European Art

Ilya Repin, Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks, 1880–1891, State Russian Museum, Saint Petersburg WTF Art History

Want to Insult Your Enemy? Get Inspired by the Badass Zaporozhian Cossacks!

There are dozens if not hundreds of forged documents in the history of the world. They weren’t forged just for fun. Some of them were the basis...

Zuzanna Stańska 24 February 2025

Painting

10 Marvellous Madonna Paintings

10 paintings from across art history, focusing on Madonna, the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ.

Candy Bedworth 24 February 2025

Ukraine Special

Meet the Ukrainian Railroad Ladies

Every once in a while there appears a piece of news describing a quirky, unknown, or forgotten occupation. Sometimes it’s the lightkeepers in a...

Joanna Kaszubowska 24 February 2025

Women Artists

Zoya Lerman, Ukrainian Non-Conformist Artist

Artist Zoya Lerman is a unique representative of Ukrainian non-conformism in painting. Despite the dominance of Socialist Realism, she was able to...

Nataliia Pecherska 24 February 2025

Contemporary Art

Anatoliy Kryvolap’s Evolution of Color: Emotional Paintings of the Ukrainian Artist

Anatoliy Kryvolap is a contemporary Ukrainian artist whose paintings are sold at the world’s most prestigious auctions for thousands of dollars. He...

Nataliia Pecherska 24 February 2025

Henriëtte Ronner-Knip, Cat at Play, ca 1860-78, oil on wood panel, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Cat at Play by Henriëtte Ronner-Knip

Cat at Play is a masterpiece by Henriëtte Ronner-Knip who deserves to have her legacy revised and her fame revived. Art does not need to be radical...

James W Singer 23 February 2025

Giacomo Balla, Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash, 1912, Buffalo AKG Art Museum, Buffalo, NY, USA. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash by Giacomo Balla

Giacomo Balla’s Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash is a masterpiece of pet images, Futurism, and early 20th-century Italian...

James W Singer, 23 February 2025

Gerrit Dou, Dog at Rest, 1650, oil on oak panel, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, USA. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Dog at Rest by Gerrit Dou

Gerrit Dou’s Dog at Rest is a masterpiece of Dutch genre painting, perfect for both dog enthusiasts and art...

James W Singer 23 February 2025

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Obsequies of an Egyptian Cat by John Weguelin

Here is a Masterpiece Story to honor our beloved cats. The Obsequies of an Egyptian Cat by John Weguelin presents an imaginative interpretation of an...

Alexandra Kiely 23 February 2025

Lady with an Ermine Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Lady with an Ermine by Leonardo da Vinci

One of the greatest masterpieces of Western art, Lady with an Ermine by Leonardo da Vinci, presents Cecilia Gallerani (ca. 1473-1536). Young,...

Zuzanna Stańska 23 February 2025

Vincent Van Gogh, 'Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat', 1887, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation), the Netherlands. Quiz

QUIZ: How Much Do You Know about Van Gogh’s Life?

Ruxi Rusu 22 February 2025

Artist Stories

Henri Rivière: Parisian Master Printmaker

Henri Rivière was a painter, printmaker, and designer. He had a unique aesthetic that combined an Impressionist sensibility, Japanese printmaking...

Louisa Mahoney 21 February 2025