#19th Century

Impressionism

Julie Manet – The Eternal Beauty of Impressionism

Julie Manet – called the beauty of Impressionism – was the daughter of the wealthy, well-connected painter Berthe Morisot and Eugène Manet,...

Pola Otterstein 14 January 2023

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Meules by Claude Monet

Claude Monet, the master of Impressionism, loved to paint in series. The one with haystacks (in French called meules) is his most well-known, and was...

Zuzanna Stańska 9 January 2023

Claude Monet, Magpie, 1868-69, Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Magpie by Claude Monet

Magpie is a masterpiece by Claude Monet that captures the poetic play of light upon a winter landscape. It is a symphony of ivory and...

James W Singer 5 January 2023

Women Artists

A Female Artist from Japan: Nōguchi Shōhin

Nōguchi Shōhin (野口 小蘋) (1847–1917) was a leading Japanese painter from the Edo (1603–1867) and Meiji eras (1868–1912). She was born...

Isla Phillips-Ewen 4 January 2023

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Portrait of Eva Gonzalès by Édouard Manet

You’ve probably heard of the Impressionists: Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Paul Cézanne, and Camille Pissarro. These guys are not only known for...

Abreeza Thomas 29 December 2022

Hokusai Great Wave, Katsushika Hokusai, Under the Wave off Kanagawa, Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, ca. 1830-1832, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, USA. Asian Art

Hokusai’s Great Wave Explained

You might not know the title of Hokusai’s print, but Under the Wave off Kanagawa is almost instantly recognizable. His Great Wave reveals...

Marina Kochetkova 26 December 2022

Theater & Cinema

The Scenes You Might Know from Anime: Outstanding Prints of Hasui Kawase

Hasui Kawase (1883–1957) was one of Japan’s most important and prolific printmakers and artists of the late 19th and early-20th centuries. As a...

Isabella Hill 26 December 2022

Giovanni Segantini, The Punishment of Lust, 1891, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK. Artist Stories

Giovanni Segantini: A Snowy Story with a Sad End

December is a month of snow (for those in the colder corners of the world…), hot chocolates with marshmallows, and mince pies. I’m slowly...

Magda Michalska 21 December 2022

Painting

Snowy Siberian Winter in Konstantin Korovin’s Eyes

If one thinks of winter in Siberia, one usually imagines loads of snow, fur hats, and hip flasks filled with some warming drink. What was winter like...

Magda Michalska 21 December 2022

spirit victorian photography Photography

The Spectacle of Victorian Spirit Photography

Is seeing believing? In 19th-century London, this question captivated everyone who entered Frederick Hudson’s spirit photography studio—from...

Emily Snow 20 December 2022

Photography

The True Star of Early Photography: Virginia Oldoini

Virginia Elisabetta Luisa Antonietta Teresa Maria Oldoini – in short, Countess of Castiglione – was a real celebrity of her times. I imagine that...

Zuzanna Stańska 20 December 2022

Photography

Capturing Light: The Pioneers of Photography in France

It all officially began in 1839 in two countries at the same time: in the UK, the Royal Academy announced the discovery of a method of capturing...

Magda Michalska 20 December 2022