Masterpiece Story: Napoleon Crossing the Alps by Jacques-Louis David
Jacques-Louis David’s Napoleon Crossing the Alps is one of the most famous and politically iconic images of European art history. However, it is a...
James W Singer 4 December 2023
#history painting
Carl Strathmann’s Bizarre Cabinet of Art Nouveau Curiosities
Tired of the forever beautification of women in Art Nouveau worlds of flamboyant ornaments and stylized flowers? Then you should be looking at Carl...
Kero Fichter 6 November 2023
Prost! Oktoberfest in Paintings
Oktoberfest, as the name suggests, is a traditional German beer festival held annually in October (although it starts already in late September). For...
Magda Michalska 16 October 2023
The Lost Portrait of Henry VIII: Art in Service of Power
Posing proudly in front of the fascinated spectator, a monarch fixes us with his majestic gaze. Perhaps you recognized the best-known portrait of...
Montaine Dumont 14 October 2023
Elisabetta Sirani: Pioneer, Teacher and Artist
Elisabetta Sirani (1638-1665) was born in Bologna, a progressive city with a liberal attitude towards educating women. She was a pioneering female...
Gokce Dyson 5 October 2023
A Tale of Revenge and Justice: The Oresteia in Paintings
Marcus Aurelius, the last of the five good Roman emperors once wrote: “The best way to avenge yourself is not to become as they are” (Meditations...
Erol Degirmenci 10 July 2023
Masterpiece Story: Judith Slaying Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi
Artemisia Gentileschi (1593–1656) was the most accomplished female painter of the Italian Baroque. She specialized in Biblical scenes of strong...
James W Singer 8 July 2023
Painting the Fall of the Roman Empire
After many centuries, we are still wondering why the Roman Empire disappeared. Many theories try to explain it: wars, ideological problems, a chaotic...
Celia Leiva Otto 11 June 2023
Masterpiece Story: The Obsequies of an Egyptian Cat by John Weguelin
Here is a Masterpiece Story to honor our beloved cats. The Obsequies of an Egyptian Cat by John Weguelin presents an imaginative interpretation of an...
Alexandra Kiely 27 May 2023
Masterpiece Story: The African King Caspar by Hendrik Heerschop
White subjects have dominated the Western art tradition for millennia, while people of color have been vastly underrepresented and misrepresented.
James W Singer 13 January 2023
5 Things You Should Know About Michaelina Wautier
Michaelina Wautier was born in Mons in 1604. This Flemish painter has been absent in art history for many years, but her life and work are slowly...
Vithória Konzen Dill 8 January 2023
Masterpiece Story: Cleopatra by Alexandre Cabanel
Queen Cleopatra is a popular subject today – as she was in the late 19th century. Alexandre Cabanel’s Cleopatra explores a single moment of her...
James W Singer 3 November 2022
