#mythology

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Young Bacchus by Mary Beale

Mary Beale is a rarity: a prolific, well-documented, successful, 17th-century woman artist. Her painting of Young Bacchus perfectly illustrates how...

Catriona Miller 10 November 2024

Love Story

Masterpiece Story: Three Ladies Adorning a Term of Hymen by Joshua Reynolds

Three Ladies Adorning a Term of Hymen is a huge triple portrait of the Montgomery sisters by Sir Joshua Reynolds. It thematizes aristocratic marriage...

Isla Phillips-Ewen 10 November 2024

Gustave Moreau, Thracian Girl Carrying the Head of Orpheus on His Lyre, 1865, Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France. Detail. Painting

The Most Famous Bard in History: Orpheus in Paintings

According to Greek Mythology, Orpheus was a singer, musician, and poet. Therefore, he was often depicted in paintings and sculptures, singing in...

Anna Ingram 4 November 2024

Asian Art

The Diwali Festival Through Art

Diwali or Deepawali is an ancient festival and arguably the most important of all Hindu holidays. It is the third day of a five-day-long celebration...

Maya M. Tola 31 October 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Aeneas Taken by the Sibyl to the Underworld by Jacob van Swanenburgh

Aeneas Taken by the Sibyl to the Underworld is one of only 11 known surviving works by Jacob van Swanenburgh. It is a rare gem of late Renaissance...

James W Singer 27 October 2024

Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Self-Portrait, c. 1635, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, Italy. Artist Stories

Gian Lorenzo Bernini in 5 Facts and 5 Artworks

Gian Lorenzo Bernini was a multifaceted artist. He is mostly known as a sculptor and architect, but he was also a painter and a city planner. He...

Vithória Konzen Dill 24 October 2024

Gian Lorenzo Bernini, The Rape of Proserpina Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Rape of Proserpina by Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Sail into the world of antiquity through the eyes of the Baroque artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini. In the Borghese Gallery in Rome, you can find Rape of...

Ana Djoric 24 October 2024

Women Artists

Minnie Pwerle: A Visionary Aboriginal Artist

Minnie Pwerle stands as a pivotal figure in the realm of contemporary art, leaving an enduring legacy through her vibrant and dynamic works. Her art...

Carlotta Mazzoli 14 October 2024

Jean Antoine Watteau, Feast of Love, ca 1718-19, oil on canvas, Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden, Germany. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Feast of Love by Jean-Antoine Watteau

Feast of Love is a beautiful painting by Jean-Antoine Watteau that explores the themes of love and impermanence. It holds a polished mixture of urban...

James W Singer 13 October 2024

Remedios Varo, An unexpected visit, 1958. Women Artists

Remedios Varo: Spanish Painter of Magic

Remedios Varo (1908-1963) was a 20th-century Surrealist painter. Born in Spain, she was forced to move to France and Mexico to escape the Spanish...

Jimena Escoto 11 October 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Birth of Venus by William-Adolphe Bouguereau

The Birth of Venus is probably the most famous painting by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, and it is considered a masterpiece of French Academic...

James W Singer 8 October 2024

Caravaggio Amor, Amor Vincit Omnia, ca. 1601 Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Amor Vincit Omnia by Caravaggio

Virgil’s famous saying amor vincit omnia means “love conquers all.” Famous Baroque painter, Caravaggio, clearly inspired by the famous sentence...

Zuzanna Stańska 8 October 2024