#19th Century

Design

Arts and Crafts’ Principles in Interior Design: The Original Minimalists

Perhaps you have noticed a trend in recent years: people seem to crave a return to simpler times, to homesteading, homemaking, and minimalism. We...

Ledys Chemin 10 December 2022

North American Art

The Man, The Myth, The Legend: Thomas Nast’s Santa Claus

Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, Old St. Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, Papa Noel, Weihnachtsmann. Whatever your culture is, he is a man of many...

Rachel Witte 6 December 2022

John Singer Sargent, Lady Agnew of Lochnaw, 1892, Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh, UK. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Lady Agnew of Lochnaw by John Singer Sargent

Lady Agnew of Lochnaw is a masterpiece by John Singer Sargent. It portrays a Victorian woman in a bold, modern manner. Sargent combined masterful...

James W Singer 5 December 2022

Art Nouveau

Ethel Reed – When a Meteor Crossed the Night Sky of Art Nouveau

If you’ve heard of Ethel Reed, you are probably either a devotee of late-19th-century American poster art or an art history student. After the...

Wen Gu 5 December 2022

Photography

The Mystery of Vincent Van Gogh’s Photos

Vincent van Gogh famously recorded himself in numerous self-portraits, but he hated photography and supposedly he never sat for a photo as an adult.

Zuzanna Stańska 4 December 2022

Vincent van Gogh - Self-portrait with bandaged ear (1889, Courtauld Institute) Artist Stories

The Mystery of Vincent van Gogh’s Death

Vincent van Gogh’s death occurred in the early morning of 29 July 1890, in his room at the Auberge Ravoux in the village of Auvers-sur-Oise in...

Zuzanna Stańska 4 December 2022

Post-Impressionism

The Story of an Excessively Electric Friendship Between Van Gogh and Gauguin

People say that you shouldn’t live with your friends because your friendship may deteriorate. The story of the friendship between Vincent van...

Magda Michalska 4 December 2022

Post-Impressionism

Vincent van Gogh’s Last Painting?

In July 1890, Vincent van Gogh painted one of his best-known artworks, Wheatfield with Crows. The painting is on display in The Van Gogh Museum in...

Heather Johnson 4 December 2022

Love Story

The Sad Story of Vincent van Gogh and His Lovers

Vincent van Gogh’s love life was a really sad one. The list of the artist’s lovers is full of unsuccessful advances and rejections. This is the...

Zuzanna Stańska 4 December 2022

Art Nouveau

René Lalique, The Master Jeweler of Art Nouveau

René Lalique (1860-1945) was a French jeweler and one of Art Nouveau’s most renowned craftsmen. Trained in Paris and London, Lalique was unusual...

Europeana 2 December 2022

Review

William Blake vs. The World by John Higgs: An Invitation to Blake’s Artistic Journey

Painter, poet, printmaker (and even called a prophet by many) of the pre-Romantic period in UK, William Blake is the subject of a recent book...

Montaine Dumont 28 November 2022

Henriëtte Ronner-Knip, Cat at Play, ca 1860-78, oil on wood panel, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Cat at Play by Henriëtte Ronner-Knip

Cat at Play is a masterpiece by Henriëtte Ronner-Knip who deserves to have her legacy revised and her fame revived. Art does not need to be radical...

James W Singer 27 November 2022