#Symbols

Contemporary Art

Life, Death, and Beauty: Damien Hirst in 5 Artworks

Damien Hirst is one of the most influential and controversial figures in contemporary art. His work merges natural science and popular culture with...

Carlotta Mazzoli 12 August 2026

History

Siren Song: History of Mermaids in Art

Benevolent or deadly? There are so many depictions of this mythical creature. Let's explore how mermaids have been portrayed in art.

Candy Bedworth 10 August 2026

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Portrait of Gabrielle d’Estrées and One of Her Sisters

To a 21st-century viewer, the portrait of Gabrielle d’Estrées might seem homo-erotic. However, pictured with her sister, the Duchess of Villars,...

Anna Ingram 2 August 2026

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Allegorical Painting of Two Ladies

Allegorical Painting of Two Ladies is an enigmatic and highly unusual imaginative portrait made in 1650s England. It reveals a fascinating story...

Nicole Ganbold 2 August 2026

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: A Glass Compote with Peaches, Jasmine Flowers, Quinces and a Grasshopper by Fede Galizia

Fede Galizia’s beautiful A Glass Compote with Peaches, Jasmine Flowers, Quinces and a Grasshopper is one of Italy’s first-ever still life...

Alexandra Kiely 12 July 2026

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Meat Stall with the Holy Family Giving Alms by Pieter Aertsen

Pieter Aertsen’s Meat Stall with the Holy Family Giving Alms is an interesting painting as it provides a wonderful glimpse into the varied...

James W Singer 12 July 2026

Aleksandra Waliszewska, Untitled, 1997-2022, Museum of Modern Art, Warsaw, Poland. Contemporary Art

The Dark Arts of Aleksandra Waliszewska

Rather unsettling, quite macabre, and more than slightly erotic, the paintings and illustrations by Polish artist Aleksandra Waliszewska are...

Marta Wiktoria Bryll 2 July 2026

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 2 July 2026

Art State of Mind

Celestial Bodies in Art—Comets, Planets and Stars

When we think about flying objects we usually imagine birds, planes, kites, balloons, or even UFOs! It’s easy to forget that at one point the...

Sarah Mills 30 June 2026

Expressionism

The Amazing Midnight Sun in Paintings: Edvard Munch’s Summer Nights

Edvard Munch was fascinated by the Norwegian summer light which evokes both tranquillity and anxiety, two feelings that Munch tried to capture in his...

Magda Michalska 24 June 2026

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 21 June 2026

Women Artists

Frida Kahlo and the Symbolism in Her Art

Frida Kahlo—a female surrealist to some, and a pioneer of her own artistic expression. Her first European exhibition, championed by André Breton,...

Emre Kagitci 15 June 2026