Long reads

Woman with Stylus, 55-79 CE Ancient Rome

Woman with Stylus: What a Portrait Can Tell Us About Women in Ancient Rome

Woman with Stylus is an ancient Roman fresco unearthed in Pompeii nearly two millennia after the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE. Various details...

Natalia Iacobelli 17 July 2025

African Art

Art as a Catalyst: How Art Played a Pivotal Role in the End of Apartheid

South Africa is infamous for its time of apartheid (1948-1994), a legal system for racial segregation. It was a period of violence and oppression...

Guest Author 14 July 2025

Jan van Eyck, The Arnolfini Portrait (detail), 1434, The National Gallery, London, England. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck

The Arnolfini Portrait is as enigmatic as it is iconic. Painted by Jan van Eyck in 1434, it spawns a lot of speculation – over half a millennium...

Vithória Konzen Dill 9 July 2025

Maria Gvardeitseva, Men In Suits Performance, 2024 Interview

Maria Gvardeitseva: Art as Transformation

In this deep-dive interview we explore the work of contemporary artist Maria Gvardeitseva, who explores exile, identity and belonging through the mediums of performance, sculpture and video.

Candy Bedworth 7 July 2025

Unicorns in art Animals

Unicorns in Art Across Time: From French Tapestries to Damien Hirst’s Sculptures

Unicorns, the enchanting and mythical beings, have been a captivating subject in art since ancient times, maintaining their inspirational allure for...

Ela Bobek 30 June 2025

Villa Mairea in Noormarkku Architecture

To Be Finnish or Not to Be: National Identity in Alvar Aalto’s Architecture

Alvar Aalto (1898–1976) is one of the most famous Finnish architects of the 20th century connected with modernism. His style has been associated...

Catherine Razafindralambo 19 June 2025

Contemporary Art

13 Black Folk Artists from the American South

The thirteen self-taught artists below, from Bill Traylor to Nellie Mae Rowe, Thornton Dial to Mary T. Smith, among others, created some of the most...

Adam Oestreich 19 June 2025

Museum Stories

10 Spectacular Hidden Gems at the Louvre Museum

The Louvre Museum in the heart of Paris is home to an incredible collection of artworks. Everyone knows it includes Mona Lisa, Nike of Samothrace,...

Camilla de Laurentis 16 June 2025

Women Interior Designers: Dorothy Draper, The Greenbrier Hotel, 1946-1948, White Sulphur Springs, WV, USA. Architecture

5 Exceptional Women Interior Designers of the 20th Century

Meet the five women designers who changed the face of 20th-century interior design. Their work has been inspiring many designers and their interiors...

Joanna Kaszubowska 12 June 2025

Titian, Bacchus and Ariadne, 1520-23, National Gallery, London, UK. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Bacchus and Ariadne by Titian

Titian’s Bacchus and Ariadne captures the vibrancy of a Greco-Roman myth through the lens of an Italian Renaissance painter. Learn about the...

James W Singer 9 June 2025

Vanitas painting with dark background. On the table are flowers, a scalloped dish filled with almonds, dates, and raisins, and pretzels on a pewter dish. There is also a pewter urn, a gold goblet, and wine glass filled with a red liquid. Women Artists

10 Women of the Dutch Golden Age

The art produced during the Dutch Golden Age is known for its beautiful genre scenes, landscapes, and still lifes. However, the artists associated...

Lauren Kraut, Nicole Ganbold 2 June 2025

Artist Stories

Whistler vs. Ruskin: How to Fling a Pot of Paint and Win a Trial

After paying a visit to the newly inaugurated Grosvenor Gallery in London, John Ruskin wrote a stinging review of the modernist exhibition. The...

Ruxi Rusu 2 June 2025