#religious art

Art Travels

The Ruins of Hampi in India

Near the banks of the Tungabhadra River in southern India are an ancient group of monuments known as the Hampi. These grand ruins were once part of a...

Maya M. Tola 1 October 2024

Luisa Roldan, Ecstasy of Mary Magdalene. Women Artists

Luisa Roldán: The Groundbreaking Career of Spain’s First Woman Sculptor

She wrote letters to kings, was Spain’s first documented woman sculptor, and became the official escultora de cámara, or court sculptor, to...

Natalia Iacobelli 30 September 2024

Asian Art

The Power of Compassion—Bodhisattvas in Art

Enlightening and radiant bodhisattvas are often depicted in art. With the opening of Buddhist practice to laypeople, active and compassionate...

Marina Kochetkova 30 September 2024

Anonymous, Exvoto of the miracle done to Maria Gertrudis Castañeda, 1840, Museo Nacional de las Intervenciones, Mexico City, Mexico. North American Art

Ex-voto: The Mexican Art of Gratitude

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

Jimena Escoto 17 September 2024

Prehistoric Art

Sacred Signs – Prehistoric Sculpture

It seems that forming figurative shapes out of natural materials has always been with us. As humans developed, a bigger, more sophisticated brain...

Candy Bedworth 12 September 2024

Prehistoric Art

Stonehenge: Incredible Facts and Fascinating Theories

Stonehenge is one of the most famous archeological sites in the world, located in the county of Wiltshire, UK. Nowadays we do know some things about...

Camilla de Laurentis 12 September 2024

Prehistoric Art

Portable Prehistoric Gods and Goddesses

Our prehistoric ancestors moved around a lot. It was a short and brutal life back then – you needed the protection and guidance of your gods and...

Candy Bedworth 12 September 2024

Great Princess Mama Occollo, ca 1850-70, oil on canvas mounted on wood, Cuzco, Peru, Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO, USA. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Great Princess Mama Occollo

Great Princess Mama Occollo is an amazing masterpiece of South American art from the 19th century in the collection of the Denver Art Museum. It...

James W Singer 11 September 2024

Asian Art

Journey to the East – Buddhist Art Across Cultures

From its beginnings in India, Buddhist art has traveled across cultures. Buddhism developed its character thanks to many pilgrims who made their...

Marina Kochetkova 9 September 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Madonna of Port Lligat by Salvador Dalí

Salvador Dalí’s The Madonna of Port Lligat is an image of Mary holding baby Jesus in her lap. Seems simple, but it has layers upon layers of...

Isla Phillips-Ewen 15 August 2024

Medieval Art

Celebrity Sculptors, Medieval Fraud and Nazi Looting – An Outrageous Story of the Golden Veit Stoss Altarpiece

This is the largest Gothic altarpiece in the world and a national treasure of Poland. Carved over a period of 12 years, the 15th century Veit Stoss...

Candy Bedworth 29 July 2024

Xiuhtecuhtli mask Latin America

Everything You Need to Know About the Art of Aztec Civilization

The Aztec civilization, a dynamic Mesoamerican culture that thrived in central Mexico between 1300 and 1521, continues to fascinate us today. Aztec...

Jimena Aullet 22 July 2024