Articles

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.

Vincent van Gogh, Pietà (after Delacroix), 1889, via Vatican Museums

Miles Avery

Religious Art and Theology: Images That Defined...

Religious imagery has long guided collective faith. From Byzantine icons to Renaissance altarpieces and modern reinterpretations, sacred art shaped devotion.

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.

Yoko Ono, Cut Piece via Singulart

Miles Avery

The Power of Motion: Artists Who Embraced Actio...

Discover how artists from Pollock to Yoko Ono turned movement into meaning and turned painting into performance in the bold world of action painting.

Frank Godwin, Philadelphia Patriotic Scene via American Illustration

Rebecca Levenson

Fireworks, Flags, and Freedom in American Art H...

From Homer's shorelines to Childe Hassam’s flags, artists have long captured the spirit, color, and celebration of the Fourth of July in American life.

Raphael, The School of Athens, 1509–1511 via Wikipedia/Public Domain

Lena Whitmore

Why Painting and Sculpture Were Different Befor...

Before the camera, painting and sculpture preserved our memory of people, places, and power. Art did not just imitate life. It was proof that life happened.

Yun Shouping, Album of flowers, bamboo, fruits, and vegetables © Phoenix Art Museum. All rights reserved. Photo by Ken Howie.

Isabelle Fenwick

The Refined Power of Qing Dynasty Chinese Painting

Explore the poetic, spiritual, and rebellious worlds of six Qing Dynasty painters who reshaped tradition into personal expression.

Leonardo da Vinci, The Last Supper, 1495-1498 via Wikipedia/Public Domain

Elise Marlowe

Celebrating World Art Day: Da Vinci’s Living Le...

On World Art Day, we spotlight 10 visionary artists who kept Leonardo da Vinci’s legacy alive through science, mysticism, and bold ideas.

Feature image: Arnold Böcklin, Isle of the Dead, 1880 via Wikipedia; Credit: Kunstmuseum Basel, Martin P. Bühler

Julian Ashford

Was Symbolism the Most Mysterious Movement in Art?

Symbolism emerged as one of the most mysterious art movements, fusing dreams, mysticism, mythology, and emotional depth into visionary masterpieces.