Image title: Eagle relief Medium: Andesite or dacite, Maya blue, stucco, red pigment Date: 900–1200 CE Source: The Met Collection “ The sum of wisdom is that time is never lost that is devoted to work. ” — Ralph Waldo Emerson Maya Blue and Other Sacred Colors Lost to Read more…
Image title: Barberini Cabinet Medium: Oak and poplar veneered with various exotic hardwoods, with ebony moldings and plaques of marble, slate (paragon); pietre dure work consisting of colored marbles, rock crystal, and various hardstones Date: ca. 1606–23 Source: The Met Collection “ When in doubt, don’t. ” — Benjamin Read more…
Image title: The Crucifixion with the Virgin and Saint John Medium: Oil on canvas Date: ca. 1624–25 Source: The Met Collection “ I am not bothered by the fact that I am unknown. I am bothered when I do not know others. ” — Confucius The Unknown Muses: Forgotten Read more…
Image title: The Wedding Feast of Cupid and Psyche Medium: Painted enamel on copper, partly gilt Date: 1558 Source: The Met Collection Introduction: Shimmering Devotion and the Touch of Desire In the cool chapels and candlelit alcoves of medieval Europe, there flickered not only the light of religious devotion Read more…
Introduction: Earth’s Fiery Palette The creative force of nature has long inspired human expression, but few elements have played as paradoxical a role in art as volcanoes. Both destroyers and givers, volcanoes have left behind not only reshaped landscapes but also pigments that have made their way into frescoes, canvases, Read more…
Introduction: More Than a Mirror From the early days of art history, self-portraiture has been a means for artists to assert their presence, but for women, the self-portrait was—and remains—a revolutionary act. When society offered them narrow roles and limited visibility, a canvas became a stage for renegotiating identity, power, Read more…
Introduction: The Puzzle of the Spanish Court Diego Velázquez’s 1656 masterpiece, Las Meninas, is often described as a visual enigma—a profound meditation on perception, authorship, and hierarchical power hidden within the canvas of a royal portrait. Created during Spain’s Golden Age, the painting transcends any traditional label of ‘portrait’ or Read more…
Introduction: Architecture of the Divine and Earthly Power When one tilts their head to gaze upon the Sistine Chapel ceiling, they are not merely admiring a masterpiece of religious art—they are entering a potent visual dialogue between theology, humanism, and political authority. During the Renaissance, frescos painted on ceilings became Read more…
Introduction: The Colors That Could Sing Imagine a world where colors hum, shapes resonate like tones, and a canvas becomes an orchestral stage. For Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944), this wasn’t imagination—it was experience. Recognized as one of the pioneers of abstract art, Kandinsky based his oeuvre on a unique fusion of Read more…
Introduction: Rethinking the Baroque When we speak of the Baroque, images of opulent cathedrals in Rome, shadow-laden canvases by Caravaggio, or the grandeur of Versailles often spring to mind. Yet, Baroque was never just a European phenomenon. As empires expanded, trade flourished, and missionaries traveled, the Baroque style traversed continents—morphing, Read more…