Painting

European Art

Sir William Orpen: The Official Artist of the First World War

Initially known for society portraits, Sir William Orpen (the knighthood came after the end of the war) became an official artist of the First World...

Wendy Gray 11 November 2021

Review

Ecaterina Vrana – Painting as a Diary and a Language

Until the 14th of November, visitors of the Nicolae Minovici Museum in Bucharest could view some of Ecaterina Vrana’s paintings as part of an...

Luciana Craciun 8 November 2021

Cubism

Picasso and His 15 Versions of Les Femmes d’Alger

When the Algerian War of Independence began on 1st November 1954, Pablo Picasso felt an urge to somehow respond to the violence and suffering that...

Magda Michalska 3 October 2021

European Art

The First-Ever Femme Fatale: Lilith in a Painting by John Collier

The apparent sweetness of this work by John Collier (1850–1934), a Pre-Raphaelite painter, is a wonderful testimony of the two sides of Lilith’s...

Guest Profile 29 September 2021

Asian Art

The Beauty of Folding Screens: Namban Byōbu of Japan

Masterfully crafted into hinged leaves and enclosed within a lacquer frame, the Japanese Namban folding screens or the Namban byōbu contain a...

Maya M. Tola 23 August 2021

Love Story

Most Beautiful Royal Weddings in History — Commissions by Queen Victoria

Alexandrina Victoria ascended to the throne at the young age of 18 and reigned as Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, of Great Britain and Ireland,...

Maya M. Tola 25 June 2021

Artist Stories

Garlands of Greatness for the Astonishing 20th Century Chinese Artist Zhang Daqian

Zhang Daqian is considered the foremost Chinese artist in the last 500 years. If this is true, then what is it that makes Zhang Daqian so important?...

Barry Russell 18 June 2021

Long Read

700th Anniversary of Dante’s Death in 15 Great Artworks

Hardly any author has been such a rich source of literary inspiration for the visual arts as Dante Alighieri. His two major works, the La Vita Nuova...

Caroline Galambosova 13 April 2021

European Art

Victorian Feminists and Their Supernatural Powers

The Victorian feminists in 19th century England paved the way for the women’s movement across the world. The “New Woman,” as she was...

Anastasia Manioudaki 3 April 2021

European Art

Five More Things Everyone Should Know About the Victorians

The last time that we talked about the Victorian era, we looked at steam travel, Alice in Wonderland, Romanticism, the Pre-Raphaelites and Sherlock...

Sarah Mills 2 April 2021

Interview

The Electric Works of Igor Moritz: Artist Interview

Igor Moritz (b. 1996) is a young Polish contemporary painter living in London. Primarily self-taught, Moritz creates intimate portraits of his...

Marga Patterson 22 March 2021

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Flora by Rembrandt van Rijn

Rembrandt painted his wife Saskia van Uylenburgh as Flora, goddess of spring and flowers, three times during their relatively short but meaningful...

Zuzanna Stańska 21 February 2021