Marian Henel—Tapestries and Madness
Marian Henel’s tapestries are huge. The largest one measures over 6 m in length and 3 m in width (19 ft. 8 in. by 9 ft. 10 in.). Created in the...
Zuzanna Stańska 25 November 2024
#Self-Taught Artists
10 Facts to Know About Dorothea Tanning
Dorothea Tanning (1910-2012) was a visionary whose work transcended the conventional boundaries of Surrealism and abstraction. In this “top...
Errika Gerakiti 11 October 2024
Léon Spilliaert: Symbolism and Longing in His Art
A literary fan of Edgar Allan Poe with a Symbolist approach to painting, Léon Spilliaert thrives in the disenchantment, emotion, and decadence that...
Yasmin Ozkan 3 October 2024
13 Black Folk Artists from the American South
The thirteen self-taught artists below, from Bill Traylor to Nellie Mae Rowe, Thornton Dial to Mary T. Smith, among others, created some of the most...
Adam Oestreich 17 September 2024
The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau
Henri Rousseau was a French artist who painted in a Naïve or Primitive manner. He was also known as Le Douanier (the customs officer), which was a...
Zuzanna Stańska 4 September 2024
Hermenegildo Bustos: Self-Taught Painter of the People
Hermenegildo Bustos was one of Mexico’s most renowned painters of the 19th century. Despite the lack of Academic training, his portraits stood out...
Jimena Escoto 2 September 2024
Polina Raiko, The Self-Taught Folk Artist Who Turned Tragedy to Triumph
In 1998, for the first time ever, Polina Raiko (1928-2004), a 69-year-old woman who had spent almost her entire life as a wife, mother, and farmer,...
Adam Oestreich 2 September 2024
Morris Hirshfield and His Bizarre Animals
It is a common opinion that if you would like to start a career in arts, you should begin as early as possible. But talent knows no boundaries, and...
Zuzanna Stańska 2 September 2024
Anna Boberg – Self-Taught Painter of Lofoten Landscapes
Anna Boberg was a multidisciplinary self-taught artist active in Stockholm and Paris. She is best known for her arctic landscapes from Lofoten in...
Europeana 2 September 2024
Let’s Ride a Tiger! Escape into the Tropics with Henri Rousseau
Let’s ride a tiger! Definitely not! We should never try to ride a tiger, and Rousseau does not suggest it either! It would be horrible (especially...
Sarah Mills 2 September 2024
The Story of Nikifor – A Self-Taught Painter from the Carpathian Mountains
“Epifaniusz Drowniak” is now a household name in Polish naïve art and, arguably, across Europe alongside painters such as Henri...
Katarzyna Waszak 1 August 2024
Jacqueline Marval: The Female Fauvist You’ve Never Heard Of
She was known as one of the greatest painters of her day and was a central figure of the Parisian art scene at the turn of the 20th century. She...
Natalia Iacobelli 20 June 2024
