Regions

Winterfled Diptych: Mary Magdalene Raised by Angels WTF Art History

Why Is She So Hairy? Iconography of Mary Magdalene

Whenever I come across Gothic or early Renaissance representations of Mary Magdalene I always ask myself this question – why is she so hairy? Keep...

Magda Michalska 19 September 2023

indian partition Asian Art

Pritika Chowdhry: Evoking the History of the Indian Partition

The narrative of the Indian partition lingers in the secluded corners of memory and experience. The partition of India and Pakistan, and later...

Urvi Chheda 18 September 2023

Photograph of Vinnie Ream taken between 1866 and 1876. Source. Detail. Women Artists

Vinnie Ream: Should a Teenage Girl Sculpt Abraham Lincoln?

Vinnie Ream became the first woman to win a US government commission for a statue in 1866—at the age of 18! She created a life-sized figure of...

Kathie Manthorne 18 September 2023

Ancient Rome

How to Identify a Roman Emperor by His Beard

How many times have you walked into a museum full of statues or busts and not been able to tell one ancient sculpture from another? It can be...

Lauren Dorsey 18 September 2023

Ancient Art

Have You Ever Seen Ancient Sculptures’ Colors?

We admire the beauty and plasticity of ancient sculptures, how harmoniously they fit into the surrounding landscape. But we rarely ask ourselves the...

Elizaveta Ermakova 18 September 2023

History

Guide to Colombian History and Culture by Fernando Botero

Fernando Botero once called himself “the most Colombian of Colombian artists,” as the majority of his works explore traditional themes...

Kacper Grass 15 September 2023

Contemporary Art

Boterismo in Art: Fernando Botero’s Chubby Paintings

Colombian artist, Fernando Botero, demonstrates how differently we can all view the same object. Although Botero was known for depicting everything...

Gabriela Hurtado 15 September 2023

discarding image: Rothschild Canticles, Flanders, c. 1300 Medieval Art

The Best of Discarding Images

During the Middle Ages, illuminated manuscripts were first used in the Roman Catholic Church for liturgical services and prayers. The popularity of...

Anna Ingram 15 September 2023

Animals

7 Images of Dürer’s Animals That Are Better Than Trip to a Zoo

Albrecht Dürer’s keen interest in nature was a typical manifestation of Renaissance curiosity. Animals were not generally considered to be...

Zuzanna Stańska 14 September 2023

Art History 101

How to Read Piet Mondrian

We can all recognize Mondrian’s work in a second. Our eyes navigate through the lines jumping from color to color. His artistic career...

Celia Leiva Otto 13 September 2023

Contemporary Art

How Roman Opałka Envisioned Infinity

In 1965 a French-born Polish painter Roman Opałka came to an important decision. While sitting at the Café Bristol in Warsaw waiting for his wife...

Caroline Galambosova 13 September 2023

Hubert Robert, Roman Ruins, ca. 1776. Musée des Beaux-Arts de la ville de Paris, Paris, France. Wikimedia Commons (public domain). Academic Art

Robert of the Ruins: Idealized Ruins by Hubert Robert

Hubert Robert was an immensely popular French painter from the 18th century best known for his skillful landscapes, particularly his landscapes that...

Maya M. Tola 11 September 2023