WTF Art History

game of thrones art: Left: Alexandre Cabanel, Fallen Angel, 1847, Musée Fabre, Montpellier, France. Detail. Right: Sansa Stark.  WTF Art History

How Art Inspired the Game of Thrones

It has been a while since Game of Thrones ran its course. Are you planning to re-watch it anytime soon? Trying to escape our current bleak world, for...

Joanna Kaszubowska 21 September 2023

Art State of Mind

The British Landscape in Art

The British Landscape: where do we start? From Turner to Hogan the British landscape presents a constant challenge to artists to capture its elusive...

Sarah Mills 20 September 2023

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

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 State of Mind

Art and Math: Aesthetics of Calculations

Do you like math? Well, many of us might have had some problems with it when we were in school (I, for one, had many!) and got fed up with it. So...

Rute Ferreira 13 September 2023

Renaissance

All You Should Know About Albrecht Dürer’s Melencolia I

A renowned print, famously titled “Melencolia I” and crafted by Albrecht Dürer, stands as one of the most captivating works in art...

Zuzanna Stańska 13 September 2023

Artist Stories

The Mysterious Pinturas Negras Reveal Goya’s Darkest Secrets

There are already several articles that treat in detail the life and works of Francisco Goya. If you want to learn about his career or most famous...

Magda Michalska 10 September 2023

Art State of Mind

True Tips for a Happier Life from the Miniatures of Reza Abbasi

Everyone wants to be happy and each of us has a different idea of happiness. For some, it is finishing college and getting a new job. For others, it...

Rute Ferreira 7 September 2023

Artist Stories

Too Much Love Will Kill You – The Death of Raphael

Raphael Santi, one of the greatest Renaissance painters died on Good Friday in 1520. He was only 37 years old and at the peak of his artistic powers.

Zuzanna Stańska 31 August 2023

Jan Havicksz Steen, Woman at her Toilet, 1655-60, oil on panel, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Woman at Her Toilet by Jan Steen

Jan Steen’s Woman at Her Toilet is a provocative masterpiece of genre paintings because of its visual complexity and seductive allure, inviting...

James W Singer 28 August 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 28 August 2023