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Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi by Angelica Kauffman

Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi by Angelica Kauffman shows a pretty Roman woman and her three children. But it’s much more than that. It has an...

Alexandra Kiely 21 January 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Roses of Heliogabalus by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema

Lust, Gluttony, and Sloth. Three of the Seven Deadly Sins are depicted in Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema’s The Roses of Heliogabalus. Many other sins are...

James W Singer 21 January 2024

Ancient Rome

Masterpiece Story: Mithras Slaying the Bull

Mithras Slaying the Bull is a compilation of the entire religious and symbolic images of Mithraism. It reflects promised immortality and personal...

James W Singer 21 January 2024

Artist Stories

Jean Cocteau – Prince of Parisian Bohème

Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (1889-1963) was a prince of bohème. A significant figure in the European art of the 20th century, Cocteau...

Valeria Kumekina 18 January 2024

Johannes Vermeer, View of Delft, 1660-1661, Mauritshuis, The Hage, Netherlands Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: View of Delft by Johannes Vermeer

Between 1660 and 1661, Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer created three paintings of his hometown, Delft. These are The Little Street, the now-lost...

Javier Abel Miguel 18 January 2024

Kūka’ilimoku, ca 1795-1822, ʻŌhiʻa lehua Wood, Kawaihae, Hawai’i, British Museum, London, UK. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Kūka’ilimoku

Kūka’ilimoku is a masterpiece of Hawaiian art. It is an artistic icon of Hawai’i, Polynesia, and Oceania. With so little Oceanic art displayed...

James W Singer 18 January 2024

Art State of Mind

Taking the Perfect Selfie: Tips from Best Self-Portraits in Art History

To pout or not to pout… that is the question.  From smolders to smiles, duck faces to dog ears, in the age of front-facing phone cameras there...

Tony Heathfield 17 January 2024

Painting

8 Best Artists’ Selfies in Art History

Whoever criticizes the fashion of selfies, must have forgotten that selfies have existed for a long time in painting. Here comes a curious and less...

Magda Michalska 17 January 2024

Women Artists

5 Self-Portraits by Women Artists That You Probably Haven’t Seen (And You Should)

When thinking of a self-portrait, the famous names and artworks of Dürer, Rembrandt, or Van Gogh probably come to mind. Here is your chance to...

Europeana 17 January 2024

Post-Impressionism

10 Vincent van Gogh Self-Portraits You Need to Know

Vincent van Gogh created 36 self-portraits in the space of only 10 years. These works are an amazing source of knowledge not only of how Van Gogh...

Zuzanna Stańska 16 January 2024

Medieval Art

Here Be Medieval Dragons

Dragons are everywhere in popular culture. People make movies about them, collect stuffed animals of them, and dress up as them for Halloween. They...

Alexandra Kiely 16 January 2024

Rococo

6 Greatest Rococo Artists You Should Know

Rococo was the major art movement of the 18th century. Its main characteristics are lightness, decorativeness, and subjects from everyday life of the...

Anastasia Manioudaki 15 January 2024