Explore the past, understand the present, and inspire the future.

Image title: Equestrian Portrait of Cornelis (1639–1680) and Michiel Pompe van Meerdervoort (1638–1653) with Their Tutor and Coachman Medium: Oil on canvas Date: ca. 1652–53 Source: The Met Collection   “ The art challenges the technology, and the technology inspires the art. ” — John Lasseter ‘Land Art’ on Mars? Speculative Futures for Art Beyond Earth   Chapter 1: From Earth to Orbit – A New Canvas Emerges Art has long mirrored the environments in Read more…

Image title: Ia Orana Maria (Hail Mary) Medium: Oil on canvas Date: 1891 Source: The Met Collection   “ Neatness begets order; but from order to taste there is the same difference as from taste to genius, or from love to friendship. ” — Johann Kaspar Lavater Tattooed Icons: Body Art as Visual Protest from Polynesia to Punk   Introduction: Skin as Canvas, Skin as Voice For millennia, the human body has served not only Read more…

Image title: The Adoration of the Magi Medium: Distemper on canvas Date: 1472–74 Source: The Met Collection   “ The art challenges the technology, and the technology inspires the art. ” — John Lasseter Tattooed Saints and Painted Shamans: Body Art as Sacred Symbolism Across Cultures   Introduction: The Canvas of the Divine From cave walls to cathedrals, humans have always used visual art to converse with the sacred. Yet one of the oldest and Read more…

Image title: Christ Healing the Blind Medium: Oil on canvas Date: ca. 1570 Source: The Met Collection   “ Love is blind; friendship closes its eyes. ” — Friedrich Nietzsche ‘Eyes Like Ours’: Self-Portraits by Blind Artists Through Tactile Media   Introduction: Seeing Through Touch When we think of self-portraiture in art, we often imagine the piercing gaze of Rembrandt or the vibrant introspection of Frida Kahlo. But what happens when the visual is no Read more…

Image title: The Annunciation Medium: Oil on panel, transferred to canvas Date: 1480–89 Source: The Met Collection   “ Trust only movement. Life happens at the level of events, not of words. Trust movement. ” — Alfred Adler From Lagos to London: The Neo-Afro-Surrealist Movement Changing Global Art Narratives   Introduction: A New Visual Language Emerges A quiet revolution is reshaping contemporary visual culture, driven by a generation of African artists who are reimagining their Read more…

Image title: Portrait of a Woman Medium: Oil on wood Date: ca. 1520 Source: The Met Collection   “ With every experience, you alone are painting your own canvas, thought by thought, choice by choice. ” — Oprah Winfrey ‘Viral Brushstrokes’: How Memes Are Shaping Contemporary Painting   Introduction: When Canvas Meets Keyboard In an era where a frog with a melancholic expression can become a cultural icon and random screenshots can spark global conversations, Read more…

Image title: Hermann von Wedigh III (died 1560) Medium: Oil and gold on oak Date: 1532 Source: The Met Collection   “ Pure, holy simplicity confounds all the wisdom of this world and the wisdom of the flesh. ” — Francis of Assisi When Sculptures Bleed: The Anatomy of Hyperrealism in Flesh and Stone   Introduction: Sculpting the Uncanny In the arena of contemporary art, few movements shake the senses as thoroughly as hyperrealism in Read more…