#Peter Paul Rubens

Animals

Secrets of Pets in Art

There’s nothing better than going to a museum and spotting a cute pet hidden in a painting. I mean, after all, one of art’s functions is...

Marta Wiktoria Bryll 16 December 2024

Long Read

Badass Queens from Classical History

A rollicking adventure through the lives of great leaders and queens from ancient times. Famous female leaders are a fascinating bunch. Here at...

Candy Bedworth, Guest Profile 9 December 2024

male beauty in art: Michelangelo, Ignudo, c. 1512. Erotica

Are You a Connoisseur of Male Beauty? A Nude Invasion!

According to the famous poster by Guerrilla Girls, 85% of nudes in Western art history are of women. They were subject to the male gaze, presented on...

Magda Michalska 19 November 2024

Male nudes in art: Jean-Hippolyte Flandrin, Study, Young Male Nude Seated beside the Sea, 1836, Musée du Louvre, Paris, France. Erotica

The Greatest Male Nudes in Art History (NSFW!)

Nudity started being an important subject in art in ancient Greece. The male body was celebrated at sports competitions or religious festivals, it...

Anuradha Sroha 19 November 2024

Gustave Moreau, Thracian Girl Carrying the Head of Orpheus on His Lyre, 1865, Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France. Detail. Painting

The Most Famous Bard in History: Orpheus in Paintings

According to Greek Mythology, Orpheus was a singer, musician, and poet. Therefore, he was often depicted in paintings and sculptures, singing in...

Anna Ingram 4 November 2024

Bizarre

Halloween Special: Horror in Art

Horror isn’t an element only in movies or literature. Artists throughout the time have painted many repulsive and ghastly themes. For example, an...

Errika Gerakiti 31 October 2024

Halloween costume. Left: Van Gogh and His Starry Night children costume. Left center: Ariel Adkins, Woman with a hat costume, 2017. Right center: Idigcrystals, Can’t Help Myself costume, 2022. Right: Ecce Homo costume. WTF Art History

Best Artsy Halloween Costumes

It is the time of the year to get spooky. Do you have your Halloween costume ready? The following examples used their creativity to recreate famous...

Jimena Escoto 14 October 2024

Art History 101

Lapis Lazuli—A Pigment More Precious Than Gold

Lapis lazuli, once more precious than gold, has a history of over 9000 years. The earliest artifacts found at Bhirrana, which is the oldest site of...

Irina Diana Calu 30 September 2024

Art State of Mind

Bringing Up Baby – The Art of Parenting Through the Ages

Childcare can take so many forms. Kids throughout history have been raised by gay dads, lesbian moms, whole villages, singles, and adoptive parents.

Candy Bedworth 30 September 2024

Art History 101

What Is a Wunderkammer? Best Cabinets of Curiosities

The characteristic of arousing surprise for the observer is typical for the so-called Wunderkammer or Cabinet of Curiosities. These are real rooms of...

Caroline Galambosova 23 September 2024

Painting

10 Greek Mythological Creatures That Combine Female Beauty and Beastly Ugliness

Gods, goddesses, demigods, horrible monsters, and beasts of hybrid forms roam the world of Ancient Greek mythology. Their heredity shaped many of the...

Bolor Jargalsaikhan 19 September 2024

Renaissance

Rebelious Princess – Ana de Mendoza y de la Cerda, Princess of Éboli

“Who is this beauty with an eyepatch?” you may ask. Is she some sort of pirate queen? No, but you are not far from the truth. Ana de Mendoza de...

Joanna Kaszubowska 11 September 2024