December 2025

Virginia: The History of its Art
When English settlers established the first permanent colony at Jamestown in 1607, they brought with them more than ambition and survival…
Peacocks in Byzantine and Victorian Decorative Arts
The peacock entered European art through early Christian tradition, where it symbolized renewal and eternal life. Writers of the early Church…
North Carolina: The History of its Art
In 1753, a small group of German-speaking Moravian settlers arrived in the wooded interior of what would become North Carolina’s Piedmont…
Biography: Luigi Loir
Luigi Aloys-François-Joseph Loir was born on December 22, 1845, in Goritz, part of the Austrian Empire at the time. Although Austrian…
Liquid Masterpieces: How Cocktails Became a Visual Art Form
Take a look at your next cocktail. Not just the ingredients—but the entire picture. The color glowing through the glass, the…
Vanishing Acts: Japan’s “Evaporated People” in Art
In Japan there is a chilling phenomenon known as “evaporation” — people simply vanish from their lives and disappear without a…
Museum Guide: The Tate Modern
Walking toward Tate Modern for the first time can feel like approaching a cathedral—though one built for machines rather than for…
Biography: George Inness
George Inness was born on May 1, 1825, in Newburgh, New York, as the fifth of thirteen children of John William Inness and…
Connecticut: The History of its Art
When English settlers brought their Calvinist convictions to the Connecticut River Valley in the early 17th century, they did not come…
Catherine Palace: A Baroque Gem of Tsarskoye Selo
The origins of Catherine Palace stretch back to the early 18th century. Around 1710, Tsarskoye Selo—then a quiet village near Saint…