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

Biography: Władysław Czachórski

Władysław Czachórski (1850-1911) was a Polish-born artist who gained recognition as a prominent figure in the academic art world during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was known for his…
Biography: William-Adolphe Bouguereau

William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905) was a highly regarded French academic painter who achieved great success and acclaim during the 19th century. He is best known for his meticulously crafted, highly detailed, and emotionally…
Biography: Jules Bastien-Lepage

Jules Bastien-Lepage (1848–1884) was a French painter known for his naturalistic and rural-themed works. He was born in Damvillers, a small village in northeastern France. Bastien-Lepage’s artistic talent was evident from a…
Inspiration: “Idle Tears,” by Edward Robert Hughes

Having settled on his career choice, Edward Robert Hughes attended Heatherley’s in London to prepare himself for the chance of auditioning for the Royal Academy School. Hughes became a student at the…
Inspiration: “Le Vin Ginguet,” by Luis Ricardo Falero

LE VIN GINGUETLuis Ricardo Falero 23 May 1851-7 December 18961886SpanishOil on CanvasDimensions: 47.5 x 64 cm Falero was born in Granada and originally pursued a career in the Spanish Navy, but gave…
Inspiration: “Boldini,” by James McNeill Whistler

Boldini was born in Ferrara, the son of a painter of religious subjects, and in 1862 went to Florence for six years to study and pursue painting. He only infrequently attended classes at the Academy…
Biography: Alexandre Cabanel

Alexandre Cabanel (1823–1889) was a French academic painter known for his polished and meticulously executed historical, mythological, and allegorical paintings. He was a prominent figure in the 19th-century French academic art scene…
The Antipodean Movement: Australia Against Modernism

The Antipodean Movement was a bold artistic rebellion that shook the Australian art world in the late 1950s. At a time when modernism, particularly abstract expressionism, was dominating the international art scene,…
Seville: The History of its Art

Somewhere between myth and archaeology, the shadowy civilization of Tartessos shaped the first artistic pulse of what would one day become Seville. Ancient writers such as Herodotus and Strabo spoke of Tartessos…
Inspiration: “In The Orchard Spring,” by William Brymner

Born in Greenock, Scotland, the son of Douglas Brymner the first Dominion Archivist and Jean Thomson, he moved with his family to Melbourne, Canada East in 1857. In 1864, his family moved to Montreal, Canada East. They later lived in the area…
Inspiration: “Portrait of the Artist’s Son,” by Eero Järnefelt

He 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) and Aino (wife of Jean Sibelius). After graduating from…
Biography: Urs Graf

Urs Graf (c. 1485–1529) was a Swiss Renaissance artist and one of the most notable engravers of his time. Born in Solothurn, Switzerland, Graf gained recognition for his skillful and detailed woodcuts…