Masterpiece Story: L.H.O.O.Q. by Marcel Duchamp
This masterpiece, L.H.O.O.Q. (La Joconde), is all about codes, reversals, play with conventions, and provocation. In other words, it’s an epitome...
Magda Michalska 13 October 2024
Bizarre
QUIZ: How Well Do You Know Salvador Dalí?
Joanna Kaszubowska 12 October 2024
Blue Faience Hippopotamuses: The Cutest Animals of Ancient Egypt!
Blue faience hippopotamus was a popular statuette in ancient Egyptian art. It was considered to have positive traits associated with fertility and...
Zuzanna Stańska 4 October 2024
Controversial or Criminal? Problematic Artists and Cancel Culture
Great art pushes boundaries and challenge norms. But how should we react to works by artists with a history of truly horrifying behaviour?
Candy Bedworth 23 September 2024
What Is a Wunderkammer? Best Cabinets of Curiosities
The characteristic of arousing surprise for the observer is typical for the so-called Wunderkammer or Cabinet of Curiosities. These are real rooms of...
Caroline Galambosova 23 September 2024
The Myth of the Minotaur: Monster or Victim?
Greek myth tell us that brave warrior Theseus kills the monstrous Minotaur in a labyrinth. But who is the villain here?
Candy Bedworth 19 September 2024
Can You Beat This Beard? Bearded Men in Paintings
According to some fashion experts, beards reached their peak 10 years ago. However, this is not just some seasonal trend. Long, short, trimmed, or...
Magda Michalska 16 September 2024
Fascinating (and Creepy) Coffin Portraits of the Polish Nobility
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Poland was a much bigger and more important country than it is today, as it encompassed some parts of the territories...
Magda Michalska 16 September 2024
Wunderkammer – A Universe in Your Closet
How would you feel if you found a mummified crocodile in your best friend’s room? Well, pretty awkward I guess, although I imagine that you’ve...
Magda Michalska 16 September 2024
Franz Xaver Messerschmidt and His Bizarre Character Heads
The so-called character heads created by Franz Xaver Messerschmidt are not only a bizarre collection of sculptures but also a unique portrayal of...
Zuzanna Stańska 16 September 2024
Masterpiece Story: Monomaniac of Envy by Théodore Géricault
Théodore Géricault (1791-1824) was one of the most influential artists of French Romanticism. In Monomaniac of Envy, the artist tries to paint the...
James W Singer 8 September 2024
