Hiawatha and Minnehaha – How Edmonia Lewis overcame prejudice to become a successful artist in the nineteenth century
Edmonia Lewis and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow There’s been a longstanding relationship between art and literature. From numerous works based on mythology to storybook illustrations to Millais’ Ophelia, artists have often…
The Mystery of Johannes Vermeer’s “Woman Reading a Letter”
Johannes Vermeer is best known for his paintings of serene domestic scenes, like “The Milkmaid” and “Girl with a Pearl Earring.” The paintings are excellent examples of the delicacy and…
The Hidden Meaning of Velazquez’s “Las Meninas”
The Painting Diego Velazquez’s “Las Meninas” is one of the world’s most iconic and well-known paintings. Painted in the mid-17th century, the work is a masterful example of the Spanish…
A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte – A look at Georges Seurat’s masterpiece and its predecessor
“Art is harmony. Harmony is the analogy of contrary and of similar elements of tone, of color and of line, conditioned by the dominate key, and under the influence of…
Gustav Klimt’s “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer – The Woman in Gold”: The painting at the center of a Nazi controversy
Gustave Klimpt’s painting “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer – The Woman in Gold” has a long and complicated history, involving Nazis, legal battles, and finally, a new home in New York….
Vincent Van Gogh
“The emotions are sometimes so strong that I work without knowing it. The strokes come like speech.” – Vincent van Gogh This spring, I finally read Irving Stone’s biographical novel…
Henri Matisse
“Creativity takes courage.” Henri Matisse Henri Matisse was born on December 31, 1869, in the small town of Le Cateau-Cambrésis in northern France. His father was a grain merchant, and…
Edgar Degas
Edgar Degas was a French artist known for his paintings of ballet dancers and other scenes from everyday life. He was born in 1834 into a wealthy family, but his…
A Moment in Art History: The Starry Night by Van Gogh- the “failure” now recognized as a masterpiece
Van Gogh’s The Starry Night is one of the most widely analyzed art pieces in the world. What makes this painting so fascinating to researchers in fields ranging from art…
VIDEO: A Moment in Art History | The Boating Party – What Inspired Mary Cassatt’s Famous Painting?
The Boating Party is one of the most famous paintings by American-born artist Mary Cassatt, who lived in France for most of her career. In this Moment in Art History,…