Our growing archive of info about art, design, and culture.
The peacock entered European art through early Christian tradition, where it symbolized renewal and eternal life. Writers of the early Church believed the peacock’s flesh did not decay, a notion that made…
In 1753, a small group of German-speaking Moravian settlers arrived in the wooded interior of what would become North Carolina’s Piedmont region. They named the land “Wachovia” and began building a settlement…
Luigi Aloys-François-Joseph Loir was born on December 22, 1845, in Goritz, part of the Austrian Empire at the time. Although Austrian by birth, he was of French descent, with his parents serving…
Take a look at your next cocktail. Not just the ingredients—but the entire picture. The color glowing through the glass, the curve of the stem, the delicate curl of citrus peel draped…
In Japan there is a chilling phenomenon known as “evaporation” — people simply vanish from their lives and disappear without a trace. These individuals, part of what is called Jōhatsu, walk away…
Walking toward Tate Modern for the first time can feel like approaching a cathedral—though one built for machines rather than for worship. Its immense brick exterior and tall central chimney, rising from…
George Inness was born on May 1, 1825, in Newburgh, New York, as the fifth of thirteen children of John William Inness and his wife Clarissa Baldwin. His father was a farmer, and the…
Edwin Lord Weeks was born on January 23, 1849, in Boston, Massachusetts, into a comfortable and culturally aware American family. His upbringing took place during a period of national expansion and intellectual…
When English settlers brought their Calvinist convictions to the Connecticut River Valley in the early 17th century, they did not come to found an artistic tradition. They came to build a godly…
The origins of Catherine Palace stretch back to the early 18th century. Around 1710, Tsarskoye Selo—then a quiet village near Saint Petersburg—was granted by Peter the Great to his wife, Catherine I.…
In the early decades of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, there were no artists in the European sense—no easel painters, no sculptors, and certainly no decorative artisans working purely for beauty’s sake. What…
Wolves have long held a powerful place in the stories of the northern world. In the early tales of Scandinavia, Germany, and the British Isles, the wolf stands for endurance, sharp instinct,…