#19th Century

Museum Stories

Van Gogh Museum Staff Picks

Have you ever wondered who knows the best of a museum’s collection? Probably the people who spend most of their lives between these artworks: the...

Kate Wojtczak 30 March 2023

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Theatre Box by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Entertainments such as cabarets, theatres, and the circus were popular themes among the Impressionist painters whose mission was portraying modern...

Zuzanna Stańska 27 March 2023

Post-Impressionism

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec Portraying Misia Natanson at the Theater

Henri Toulouse-Lautrec is famous for his portrayals of Parisian nightlife: cabarets, theaters, and brothels. He showed us a world of decadence and...

Alicja Gluszek 27 March 2023

Animals

See a Man About a Dog: Dogs in Paintings

The title sentence is a charming English euphemism, usually used to apologize for one’s imminent departure or absence—generally to conceal...

Joanna Kaszubowska 23 March 2023

Rivers in paintings: J.M.W. Turner, The Fighting Temeraire, 1839, National Gallery, London, UK. Painting

Down by the River: Rivers in Famous Paintings

From the dawn of civilization, rivers have been the crux of human life. Most great cities are built around rivers. We use them for sustenance,...

Anastasia Manioudaki 22 March 2023

Rose Peckham, May Alcott Nieriker, 1877, Louisa May Alcott Memorial Association, Orchard House, Concord, MA, USA. Orchard House’s website. Women Artists

Abigail May Alcott Nieriker: Feminist Trailblazer and the Real Amy March from Little Women

Abigail May Alcott Nieriker was the real Amy March from Little Women. However, she was so much more than an inspiration. Born under a lucky star, she...

Jimena Escoto 8 March 2023

Romanticism

The Bible According to William Blake

William Blake (1757–1827), an English Romantic poet, painter, and printmaker, was commissioned by his patron Thomas Butts, a civil servant, to...

Magda Michalska 26 February 2023

James Tissot: Partie Carrée, 1870 Artist Stories

A Perfect World of Perfect Women in James Tissot’s Paintings

This title might be a little controversial. In fact, critics find the term demimondaine to be more accurate when describing James Tissot’s series...

Magda Michalska 23 February 2023

Print with large white hare with red eyes presented frontally on pink background. The body of a hare is rounded. Asian Art

10 Rabbits in Asian Art for the Year of the Rabbit

Happy Year of the Rabbit, everyone! January 22, 2023, in the Chinese lunisolar calendar, marked the beginning of the Year of the Water Rabbit. Lunar...

Ela Bobek 22 February 2023

Academic Art

The Naked Truth About Nudes in Academic Art

Academicism was the dominant style in European art in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was called so because it was dictated by the French Academy of...

Magda Michalska 21 February 2023

Asian Art

Peek into the Court: Stunning Qajar Portraits

I’m sure you’re well acquainted with European royal portraiture. But have you ever seen portraits of rulers from beyond Europe? We want to show...

Magda Michalska 20 February 2023

Women Artists

The Beautiful Self-Portraits of Abigail de Andrade

History of art is full of fascinating female artists: Artemisia Gentileschi, Mary Cassatt, Tarsila do Amaral, Tamara de Lempicka… Now, I would like...

Rute Ferreira 19 February 2023