#Gustave Courbet

Artist Stories

Joanna Hiffernan: Artist, Model and Whistler’s Muse

Joanna Hiffernan and James Abbott McNeill Whistler met in London in 1861. He instantly fell in love with her striking red hair and outspoken...

Louisa Mahoney 4 April 2024

Erotica

Pillow Talk Stories: The Comfiest Beds in Paintings

When you think about it, most of the events throughout our lives take place in beds. From birth to death, beds are imbued with the ultimate...

Maia Heguiaphal 16 February 2024

Art State of Mind

Taking the Perfect Selfie: Tips from Best Self-Portraits in Art History

To pout or not to pout… that is the question.  From smolders to smiles, duck faces to dog ears, in the age of front-facing phone cameras there...

Tony Heathfield 17 January 2024

Erotica

Art and the Body: How Artists Approach Body Positivity

If you ever find yourself feeling insecure about your body (as I often do), take a moment to explore these paintings. These works of art show how...

Magda Michalska 15 January 2024

autumnal still life Dine & Wine

Autumnal Still Lifes for a Tasty Welcome of Autumn

As the days slowly become darker and gloomier, and all the beautiful green flora is turning yellow and red, we would like to officially welcome...

Magda Michalska 16 October 2023

game of thrones art: Left: Alexandre Cabanel, Fallen Angel, 1847, Musée Fabre, Montpellier, France. Detail. Right: Sansa Stark.  WTF Art History

How Art Inspired the Game of Thrones

It has been a while since Game of Thrones ran its course. Are you planning to re-watch it anytime soon? Trying to escape our current bleak world, for...

Joanna Kaszubowska 21 September 2023

Art State of Mind

It’s Too Hot to Move – Paintings for the Heatwave

As the heatwave rolls across Europe, it is certainly becoming too hot to move. And when we’re not moving, nothing is more pleasant than to lie...

Joanna Kaszubowska 27 July 2023

Art History 101

Famous Self-Portraits You Should Know

Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all? Self-portraits are closely tied to the existence of mirrors. Although mirrors have...

Anastasia Manioudaki 25 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

Erotica

The 10 Most Scandalous Nudes in Art (NSFW)

We’re here to let you in on a pretty widely known secret about art history: it is all about sex. Nude representations of men and women caused...

Zuzanna Stańska 21 February 2023

Painting

11 Famous Funeral Paintings of Western Art

Funeral practices are deeply ingrained in all cultures. Varied traditions around the globe reflect widespread beliefs and values. On this day when we...

Zuzanna Stańska 1 November 2022

Painting

All About Sailing in Painting

I’ve sailed only once or twice in my whole life but I can still remember the empowering feeling of liberation that I felt when on the water.

Magda Michalska 26 August 2022