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tenebrism: Gerard van Honthorst, The Procuress, 1625, Centraal Museum, Utrecht, The Netherlands. Art History 101

Tenebrism 101: All You Need to Know

The Baroque movement, which characterizes much of the European art of the 17th century, is known for its dramatic flair. Gods, demigods, and saints...

Anastasia Manioudaki 7 November 2025

Painting

Mary Magdalene in Candlelight by Georges de La Tour

In the 17th century, Mary Magdalene was a popular subject in art, symbolizing sin, repentance, and redemption. Georges de La Tour, the French Baroque...

Kinga Dobosz 7 November 2025

Baroque

Francisco de Zurbarán: The Spanish Caravaggio

Francisco de Zurbarán was one of the major Spanish painters of the 17th century. He is especially known for his religious subjects and for the...

Vithória Konzen Dill 7 November 2025

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Judith Slaying Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi

Artemisia Gentileschi (1593–1656) was the most accomplished female painter of the Italian Baroque. She specialized in Biblical scenes of strong...

James W Singer 7 November 2025

Painting

Together Apart: Kandinsky and Malevich’s Paths to Abstraction

Though Kandinsky and Malevich came from different backgrounds, their paths converged in shaping the Russian avant-garde. Each developed a radically...

Catherine Razafindralambo 6 November 2025

Post-Impressionism

In a Cabaret with Toulouse-Lautrec’s Posters

On the outskirts of Paris, a working-class district with cabarets and dance halls called Montmartre became the bohemian center of the city.

Magda Michalska 6 November 2025

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Aristide Bruant in His Cabaret by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

In the 1890s, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was part of a group of young avant-garde artists whose color lithography served as a vehicle for innovative...

Zuzanna Stańska 6 November 2025

Dance

Moulin Rouge and the Folies Bergère: Best Can-Can Paintings in Art History

Can-can paintings depict the most famous dance of the Belle Époque era. Originating in France, the Can-can, associated with skirts, petticoats, high...

Charlotte Stace 6 November 2025

manet bar at the folies bergere Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: A Bar at the Folies-Bergère by Édouard Manet

A Bar at the Folies-Bergère is considered Édouard Manet’s last major painting. Presented in the Paris Salon of 1882, just a year before the...

Anastasia Manioudaki 6 November 2025

Asian Art

Yūrei-zu: Japanese Horror in Art

Some Asian cultures are notorious for their rich horror culture, showcasing exceptional horror movies and artistic expressions that continually...

Errika Gerakiti 5 November 2025

Erotica

All You Must Know About Japanese Erotic Art, Shunga

Ukiyo-e art, pictures of the “floating world,” are famous among those interested in art history. Everyone knows Hokusai’s Great Wave. Ukiyo-e...

Zuzanna Stańska 5 November 2025

Artist Stories

Powerful or Problematic? Robert Mapplethorpe’s Photographs

Photographer Robert Mapplethorpe shocked the world with his images of bondage, gay sex, female bodybuilders and naked black men. Technically brilliant or politically problematic, what do you think?

Candy Bedworth, Guest Author 4 November 2025