The Jersey Devil in American Art
In the heart of the New Jersey Pine Barrens, where twisted pines sway in the Atlantic breeze and sand paths stretch into deep woods, a legend has taken root for nearly three…
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Our growing archive of info about art, design, and culture.
The Theft of the Mona Lisa: How a Handyman Made Art History
In the summer of 1911, Paris thrived as a cultural powerhouse, its cafés, art salons, and literary circles buzzing with creative energy. The Mona Lisa, painted by Leonardo da Vinci between 1503…
Biography: Maximilien Luce
Maximilien Luce was one of the most technically skilled and morally grounded painters of late 19th and early 20th-century France. Born in 1858 and active until his death in 1941, Luce’s body…
Kyoto: The History of its Art
For more than a thousand years, Kyoto has been the sacred wellspring of Japanese art and aesthetics. Nestled in a valley encircled by forested mountains, this ancient city—formerly known as Heian-kyō—was established…
Mezquita of Córdoba: A Glorious Legacy
The Mezquita of Córdoba stands as a towering testament to the grandeur of Western civilization and its enduring legacy of craftsmanship, faith, and resilience. Located in the heart of Andalusia, this monumental…
Inspiration: “The Young Schoolmistress,” by Jean-Siméon Chardin
In an era dominated by grandeur and aristocratic indulgence, Jean-Siméon Chardin’s The Young Schoolmistress (painted between 1735 and 1740) offers a tender counterpoint. This oil painting, modest in scale and subdued in…
Frida Kahlo’s Medical Art: Pain Turned Into Symbolism
Frida Kahlo was born on July 6, 1907, in Coyoacán, Mexico, a quiet neighborhood just outside of Mexico City. Her full name was Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón. Though born into…
1900: The Year in Art
The year 1900 did not drift in quietly. It arrived with fanfare, fireworks, and a glowing Paris that seemed to proclaim itself the cultural axis of the world. Electric light had begun…
Fortress and Crown: The Architecture of Windsor Castle
Standing on a chalk hill above the River Thames in the English county of Berkshire, Windsor Castle is one of the most architecturally complex and historically significant royal residences in the world.…
Unraveling the Mystery of the Nazca Lines
Scattered across the parched plains of southern Peru, the Nazca Lines are one of the world’s greatest archaeological enigmas. These vast drawings, or geoglyphs, span hundreds of square miles in the Nazca…
Inspiration: “William Bethune With Wife and Daughter,” by David Wilkie
David Wilkie, a pillar of Scottish painting, captured not only faces but the very soul of his people. His portrait William Bethune with Wife and Daughter, painted around 1824–1825, stands as a…
Annah la Javanaise: Gauguin’s Most Controversial Paris Model
In the grand story of 19th-century art, many names have been immortalized for their brushwork, color theories, and stylistic revolutions. Yet woven into this same history are the quiet, often heartbreaking stories…
