#Peter Paul Rubens

Art State of Mind

Breast Cancer Awareness: The Best Boobs in Art History

Big ones, small ones, round ones, flat ones, pointy ones, pendulous ones, young ones or old ones, we love them all! Boobs are important and have been...

Sarah Mills 29 April 2024

Left: Martin Droeshout, Portrait of William Shakespeare, 1623. Right: Titian, Tarquinius and Lucretia, ca. 1571, Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, UK. Literature

The Art of Ekphrasis: Shakespeare’s Lucrece

It is most common to talk about paintings or sculptures inspired by a piece of literature. Yet, this relationship between arts is not unidirectional.

Jimena Escoto 23 April 2024

Art State of Mind

5 Gardens in Art That Make Every Gardener Envious

Doesn’t matter if you have a garden, a balcony, a terrace, or just a window sill on which you keep a small cactus. These gardens in art are like...

Magda Michalska 16 April 2024

Animals

Secrets of Pets in Art

There’s nothing better than going to a museum and spotting a cute pet hidden in a painting. I mean, after all, one of art’s functions is...

Marta Wiktoria Bryll 26 March 2024

Baroque

The Art of Story Telling: The Abduction of the Sabine Women

According to popular belief, there are only seven plot types in storytelling. Hence it is not surprising to find artists inspired by the same...

Wendy Gray 15 March 2024

Long Read

Badass Queens from Classical History

A rollicking adventure through the lives of great leaders and queens from ancient times. Famous female leaders are a fascinating bunch. Here at...

Candy Bedworth, Guest Profile 8 March 2024

John William Waterhouse, The Soul of the Rose, 1908. Wikimedia Commons (public domain). Detail. Art State of Mind

Viva Floralia! All Flowers in Art

The Floralia festival was celebrated in Ancient Rome in honor of the goddess Flora. Because there is nothing more beautiful than flowers and,...

Andra Patricia Ritisan 28 February 2024

Renaissance

Rebelious Princess – Ana de Mendoza y de la Cerda, Princess of Éboli

“Who is this beauty with an eyepatch?” you may ask. Is she some sort of pirate queen? No, but you are not far from the truth. Ana de Mendoza de...

Joanna Kaszubowska 22 February 2024

Art reference to Lucas Cranach’s Adam and Eve in Dark, S03E04, 2017, Netflix. Netflix. Theater & Cinema

Art in the Netflix TV Series Dark

In June 2020 Netflix released the long-awaited third and final season of Dark. The German series, co-created by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese, has...

Arianna Richetti 25 January 2024

William Blake, Death on a Pale Horse, ca. 1800, The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, UK. Art State of Mind

Not Just in Movies: The Apocalypse in Art

Recently, people worldwide have experienced a sense of being “in the midst of an apocalypse.” Why do individuals instinctively link this...

Camilla de Laurentis 22 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

Art State of Mind

Drama on Canvas – Dramatic Scenes in Painting

Although performing arts may be the popular avenue to convey drama, visual arts are also a powerful medium for the subject matter. Visual artists...

Maya M. Tola 9 January 2024