Margaret of Austria: The Public Image of a Renaissance Stateswoman
Instagram and other social media have long since taken over our inherent need to be seen and acknowledged by our surroundings. But this deliberate...
Kero Fichter 6 March 2025
#The Netherlands
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 16 February 2025
Holy Cow! Why Did the Dutch Painters Love Cows?
Every time I look at 17th-century Dutch paintings, I ask myself the same question: why do they always show cows? You will probably think this is a...
Magda Michalska 12 February 2025
Johannes Vermeer in 10 Paintings
Johannes Vermeer was one of the masters of the Dutch Golden Age. He was born in Delft, Netherlands, in 1632 and died there at age 43, apparently...
Tom Anderson 6 February 2025
Pure Happiness, Fun, and Joy in Jan Steen’s Paintings
I am a true happiness digger and I’m looking for happiness also in art. If you are a frequent reader here, you may have seen our other articles...
Rute Ferreira 20 January 2025
Nine Reasons to Smile with Frans Hals’ Portraits
Frans Hals (c. 1582–1666) was one of the Dutch Golden Age painters. Born in Antwerp, he spent his entire adult life in Haarlem. Hals is most famous...
Joanna Kaszubowska 20 January 2025
Masterpiece Story: Threatened Swan by Jan Asselijn
Swans are normally characterized as graceful birds. They are magnificent and majestic. However, Jan Asselijn displays another side of these elegant...
James W Singer 5 January 2025
Hendrick Avercamp: Chronicler of the Little Ice Age
A dog tears at the carcass of a long-dead horse. Nearby, a man brandishes what looks like a golf club, and a dandy grins alongside a woman in a...
Guest Author 26 December 2024
Delftware 101—The Brilliant Face of the Dutch Golden Age
When we think of the Netherlands, a few characteristic things come to mind: tulips, windmills, orange, cheese and painted clogs to name but a few.
Giordana Goretti 23 December 2024
Masterpiece Story: Woman at Her Toilet by Jan Steen
Jan Steen’s Woman at Her Toilet is a provocative masterpiece of genre paintings because of its visual complexity and seductive allure, inviting...
James W Singer 8 December 2024
Masterpiece Story: Gallant Conversation by Gerard ter Borch
Gallant Conversation by Gerard ter Borch is a genre painting filled with a mysterious narrative. What are the three people doing? Why are they in a...
James W Singer 8 December 2024
Yes, Santa Claus Is Real! His Name Is St. Nicholas
Who dressed in winter robes, bestowed gifts under the cover of night, and became a hero to children? This describes Nicholas of Myra, a Middle...
Helen Jeffery 6 December 2024
