Latest Stories

Our growing archive of info about art, design, and culture.

Biography: Julian Onderdonk

Julian Onderdonk (July 30, 1882 – October 27, 1922) was an American painter known for his luminous and atmospheric landscapes, particularly those depicting the Texas Hill Country. He was a prominent figure…
Biography: Henrietta Rae

Henrietta Rae, born Henrietta Ward on December 30, 1859, in Hammersmith, London, was a prominent British artist of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Her life unfolded against the backdrop of…
Biography: Carl Larsson

Carl Larsson (1853-1919) was a Swedish painter and interior designer known for his charming and idyllic depictions of domestic life in Sweden during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is…
Biography: Sophie Gengembre Anderson

Sophie Gengembre Anderson (1823 – 1903) was a French-born British artist known for her significant contributions to the genre of Victorian-era genre and portrait painting. She was one of the few successful…
Love Story: Gustave Courbet and Joanna Hiffernan

When Gustave Courbet, the rebellious French painter, met Joanna Hiffernan, the Irish beauty, it was a meeting that would change his artistic life forever. Courbet, known for his daring realism and defiance…
The Emperor’s Puzzle: The Architecture of Castel del Monte

Rising from the rugged landscape of Apulia, southern Italy, like a massive geometric crown, Castel del Monte is one of the most enigmatic buildings in medieval Europe. Commissioned by Holy Roman Emperor…
Inspiration: “Bad Conscience,” by Maria Wiik

Wiik was born in Helsinki. She was the daughter of architect Erik Johan Wik (or Wiik) (1804–1876) and his wife Gustava Fredrika Meyer. She was born and grew up in Brunnsparken and attended…
Biography: Lucas Cranach The Elder

Lucas Cranach the Elder was a renowned German Renaissance painter and printmaker, born on October 4, 1472, in Kronach, Franconia (modern-day Germany). His life unfolded during a period of significant cultural and…
Love Story: Alma Mahler and Oskar Kokoschka

Alma Mahler and Oskar Kokoschka shared a relationship marked by intense passion and drama. Their love story stands as one of the most fascinating and tumultuous in art history. Alma Mahler was…
Inspiration: “The Gates of Dawn,” by Herbert James Draper

Draper’s most productive period began in 1894. He focused mainly on mythological themes from ancient Greece. His painting The Lament for Icarus (1898) won the gold medal at the Exposition Universelle in…
Biography: Vincent Van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of Western art. Known for his expressive use of…
Inspiration: “Cap de Copil,” by Aurel Baesu

Aurel Baesu’s father was a government clerk employed by the prefecture of Suceava. He lost his mother at an early age and was raised by his grandmother. From 1907 to 1912, he…