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

Image title: Head of a Central Asian Figure in a Pointed Cap Medium: Gypsum plaster; modeled, carved Date: 12th–early 13th century Source: The Met Collection   “ Music in the soul can be heard by the universe. ” — Laozi Chiseling the Cosmos: How Ancient Asian Sculptors Interpreted the Universe   Introduction: Sculpting the Sacred Across the vast sweep of East and South Asian history, sculpture emerged as a medium not just of aesthetic expression Read more…

Image title: The Harvesters Medium: Oil on wood Date: 1565 Source: The Met Collection   “ Ask yourself the secret of your success. Listen to your answer and practice it. ” — Richard Bach Brushstrokes and Bureaucracy: The Secret Lives of State-Appointed Artists   Introduction: Painting in the Shadow of Power Throughout history, the relationship between art and power has often tilted toward uneasy cohabitation. Nowhere was this tension more palpable than under authoritarian regimes Read more…

Image title: Paolo Giordano II Orsini, Duke of Bracciano Medium: Bronze, partially silvered Date: ca. 1632 Source: The Met Collection   “ Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them. ” — Albert Einstein Beyond Bronze: Forgotten Mediums of Classical Sculpture   Introduction: The Myth of Marble and Bronze When we think of classical sculpture, images of gleaming marble statues or heroic bronzes often spring to mind—timeless forms that have endured centuries of admiration. Read more…

Image title: The Rest on the Flight into Egypt Medium: Oil on wood Date: ca. 1512–15 Source: The Met Collection   “ He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the world. ” — Marcus Aurelius Queer Chiaroscuro: Hidden Lives Illuminated in Renaissance Shadows   Introduction: The Concealed Radiance of Identity The Renaissance is often remembered as an age of luminous creativity and artistic renaissance, where artists resurrected classical ideals and celebrated Read more…

Image title: The Harvesters Medium: Oil on wood Date: 1565 Source: The Met Collection   “ The secret of getting ahead is getting started. ” — Mark Twain When Paper Ruled the World: The Secret Lives of Scroll Painters Across Asia   Introduction: A World Unfolded Before the bound book and the pixelated screen, the scroll was king. It cradled stories, religions, dynasties, and cosmologies within the folds of paper and silk. Across the Asian Read more…