Latest Stories

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

Inspiration: “Apple Blossom,” by George Clausen

George Clausen was born in London on 18 April 1852, the son of a decorative artist of Danish descent. From 1867 to 1873, he attended the design classes at the South Kensington Schools in…
Cairns: The History of its Art

The artistic story of Cairns begins not in galleries or studios, but in the terrain itself—an unruly collision of sea, rainforest, and sun-bleached inland. Few Australian cities are as geographically isolated and…
Biography: Władysław Ślewiński

Władysław Ślewiński (1856–1918) was a Polish painter associated with the Symbolist movement. He was born in Kraków, Poland, and later studied at the Kraków Academy of Fine Arts. Ślewiński also spent time…
Inspiration: “Franz von Lenbach with Wife and Daughters,” by Franz von Lenbach

Franz von Lenbach with Wife and Daughters is a striking portrait that showcases both the artistic mastery and personal life of one of the 19th century’s most esteemed portrait painters. Franz von…
Biography: Pekka Halonen

Pekka Halonen, a name synonymous with the Finnish National Romanticism movement, is celebrated for his captivating and serene depictions of the Finnish landscape. Born on September 23, 1865, in Lapinlahti, Finland, Halonen…
Biography: Robert William Vonnoh

Robert William Vonnoh (1858–1933) was an American Impressionist painter known for his captivating landscapes and portraits that captured the essence of everyday life. Born on September 17, 1858, in Hartford, Connecticut, Vonnoh’s…
Inspiration: “Blooming Summer,” by Eero Järnefelt

Eero Järnefelt was the son of General Alexander Järnefelt and Baroness Elisabeth Järnefelt (née Clodt von Jürgensburg). Several of his eight siblings also became well-known: Kasper, a literary critic. Arvid, a judge and writer. Armas, a composer and conductor. Aino, wife…
Inspiration: “Girl” by George Clausen

George Clausen was born in London on 18 April 1852, the son of a decorative artist of Danish descent. From 1867 to 1873, he attended the design classes at the South Kensington…
Biography: James Ensor

James Ensor was a man with many faces. Born in Ostend, Belgium in 1860, he was the son of an English father and a Flemish mother. He grew up in a house…
Inspiration: “The Piano Player,” by Elin Danielson Gambogi

Elin Danielson was born in the small village of Noormarkku, near the city of Pori in Western Finland. At the age of 15, she moved to Helsinki and started studying in the Academy of Fine Arts where her teachers…
Biography: Arthur Streeton

Arthur Streeton (1867–1943) was an Australian landscape painter and a key figure in the Heidelberg School, an Australian art movement associated with Impressionism. Streeton’s works are known for their depictions of the…
Inspiration: “The Lothian Hills,” by Homer Watson

The son of Ransford Watson and Susan Mohr, Homer Watson was born on January 14, 1855 in the village of Doon (now part of Kitchener), Ontario. He received his first set of…