Literature

Europa Art: Valentin Serov, The Rape of Europa, 1910, The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moskva, Russia. Literature

How Europe Got Its Name — The Myth of Europa in Art

Have you ever wondered where the name of the continent Europe comes from? Meet Europa, a Phoenician woman who became the inspiration for the name of...

Magda Michalska 17 April 2024

Art History 101

The Complicated History of Norse Mythology in Art

Literally speaking, mythology is an old-school kind of storytelling. “Mythos” is a Greek word for “story” while “logia” means...

Lana Pajdas 17 April 2024

Shakespeare in Art: Henry Fuseli, Titania and Bottom, c. 1790, Tate Britain, London, UK. Literature

Shakespeare’s Plays in Art

“By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.” And indeed wicked it is! From Macbeth to Romeo and Juliet, William...

Ruxi Rusu 8 April 2024

Women Artists

Christina Rossetti: Interweaving Poetry and Art

Christina Rossetti (1830–1894) is still beloved today for her timeless poetry—but her creative influence transcends the written word. By...

Emily Snow 31 March 2024

Literature

Writing Poetry and Inspiring Painters: Portraits of Anna Akhmatova

It is hard to say how many portraits of the poet Anna Akhmatova (1889-1966) exist – she was painted by many famous artists of the 20th century. She...

Elizaveta Ermakova 27 March 2024

Tove Jansson: Reino Loppinen, Tove Jansson, 1956. Women Artists

Tove Jansson’s Life of Wonders

Best known for the Moomins from her series of novels, comic strips, and short stories, Tove Jansson was an illustrator, painter, and writer. Born in...

Natalia Tiberio 17 March 2024

Sor Juana, Juan de Mirando, c.1680 History

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz: Scholar, Feminist, Revolutionary

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz was a 17th-century nun and the first published feminist poet of the New World. Her written works display her sense of wit...

Natalia Iacobelli 6 March 2024

Review

Book Review: The Vanitas & Other Tales of Art and Obsession

In his collection of short stories The Vanitas & Other Tales of Art and Obsession, debut author Jake Kendall revisits various iconic eras of art...

Jenna Burns 26 February 2024

Women Artists

Art in the Mail: Wisława Szymborska’s Cut-and-Paste Postcards

Wisława Szymborska (1923-2012) was a Nobel Prize-winning Polish poet, but she was also an occasional artist. Her main medium was quirky...

Alexandra Kiely 7 February 2024

Artist Stories

Jean Cocteau – Prince of Parisian Bohème

Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (1889-1963) was a prince of bohème. A significant figure in the European art of the 20th century, Cocteau...

Valeria Kumekina 18 January 2024

William Blake The Ancient of Days, from Europe A Prophecy, 1794, watercolor etching, The British Museum, London, UK. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Ancient of Days by William Blake

The Ancient of Days, designed, printed, and hand colored by William Blake, was the frontispiece of his 1794 poem Europe a Prophecy. An epic...

Catriona Miller 3 January 2024

Women Artists

A Lesson in Illustration – The Whimsical Characters of Beatrix Potter

Beatrix Potter, best known for the charming tale of Peter Rabbit, inspired the minds of budding young novelists and illustrators alike. Her most...

Tony Heathfield 3 January 2024