar, marked the beginning of the Year of the Water Rabbit. Lunar...

Ela Bobek 22 February 2023

Animals

Blue Faience Hippopotamuses of the World – Unite!

Blue faience hippopotamus was a popular statuette in ancient Egyptian art. They considered it to have positive traits associated with fertility and...

Zuzanna Stańska 15 February 2023

Animals

The World of Animals Created by Hans Hoffmann

Hans Hoffmann was a 16th-century German painter and draftsman. He was an artist in the court of Rudolph II (the one who loved arts and was probably...

Zuzanna Stańska 19 January 2023

Cornelis Saftleven, Who Sues for a Cow?, 1629, oil on wood panel, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, Netherlands. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Who Sues for a Cow by Cornelis Saftleven

Who Sues for a Cow is a masterpiece of social commentary by now-forgotten artist, Cornelis Saftleven. It is a strange painting from the Dutch Golden...

James W Singer 16 January 2023

Animals

Holy Cow! Why Did the Dutch Painters Love Cows?

Every time I look at 17th-century Dutch paintings, I ask myself the same question: why do they always show cows? You will probably think this is a...

Magda Michalska 13 January 2023

Animals

The Goldfinch: Singing Across Time

See the lonely little bird, trapped in a situation over which it has no control. Chained, isolated. Sounds familiar? In these strange times we need...

Candy Bedworth 5 January 2023

Contemporary Art

Between Art and Engineering: Kinetic Beasts by Theo Jansen

Theo Jansen, a Dutch contemporary artist, a sculptor, an engineer, and most significantly, a visionary. The universe in his mind along with his...

Caroline Galambosova 1 December 2022

Contemporary Art

Maurizio Cattelan and His Obsession with Pigeons

It was at the Venice Biennale in 1997 when Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan displayed 2000 stuffed pigeons installed at the top of the air...

Zuzanna Stańska 16 July 2022

Animals

What Bunnies Are Capable Of – Bunny Paintings Not Only for Easter

I had already written about eggs and how often they feature in art (quirky…). This Easter it is time for another symbol: the Easter Bunny! The cute...

Magda Michalska 17 April 2022

Architecture

The Symbol of Sagittarius on the Tile Spandrels of Qaysariya Gate of Isfahan

The Qaysariya bazaar is located in the north of Naqsh-Jahan square of Isfahan. It was founded by Shah Abbas in the Safavid period. On the tile...

Guest Profile 14 March 2022

Animals

Henry Moore’s Sheep

Henry Spencer Moore was an English artist. Although his primary role was as a sculptor, there are lots of examples of his sketches. His forms are...

Candy Bedworth 11 March 2022

chinese new year tiger, Kishi Chikudo, Detail from Tiger, Tigress and Cubs, 1892 Animals

Year of the Tiger: Chinese New Year 2022

The year of the tiger is upon us! Tigers are frequently depicted in Chinese art, but they have fascinated so many artists from across the world.

Candy Bedworth 1 February 2022