#france

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Birth of Venus by William-Adolphe Bouguereau

The Birth of Venus is probably the most famous painting by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, and it is considered a masterpiece of French Academic...

James W Singer 24 March 2024

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 22 March 2024

Animals

The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau

Henri Rousseau was a French artist who painted in a Naïve or Primitive manner. He was also known as Le Douanier (the customs officer), which was a...

Zuzanna Stańska 20 March 2024

Art Nouveau

Alphonse Mucha – Art Nouveau Master

Alphonse Mucha is perhaps the artist most publicly associated with Art Nouveau. Today we explore the life and work of the Czech master. Alphonse...

Europeana 18 March 2024

Constance Mayer: constance mayer Women Artists

Constance Mayer and Pierre Prud’hon: Better Together?

Constance Mayer (1775-1821) was one of a generation of women artists who took advantage of the new freedoms offered by the French Revolution. She...

Catriona Miller 18 March 2024

Jacques Louis David, Antoine Laurent Lavoisier and Marie Anne Lavoisier, Herstory

Marie-Anne Paulze Lavoisier: The Unsung Mother of Modern Chemistry

A trailblazing French chemist and scholar, Marie-Anne Paulze Lavoisier was at the cutting edge of scientific research during the Age of...

Natalia Iacobelli 16 March 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Oath of the Horatii by Jacques-Louis David

In a Neoclassicist masterpiece painted on the eve of the French Revolution, Jacques-Louis David depicts the beginning of an epic Roman story in The...

Coleman Richards 15 March 2024

Trouvelot: Étienne Léopold Trouvelot, Aurora Borealis: As Observed on March 1st, 1872 at 9.25pm Artist Stories

Trouvelot and His Unique Art of the Cosmos

First published in 1881, Étienne Léopold Trouvelot’s portfolio of astronomical illustrations is an exceptional collection of majestic...

Jon Kelly 14 March 2024

Louise Bourgeois, Maman, 1999, steel, bronze, marble. Stavros Niarchos Cultural Foundation, Athens, Greece. Author's photo. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Maman by Louise Bourgeois

Maman is one of the most iconic sculptures ever created. Its dimensions are monumental, and it can only be installed either outdoors or in an...

Errika Gerakiti 12 March 2024

Theater & Cinema

Art and Cinema: The Encounter in the Work of Agnès Varda

Agnès Varda was an important figure in the New Wave (French: Nouvelle Vague) film movement. She is known for making her own cinema. Her sensitivity...

Dévra Taboada 12 March 2024

Henri Matisse, The gulf of Sint-Tropez, 1904, Kunstsammlung Nordhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf, Germany Art Travels

Top 5 Artsy Travel Destinations in 2024 Through Paintings

We suggest you a selection of the best tourist destinations and festivals by the hand of great artists!

Andra Patricia Ritisan 11 March 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Little Girl in a Blue Armchair by Mary Cassatt

Mary Stevenson Cassatt was an American painter and printmaker. She lived much of her adult life in France, where she became friends with Edgar Degas...

Zuzanna Stańska 11 March 2024