#religious art

Quiz

QUIZ: Guess the Catholic Saint! Part 2

Joanna Kaszubowska 23 May 2026

Love Story

The Love Affair of Radha and Krishna in Art

The love story of Radha and Krishna has been immortalized in art by poets, musicians, writers, and painters over the long history of Hinduism. The...

Maya M. Tola 20 May 2026

Flower Symbolism in Art. Adriaen van Utrecht, Still Life with Bouquet and Skull, c. 1642. Private collection. Via Wikimedia Commons. Painting

The Flora of Folklore: Hidden Flower Symbolism in Art’s Greatest Paintings

Every Old Master canvas speaks in two registers at once: one for the eye, one for those who know how to read the flowers. Artists used flower...

Errika Gerakiti 18 May 2026

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Calling of Saint Matthew by Caravaggio

The Calling of Saint Matthew by Caravaggio depicts the moment Matthew turns away from tax collecting and toward Jesus. Caravaggio was a master of...

Guest Author 17 May 2026

Ancient Rome

Masterpiece Story: Mithras Slaying the Bull

Mithras Slaying the Bull is a compilation of the entire religious and symbolic images of Mithraism. It reflects promised immortality and personal...

James W Singer 17 May 2026

Ancient Egypt

The Pharaoh Who Looks Like a Woman—The Mystery of Akhenaten’s Body

If you thought that ancient Egypt had always been only about a large pantheon of gods, solid and emotionless sculptures, and masculine pharaohs, have...

Magda Michalska 13 May 2026

Herstory

10 Powerful Mother Goddess Sculptures

The fearsome Great Mother is an archetype appearing in all cultures and all times. Here are our top 10 powerful mother goddess sculptures!

Candy Bedworth 11 May 2026

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Madonna and Child with Two Angels by Fra Filippo Lippi

On the surface, Fra Filippo Lippi’s Madonna and Child with Two Angels appears to be another typical Renaissance painting of the Virgin Mary and the...

James W Singer 10 May 2026

Hieronymus Bosch, Death and the Miser, ca 1485-90, oil on panel, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, USA. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Death and the Miser by Hieronymus Bosch

Death and the Miser is a masterpiece of morbid curiosity. It reflects on the tension between the pursuit of wealth and the inevitability of death,...

James W Singer 8 May 2026

Oosterwijck Women Artists

Death Becomes Her: Women Artists and the Vanitas Tradition

Vanitas is an art genre that flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries, especially in the Netherlands. The term originates from the Latin word for...

Errika Gerakiti 8 May 2026

Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Self-Portrait, c. 1635, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, Italy. Artist Stories

Gian Lorenzo Bernini in 5 Facts and 5 Artworks

Gian Lorenzo Bernini was a multifaceted artist. He is mostly known as a sculptor and architect, but he was also a painter and a city planner. He...

Vithória Konzen Dill 7 May 2026

Anonymous, Exvoto to Saint Genesius of Rome, 2020. North American Art

Ex-voto: How Mexicans Bargained with God

When tragedy or misfortune happens, some people turn to a greater power. The possibility of divine intervention gives them hope. Usually, these...

Jimena Escoto 5 May 2026