Wellington: The History of its Art
Wellington’s art history did not begin with paint on canvas or bronze on plinth. It began with the shaping of surfaces—wood, flax, stone, and skin—within a cultural world that did not separate…
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Inspiration: “The Golden Rays,” 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: Zinaida Yevgenyevna Serebriakova
Zinaida Yevgenyevna Serebriakova (1884-1967) was a distinguished Russian and later French painter, celebrated for her contribution to the early 20th-century art movements. She is renowned for her captivating portraits, self-portraits, and depictions…
The Enigmatic Madeleine Knoblock: Georges Seurat’s Muse
The world of art is often shaped by the unseen contributions of muses. One such figure, Madeleine Knoblock, holds a prominent place in art history as a significant inspiration for Georges Seurat,…
Biography: Arnold Böcklin
Arnold Böcklin (1827–1901) was a Swiss symbolist painter associated with the Symbolist and Romantic movements. He is best known for his imaginative and often mysterious paintings, which often feature mythological or fantastical…
Is Photography Really Art or Just Point and Shoot?
There’s a timeless debate that reverberates through the halls of art galleries and the pages of art journals: is photography really an art form, or is it just a matter of pointing…
Biography: Ernest Biéler
Ernest Biéler (1863-1948) was a Swiss painter and illustrator, renowned for his contribution to the Art Nouveau movement and for his profound influence on Swiss art during the late 19th and early…
Padua: The History of its Art
Padua is not often the first name invoked in the popular imagination of Italian art. It lacks the touristic magnetism of Florence or the romantic decadence of Venice. Yet for the historian…
Inspiration: “Athenais,” by John William Godward
Athenais was a prophetess from Erythrae in Ionia, Asia Minor. She lived at the time of Alexander the Great. According to Strabo, Athenais was one of the oracles which claimed divine descent…
List of Georgian Artists
Georgia, a country at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, boasts a rich artistic heritage shaped by its unique history, culture, and landscapes. From the naive art of Niko Pirosmani to the…
Biography: Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall was born Moishe Shagal on July 7, 1887, in Liozna, near the city of Vitebsk (now in Belarus), part of the Russian Empire. He was the eldest of nine children…
1898: The Year in Art
The air in 1898 trembled with something unresolved. Artists, critics, and the public alike sensed that they stood in the charged pause before a break—though they could not yet name what exactly…
