Articles

Raoul Dufy, Boats at Martigues, 1908 via Artchive

Julian Ashford

Fauvism: Bold Colors and the Birth of Modern Pa...

Fauvism brought a radical use of pure color and expressive brushwork. Led by Matisse and Derain, it transformed early 20th-century painting into modern art.

Gustave Courbet, The Desperate Man, 1843–45 via Wikimedia Commons

Sable Monroe

Why Artists Remain Obsessed with Faces in Painting

Faces dominate painting across centuries. From Fayum portraits to Bronzino, Courbet, Soutine, and Dumas, artists return to the face as the ultimate subject.

Georgia O'Keeffe, Red Hills with Flowers, 1937

Clara V. Leone

Snakes, Skulls, and More: The Language of Symbo...

From serpents to vanitas skulls, symbols reveal centuries of artistic meaning, shaping how viewers understand life, death, and belief.

Sofonisba Anguissola, The Chess Game (Portrait of the artist’s sisters playing chess), 1555, via Smarthistory

Isabelle Fenwick

Forgotten Women in Early Modern European Art Hi...

Forgotten women of early modern Europe shaped art with portraits, still lifes, and altarpieces, leaving legacies that deserve renewed recognition.

Unknown, Winged Victory of Samothrace, c. 190 BCE, marble, Louvre. Photo: muratart via Shutterstock via My Modern Met

Lena Whitmore

Myth Meets Medium: How Mythology Shaped Ancient...

Explore how Greek myths shaped ancient art through sculpture, pottery, and painting, blending storytelling with timeless cultural symbols.

Sandro Botticelli, Primavera, c. 1470s–1480s via Wikipedia/Public Domain

Adrian Mercer

Art as Propaganda: From Medici Florence to the ...

Art has long served as a tool of persuasion. From the Medici Florence to the Ottoman court, rulers and patrons used images to project power and faith.

Raphael, The School of Athens, 1509–1511 via My Modern Met

Sable Monroe

Essential Paintings Every Art History Student M...

Discover 13 essential paintings that appear on exams, essays, and museum visits. Learn why each masterpiece matters and the iconic details to spot.

Peter Paul Rubens, The Elevation of the Cross, 1610–1611 via Wikipedia/Public Domain

Sebastian Moore

Beginner’s Guide to Recognizing Major Art Movem...

Learn to identify major movements in art history through color, brushwork, and composition, from the Renaissance to Abstract Expressionism.

Claude Monet, Impression, Sunrise, 1872 via Smarthistory

Edward Gray

How Artists Across Centuries Captured the Weath...

From Turner’s storms to Sorolla’s sunlight, artists have captured weather as both subject and symbol, shaping mood, texture, and emotion in art.

David Hockney, Model with Unfinished Self-Portrait, 1977 via Artchive

Isabelle Fenwick

The Art History of Canvases and Frames in Painting

Explore how artists built their works, from cave walls to stretched linen, and how canvas types and frames shaped the evolution of painting styles.