#Portraits

Franz Xaver Winterhalter, Empress Elisabeth of Austria (detail), 1865. Oil on canvas. The Hofburg Palace, Vienna, Austria. Herstory

Empress Sisi: What Art Doesn’t Show Us

Elizabeth of Austria, more commonly known as Sisi, was Empress of the Austrian-Habsburg Empire from 1854 until 1898. Captivating paintings and...

Errika Gerakiti 4 March 2024

WTF Art History

5 Weird Portraits from Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna

The Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, one of the foremost museums in the world, owns rich holdings comprising artworks from seven millennia –...

Zuzanna Stańska 29 February 2024

History

Joanna of Castile: Story of a Misunderstood Queen in Portraits

Joanna of Castile, also known as Joanna the Mad, was never expected to inherit the throne of Castile and Aragon in the 16th century. Due to her...

Anna Ingram 22 February 2024

Husband and wife sitting and resting one opposite another. Artist Stories

American Colorist: Milton Avery

American artist Milton Avery employed wide strokes of vivid colors and simple forms in his acclaimed portraits, still lifes, and landscapes. Abstract...

Nikolina Konjevod 12 February 2024

Ramesses II, New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty, 1279–1254 BCE, granodiorite, Temple of Amun, Karnak Temple Complex, Thebes (Luxor), Egypt, Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Ramesses II

The statue of Ramesses II is a masterpiece of ancient Egyptian sculpture that proclaims the royal majesty and prowess of Ramesses the...

James W Singer 11 February 2024

Masterpiece Stories

The Story of Girl at Mirror by Norman Rockwell

Do you know the Snow White fairytale? Girl at Mirror by Norman Rockwell would certainly be a contestant to Snow White’s wicked stepmother as she...

Rute Ferreira 3 February 2024

Photography

The Mystery of Vincent van Gogh’s Photos

Vincent van Gogh famously recorded himself in numerous self-portraits, but he hated photography and supposedly he never sat for a photo as an adult.

Zuzanna Stańska 22 January 2024

Photography

Rare Childhood Photos of Frida Kahlo

Have you ever imagined what artists looked like when they were kids? Well, in this case, you don’t even have to use your imagination. Frida Kahlo...

Zuzanna Stańska 22 January 2024

Mannerism

The Mannerist Splendor: Meet Four Powerful Women of Bronzino

Agnolo di Cosimo (1503–1572), known as Bronzino, was an Italian Mannerist painter. He lived and worked in Florence and became the court painter of...

Joanna Kaszubowska 2 January 2024

Art Nouveau

Ramón Casas – The Painter of Catalan Modernism

When you think of Catalonia, and especially Barcelona, the first name that comes to mind is, of course, that of Antoni Gaudí, but Catalan art at the...

Joanna Kaszubowska 18 December 2023

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Tailor by Giovanni Battista Moroni

The Tailor is one of Giovanni Battista Moroni’s most famous portraits. Not only is it an astonishing work of art, but the sitter himself is quite...

Joanna Kaszubowska 15 December 2023

Artist Stories

Vive la Belle Époque! The Story of Giovanni Boldini and Franca Florio

The history of the Belle Époque reveals many scandalous stories. Behind the elegant portraits interesting lives of grand dames and adventurous...

Giordana Goretti 5 December 2023