Baroque

History

How Did the Dutch Become Dutch: Propaganda Prints in the Dutch Golden Age

The Golden Age of the Dutch Republic was a flourishing period for culture and economy, yet it wasn’t characterized by peace. The Dutch Republic...

Andreea Iancu 21 May 2026

Baroque

Masterpiece Story: Apollo and Daphne by Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Apollo and Daphne, one of Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s first major commissions, was completed between 1622 and 1625 for Cardinal Scipione Borghese, a...

Maya M. Tola 17 May 2026

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Calling of Saint Matthew by Caravaggio

The Calling of Saint Matthew by Caravaggio depicts the moment Matthew turns away from tax collecting and toward Jesus. Caravaggio was a master of...

Guest Author 17 May 2026

Erotica

The Unashamed Gaze: The Story of Goya’s Naked (and Clothed) Maja

Which one do you prefer? The Naked Maja or The Clothed Maja? – this question might have been asked by the painter Francisco Goya when he completed...

Magda Michalska 14 May 2026

Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Self-Portrait, c. 1635, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, Italy. Artist Stories

Gian Lorenzo Bernini in 5 Facts and 5 Artworks

Gian Lorenzo Bernini was a multifaceted artist. He is mostly known as a sculptor and architect, but he was also a painter and a city planner. He...

Vithória Konzen Dill 7 May 2026

Art History 101

What Is a Wunderkammer? Best Cabinets of Curiosities

The characteristic of arousing surprise for the observer is typical for the so-called Wunderkammer or Cabinet of Curiosities. These are real rooms of...

Caroline Galambosova 4 May 2026

Baroque

The Cost of Devotion in Caravaggio’s Saint Jerome

Caravaggio, one of the most striking painters of the Baroque era, uses the figure of Saint Jerome to explore themes of devotion and mortality. In...

Guest Author 30 April 2026

Quiz

QUIZ: The Italian Art Odyssey

Joanna Kaszubowska 25 April 2026

Women Artists

Ginevra Cantofoli—A Baroque Painter from Bologna in 7 Paintings

Ginevra Cantofoli was a Bolognese painter of the Baroque period. Her story speaks to the remarkable power of women supporting one another in the...

Nikolina Konjevod 16 April 2026

Luisa Roldan, Ecstasy of Mary Magdalene. Women Artists

Luisa Roldán: The Groundbreaking Career of Spain’s First Woman Sculptor

She wrote letters to kings, was Spain’s first documented woman sculptor, and became the official escultora de cámara, or court sculptor, to...

Natalia Iacobelli 16 April 2026

Sculpture

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt and His Bizarre Character Heads

The so-called character heads created by Franz Xaver Messerschmidt are not only a bizarre collection of sculptures but also a unique portrayal of...

Zuzanna Stańska 14 April 2026

Quiz

QUIZ: Caravaggio or Gentileschi? Guess the Painter!

Jimena Escoto 11 April 2026