WTF Art History

Artist Stories

Getting Your Teeth into Goya

Goya was not a happy man when he painted Saturn Devouring His Son, some time between 1819 and 1823. By the time he created this painting,...

Craig Wakerley 10 September 2019

Art History 101

Logomania – Words in Art

What do Jean-Michel Basquiat, The François Vase, Tracey Emin and Xu Bing have in common? Words! So, in the spirit of light summer reading,...

Isla Phillips-Ewen 1 August 2019

Sculpture

Bold Is Beautiful – a Guide to Spotting a Ravinder Reddy Sculpture

Ravinder Reddy (b. 1956) is a contemporary Indian sculptor. His sculptures of women are now some of the most recognisable examples of contemporary...

Isla Phillips-Ewen 20 July 2019

Take a Trip with Rosemary Ellis

As we head into summer holiday season, let’s take a look back at the gorgeous travel posters designed by British artist Rosemary Ellis. One of the...

Candy Bedworth 11 July 2019

Medieval Art

Crossing the Sword Bridge. Sir Lancelot of the Lake in Medieval Art

The 12th century saw the rise of secular literature centred on heroes. Courtly poetry and prose took up themes of love and chivalry. These stories...

Guest Profile 5 July 2019

Art History 101

Art Afterpieces. How Internet Didn’t Come up with Anything New

Playing with the greatest masterpieces by adding to them contemporary elements, like inserting a smartphone into a hand of a Pre-Raphaelite lady,...

Magda Michalska 3 July 2019

Sixth Sense? Allegories of Senses in Painting

How to show our sensual experiences visually? The human senses made out one of the most appealing subjects for European painters, especially that...

Magda Michalska 26 June 2019

Art State of Mind

I Put a Spell on You – Vodou Art

Vodou is one of the most misunderstood belief systems in the world. Derided by the Church and popular culture, in fact it is a fascinating system of...

Candy Bedworth 19 June 2019

Art State of Mind

How to Become an Old Master? Turn on the Youtube First!

I can’t draw, I can’t paint, I can’t sculpt or do pottery. But I can watch videos on Rijksmuseum Youtube channel called...

Magda Michalska 13 June 2019

Artist Stories

It’s Not Always What It Seems: The Fabulous Inventions of Panamarenko

Panamarenko steals from science and uses it in his art. He has designed planes and submarines that at first sight are perfectly capable of...

Michel Rutten 12 June 2019

Art History 101

Geek Art

The geek-art community has an affluent and acquisitive sub culture that has a seemingly insatiable thirst for paintings, models and sculptures. Pop...

Candy Bedworth 25 May 2019

Museum Stories

Lubaina Himid’s Dinner Service at the V&A

In 2017, Lubaina Himid won the Turner Prize (and she was the oldest winner ever, aged 63!). Ten years before she presented her work Swallow Hard: The...

Magda Michalska 14 May 2019