Articles

Paula Rego, The Maids, 1987. Courtesy Marlborough Fine Art, © Paula Rego via AWARE Centre Pompidou

Margaret Allen

The Top 10 Most Disturbing Expressions in Art H...

These paintings reveal how artists transformed human expression into something eerie, theatrical, psychologically charged, and profoundly unsettling.

Balthus (Balthusz Klossowski de Rola), Study for “The Salon”, 1941 © Balthus via Gagosian.

Samuel Reed

Our Curated Ranking of The Best Balthus Paintings

A ranking of Balthus’s most significant paintings, tracing his staged realism, psychological tension, and precise approach to modern figuration.

Raphael, Saint Sebastian, 1501-02 via Wikipedia/Public Domain

Jack Lowry

Ranking Raphael’s Most Remarkable Sitting Portr...

A ranking of Raphael’s most remarkable sitting portraits, examining identity, patronage, and psychological presence across Renaissance painting.

Dorothea Tanning, On Time Off Time, 1948 via MoMA

Rebecca Levenson

Ranking Dorothea Tanning’s Best Underrated Pain...

An editorial ranking of Dorothea Tanning’s mid-20th-century Surrealist paintings that reveals the depth and ambition of her lesser-known works.

Fra Filippo Lippi, The Adoration in the Forest, detail, 1459. © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Gemäldegalerie.

Rowan Whit

The Ten Greatest Christmas Paintings in Art His...

Our curated ranking of ten Christmas masterpieces that shaped sacred imagery. These works guided artistic innovation and defined the holiday's visual story.

W. Eugene Smith, Nurse Midwife series, 1951. “After another delivery Maude departed at four thirty in the morning, leaving the case in the care of another midwife.” © W. Eugene Smith/Life Pictures/Shutterstock. Via Life Magazine.

Julian Ashford

Four Must-Know Photo Essays That Changed Photog...

Four distinct photo essays reveal how photographers create full worlds through mood, structure, intimacy, and imagination. Each offers a unique vision of life.

 René Magritte, The False Mirror, 1929 © 2025 C. Herscovici, Brussels / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York via MoMA

Clara V. Leone

10 Art Facts That Will Deepen How You See Painting

From Monet’s failing eyesight to Michelangelo’s hidden anatomy, these ten surprising facts reveal how science, chance, and rebellion shaped the history of art.

Giorgione, Sleeping Venus, c. 1508–1510 via Smarthistory

Lena Whitmore

Ranked: The Most Polarizing Nude Paintings in A...

Nude paintings have sparked outrage and admiration across centuries. These ranked works reveal shifting ideas about art, morality, and the body.

Frida Kahlo, Diego on My Mind (Self-Portrait as Tehuana), c. 1943 via Artsy

Rebecca Levenson

Seven Frida Kahlo Works That Deserve More Atten...

Frida Kahlo’s most famous paintings are iconic, but her lesser-known works reveal overlooked layers of symbolism, politics, and personal pain.

Chris Burden, Trans-Fixed, 1972. Film still from Burden (2016). Courtesy Magnolia Pictures. © 2019 Chris Burden / licensed by The Chris Burden Estate and Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York via Artnet

Sebastian Moore

Curated: Top 10 Most Controversial Art Performa...

From bullets to blood, these 10 controversial performances reveal how artists pushed the limits of the body, morality, and art itself.