Latest Stories

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

Museum Guide: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art are not just a place to sit—they’re a moment. For many, they offer a strange kind of pause before entering a world that resists…
Hansel and Gretel and Famine and Art: The Dark Historical Roots

The fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel, published in 1812 by the Brothers Grimm, has become one of the most widely illustrated stories in the Western world. Children may remember it for…
Skulls and Status: The Art of Cranial Deformation

Throughout human history, cultures across the world have shaped the body to fit ideals of beauty, power, and identity. Among the most visually dramatic and mysterious of these traditions is cranial deformation—the…
Croatia: The History of its Art

The first traces of artistic expression on the land we now call Croatia are not painted on walls but embedded in stone, clay, and metal—objects meant to endure far longer than their…
Why Your Design Software Is Holding You Back

Modern design moves fast. But if you’re still relying on tools built for workflows from a decade ago, you’re likely operating at a major disadvantage. Design software is supposed to make your…
Artists Can’t Work Together—But When They Do, It’s Magic

For centuries, the image of the artist has often been that of the solitary genius—someone toiling away in private, guarding their vision from outside influence. This idea became especially popular during the…
10 Must-Do Experiences for Every True Art Lover

Visit the Great Halls of the Art World There’s a difference between scrolling past a picture of the Mona Lisa on your phone and standing in front of it in the Louvre,…
Veils of the South: The History of Spanish Moss in Art

Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) is one of the most instantly recognizable features of the Southern landscape, yet its role in art history is often overlooked. This delicate, silver-gray epiphyte drapes over the…
Love Story: Maurice Utrillo and Lucie Valore

Maurice Utrillo was born on December 26, 1883, in Montmartre, Paris, a neighborhood already steeped in artistic legend. His mother, the gifted painter Suzanne Valadon, was a former circus acrobat turned celebrated…
Baal in Art: From Ancient Myth to Modern Canvas

Baal, one of the most prominent gods of the ancient Near East, emerges in history as a storm, fertility, and war deity central to Canaanite and Phoenician belief systems around 2000–1200 BC.…
Artistic Wonders of Kolkata’s Great Botanical Garden

The Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanical Garden in Kolkata isn’t just a place for scientists or tourists—it’s a natural masterpiece that has inspired generations of artists, writers, and thinkers. Spread over…
Inspiration: “Ophelia,” by John Everett Millais

John Everett Millais’ Ophelia (1851–1852) captures a singular moment of poetic and emotional devastation. Inspired by Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the painting illustrates the final, tragic scene of Ophelia’s life—a character undone by grief,…