#Symbols

Dürer Magic Square Bizarre

The Mystery of Dürer’s Magic Square

Many strange symbols appear in Albrecht Dürer’s famous engraving Melencolia I. Among them is a magic constant 34, a well-known and enigmatic...

Zuzanna Stańska 29 May 2023

African Art

Art and Culture of the Dogon People of Africa

African art and culture had been a driving inspiration to European modern artists like Pablo Picasso, Paul Gauguin, and Amedeo Modigliani, among...

Urvi Chheda 25 May 2023

Love Story

Symbolism in Beata Beatrix by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Read the story of Beata Beatrix by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, one of the key members of the Pre-Raphaelites movement. Discover the fascinating meanings...

Bolor Jargalsaikhan 12 May 2023

Love Story

Legend of Proserpina by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Works of the famous Pre-Raphaelite artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti often resonate with his personal experiences in life and love. Especially, the lush...

Bolor Jargalsaikhan 12 May 2023

Surrealism

Salvador Dalí and His Burning Giraffes

The Burning Giraffe is one of Salvador Dalí’s most famous paintings but the motif did not appear only in this one work. Today we will show you all...

Zuzanna Stańska 11 May 2023

Europa Art: Valentin Serov, The Rape of Europa, 1910, The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moskva, Russia. Literature

How Europe Got Its Name — The Myth of Europa in Art

Have you ever wondered where the name of the continent Europe comes from? Meet Europa, a Phoenician woman who became the inspiration for the name of...

Magda Michalska 9 May 2023

Titian's The Rape of Europa Renaissance

Titian’s The Rape of Europa (Metamorphoses V)

In a series of articles, we are meeting each of the seven Poesies, which Titian delivered to Philip II of Spain in the 1550s and early 1560s. Each...

Isla Phillips-Ewen 9 May 2023

WTF Art History

Listen to the Butt Music on Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights

Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights is a three-part altarpiece showing the Garden of Eden on the left and a vision of hell on the right.

Zuzanna Stańska 7 May 2023

Theater & Cinema

May the 4th Be with You – Archetypes in Star Wars and Art

Today is Star Wars Day. The first documented use of the phrase “May the 4th be with you” came from Margaret Thatcher’s political party, to...

Ledys Chemin 4 May 2023

Asian Art

Lakshmi in Art: The Goddess of Wealth

Lakshmi is a prominent Hindu deity who is also revered by Buddhists and Jains. Her eminent position in the Hindu pantheon emanates not only from her...

Maya M. Tola 27 April 2023

Mannerism

The Fantasy World of Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s Portraits

Giuseppe Arcimboldo was the king of Mannerism. If you see a portrait made of plants, vegetables, books, animals and generally speaking, stuff – you...

Zuzanna Stańska 25 April 2023

WTF Art History

Five Translation Mistakes That Changed Art History

Why did Michelangelo portray Moses with horns? Why are there monkeys in Giulio Romano’s Chamber of Giants? And why does the Nativity scene...

Arianna Richetti 17 April 2023