Poppets in Folk Magic: Cursed Dolls and Witchcraft
The use of dolls as magical instruments traces back to the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean. In Greece and Rome, small human-shaped figures made of wax, clay, or lead were commonly used…
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Our growing archive of info about art, design, and culture.
Inspiration: “Self-Portrait in Front of The Easel,” by Lovis Corinth
Lovis Corinth was born on July 21, 1858, in Tapiau, East Prussia—now Gvardeysk, Russia. His birth name was Franz Heinrich Louis Corinth, but he later adopted “Lovis” as a more distinctive artistic…
Roman Military Barracks Wall Paintings: Art & Life
The Roman Empire is rightly known for its military might, precision, and discipline. But inside the utilitarian stone and timber barracks of its soldiers, something else survived—art. Wall paintings found in Roman…
Warehouses or Wonders: Stadium Design in the 21st Century
Walk up to a modern stadium today and you might hesitate for a moment, asking yourself: am I at the home of a major sports team, or is this a sprawling office…
École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs: France’s Design Powerhouse
From its royal beginnings in the 18th century to its status today as one of France’s most prestigious design schools, the École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs (ENSAD) has played a major…
Texas: The History of its Art
The oldest known artworks in Texas are not in museums or private collections. They are etched and painted into the land itself—hidden in canyons, under ledges, and across the sun-bleached walls of…
Osaka: The History of its Art
The story of Osaka’s art begins long before the city bore that name, in a landscape of tidal flats, river mouths, and wooded hills where early communities left traces of their daily…
Inside Civil War Battlefield Photography
The American Civil War (1861–1865) was the first conflict extensively documented through photography. Long before combat footage or live news broadcasts, photographers captured haunting images of ruined fields, silent corpses, and solemn…
“Chromophobia” by David Batchelor
Chromophobia by David Batchelor is a sharp, thought-provoking exploration of the cultural and aesthetic anxieties surrounding color in Western art, literature, and design. Published in 2000 by Reaktion Books, the book is…
Elongated Rock Figures of Tassili n’Ajjer, Algeria
Tassili n’Ajjer is a vast plateau in southeastern Algeria, covering around 28,000 square miles of sandstone cliffs and canyons. Situated near the borders of Libya, Niger, and Mali, the region rises above…
Kiki de Montparnasse: Muse of Parisian Modernism
Alice Ernestine Prin, who would later become known to the world as Kiki de Montparnasse, was born on October 2, 1901, in Châtillon-sur-Seine, a modest town in the Burgundy region of France.…
Biography: Frederick Arthur Bridgman
Frederick Arthur Bridgman was born on November 10, 1847, in Tuskegee, Alabama. His father, Dr. Bridgman, practiced medicine and provided a modest but stable life for the family. When Frederick was still…
