#religious art

St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican, Photograph by Alvesgaspar Architecture

St. Peter’s Basilica—Layers of History

St. Peter’s Basilica is one of the most iconic buildings in Western culture. But, the facade we see today is the culmination of centuries of...

Ledys Chemin 10 April 2023

Double-Headed Serpent, ca 1400-1521, mosaic on wood, British Museum, London, UK. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Double-Headed Serpent

Double-Headed Serpent is a masterpiece of Aztec art that combines religious and commercial significance. It is filled with hidden allusions under a...

James W Singer 10 April 2023

Baroque

Four Groundbreaking Buildings by Francesco Borromini

Francesco Borromini (1599-1667) was the most innovative and imaginative architect of the Italian Baroque tradition. Along with his contemporaries...

Alexandra Kiely 10 April 2023

Seated Buddhas at Vatadage, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka. Art Travels

An Artsy Travel to the Ancient City of Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka

Many edifices, shrines, dagobas, and colossal figures attest to the glory of Polonnaruwa, the second (and strikingly beautiful) capital of ancient...

Elsa Vallarino 6 April 2023

Medieval Art

Holy Week in Art: Easter Explained in Paintings

To celebrate the Christian festival of Easter, here is the story of Holy Week and Easter explained in paintings. Palm Sunday Stained glass...

Isla Phillips-Ewen 6 April 2023

Renaissance

Raphael – Renaissance Prince of Painters

Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, in English known as Raphael, is famous for the harmony and clarity of form within his visually brilliant paintings. He...

Candy Bedworth 6 April 2023

Renaissance

The Marriage of the Virgin: Comparison Between Raphael and Perugino

We remember Raphael for grace, balance, and harmony in his art, which made him one of the great masters of the High Renaissance. His work gave him...

Arianna Richetti 6 April 2023

Antoni, Gaudí, Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain, My Modern Met Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Sagrada Familia by Antoni Gaudí

Today’s modern construction techniques allow us to build huge structures in just a few months or years. For example, the Shard in London was built...

Joanna Kaszubowska 31 March 2023

Art Travels

The Largest Religious Monument in the World: Angkor Wat in Cambodia

The Khmer kingdom thrived in the Cambodian region from the 9th to 15th centuries with an empire that stretched all the way from modern-day Myanmar...

Maya M. Tola 31 March 2023

Medieval Art

Saint Joseph As Baby Daddy: An Illustrated Medieval Guide

Let’s forget the traditional Nativity scene that we all know for a moment: Virgin Mary kneeling before baby Christ, Joseph standing right behind...

Ela Bobek 28 March 2023

Ende, Prologue, On the Church, Gerona Beatus, Miniature, ca. 975 CE Women Artists

Ende: The First Documented Spanish Female Manuscript Illuminator

She is an enigma, an ancient, foggy artist from northern Spain in the Middle Ages. We learn nothing about Ende’s identity, life, or whether she...

Wen Gu 28 March 2023

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Saint George and the Dragon

There is a skirmish between the hero and the villain. Fabrics whip about, horse hoofs trample, and a dying scream erupts as Saint George slaughters...

James W Singer 28 March 2023