#Symbols

Art State of Mind

Why Is St Sebastian a Gay Icon?

One may think that Christian saints have little in common with gay culture, but there is an exception to every rule. If you see a handsome guy in his...

Magda Michalska 1 June 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

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

Contemporary Art

Pink Unicorns and Cowboys: Welcome to Will Cotton’s Own Wild West

New York-based artist Will Cotton is widely known for his distinctive iconography and style. Even those uninterested in art will recognize his candy...

Yasmin Ozkan 9 April 2023

Jacob Peter Gowy, The Fall of Icarus, 1635-1637, Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain. Detail. Baroque

The Fall of Icarus: Drama in Baroque Painting

Imagine you’re standing in front of a painting that tells the tragic story of Icarus falling from the sky. The artist’s task was not only...

Lana Pajdas 11 March 2023

Women Artists

Dream-Like Artworks: Minnie Evans’ Divine Inspiration

Folk Art, Surrealist, Visionary, Americana, call it what you will. Minnie Evans’ (1892—1987) dream-like artworks speak of another world, a world...

Rachel Witte 25 February 2023

South American Art

The Art of Latin American Lettering

Latin American lettering is a legacy of craft-based traditions with a strong design and vibrant colors enhanced by an aesthetic with a rich...

Maria Frazzoni 4 August 2022

Medieval Art

Explore the World of Medieval Glass

Often when we think about the Middle Ages, it’s sort of this rarefied, distant time that we have no connection to. Probably you picture gallant...

Zuzanna Stańska 7 April 2022

Architecture

The Symbol of Sagittarius on the Tile Spandrels of Qaysariya Gate of Isfahan

The Qaysariya bazaar is located in the north of Naqsh-Jahan square of Isfahan. It was founded by Shah Abbas in the Safavid period. On the tile...

Guest Author 14 March 2022

Art Nouveau

Painting Human Desire for Happiness – Klimt’s Beethoven Frieze

When we think of Gustav Klimt we imagine beautiful portraits of women, sensual and dangerous compositions, gold and decorative motifs. However, if...

Zuzanna Stańska 10 March 2022

Symbolism

Symbolism Special: Jacek Malczewski’s Dates with Death

Jacek Malczewski is one of the most important Polish symbolist painters. Malczewski is associated with the Young Poland movement (Młoda Polska), a...

Magda Michalska 15 July 2021

Surrealism

Gradiva: What Did Freud and the Surrealists See in Her?

A woman who walks. That’s what Gradiva (the name of an anonymous woman from an antique bas-relief) means, as given by a fictional character...

Magda Michalska 27 April 2020