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Image title: The Crucifixion with the Virgin and Saint John Medium: Oil on canvas Date: ca. 1624–25 Source: The Met Collection   “ Most of the shadows of life are caused by standing in our own sunshine. ” — Ralph Waldo Emerson Shadows That Speak: The Hidden Language of Negative Space in Art   Introduction: The Voice Within the Void Every artist, knowingly or not, engages in a dialogue between presence and absence. Negative space—the Read more…

Image title: Battle between Christians and Muslims at El Sotillo Medium: Oil on canvas Date: ca. 1637–39 Source: The Met Collection   “ When deeds and words are in accord, the whole world is transformed. ” — Zhuang Zhou Between Canvas and Stage: Painters Who Transformed Theater   Introduction: When the Brush Meets the Footlights The relationship between visual art and the performing stage has often been one of parallel inspiration, but in certain luminous Read more…

Image title: Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh: An Allegory of the Dinteville Family Medium: Oil on wood Date: 1537 Source: The Met Collection   “ Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. ” — Winston Churchill Portraits of Power: The Evolution of Political Imagery from Pharaohs to Presidents   Introduction: The Faces That Govern From stone-carved likenesses of divine pharaohs to the high-definition photographs of modern presidents, portraiture has long Read more…

Image title: Allegory of the Catholic Faith Medium: Oil on canvas Date: ca. 1670–72 Source: The Met Collection   “ Your sacred space is where you can find yourself again and again. ” — Joseph Campbell Velázquez vs. Vermeer: Silence, Space, and the Spectacle of the Interior   Introduction: Two Masters of the Seventeenth Century Diego Velázquez and Johannes Vermeer stand among the most distinguished painters of the 17th century, yet their artistic visions could Read more…

Image title: “The Feast of Sada”, Folio 22v from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp Medium: Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper Date: ca. 1525 Source: The Met Collection   “ Just as a flower, which seems beautiful has color but no perfume, so are the fruitless words of a man who speaks them but does them not. ” — Dhammapada Psychedelic Icons of the Islamic World: Geometry, Color, and Mysticism Read more…

Image title: The Prayer Book of Bonne of Luxembourg, Duchess of Normandy Medium: Tempera, grisaille, ink, and gold on vellum Date: before 1349 Source: The Met Collection   “ Gold medals aren’t really made of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts. ” — Dan Gable Glory Holes & Gold Leaf: Queering Medieval Manuscript Margins   Introduction: More Than Marginalia The illuminated manuscripts of medieval Europe are often admired for Read more…

Image title: The Penitence of Saint Jerome Medium: Oil on wood Date: ca. 1515 Source: The Met Collection   “ Injuries may be forgiven, but not forgotten. ” — Aesop Lacquer, Ink, and Gods: The Forgotten Visual Cultures of Edo Japan   Introduction: A World in Detail In the annals of global art history, Japanese Edo-period (1603–1868) visual culture remains a trove of exquisite detail, spiritual resonance, and craftsmanship. While ukiyo-e woodblock prints have long Read more…

Image title: The Crucifixion with the Virgin and Saint John Medium: Oil on canvas Date: ca. 1624–25 Source: The Met Collection   “ Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground. ” — Theodore Roosevelt Mapping the Stars on Canvas: Celestial Charts as Early Data Visualization   Introduction: Painting the Heavens Before the Telescope Since humanity first looked to the night sky, we have been mapping, interpreting, and mythologizing the stars. Read more…