When a young man rose to power in 16th-century Florence, many wealthy and influential people in the city hoped to enrich themselves. Little did they know that the young man was a cunning and strong-willed politician. He eventually managed to transform the Republic of Florence into the Grand Duch of Tuscany. Cosimo I de Medici …
Artworks
Some artists developed new techniques, other artists wrote about them, and a few extremely talented individuals in art history did both. Jean Metzinger (1883-1956) was a French artist who definitely fell into the latter category. Not only did he complete several Cubist masterpieces but he also wrote a theoretical work on the movement, the manifesto …
If there’s one painting that visualizes the economic struggle at the start of one of the darkest economic periods in American history, then this is the one. Edward Hopper (1882-1967) was an American painter who focused on realistic depictions of landscapes and urban life. During his long career, he produced some of the best-recognized paintings …
Did you know that the historic Roman Forum in the heart of the Italian capital was once a meadow with grazing cows for many centuries? It was only in the late 19th century that serious excavations were begun to uncover the architectural ruins of the once-thriving marketplace of ancient Rome. An English artist painted the …
Apart from Last Supper paintings and works depicting the Virgin Mary, paintings of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ and other religious figures are the most-produced religious artworks in history. This subject emerged in Byzantine art after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, during the Middle Ages, and all the way from the Renaissance to …
The career of this famous American artist is defined by the magnificent landscapes he painted and especially his marine paintings. Winslow Homer (1836-1910) can easily be described as one of the most notable artists in the United States in the 19th century. He started his career as an illustrator but gradually moved to oil paintings …
When it comes to depictions of one of the most popular subjects in art history, you surely already know which painting makes the top of this list, right? The iconic scene of Jesus Christ sharing his final meal together with his Apostles while mentioning that one of them will betray him is world-famous. It’s often …
When this world-famous Dutch artist invited one of his colleagues to the town of Arles in Southern France, it ended in tragedy. Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) suffered from a severe mental breakdown which resulted in the infamous ear-cutting incident. After a period in the hospital in Arles, he voluntarily checked into a mental hospital that …
When this French artist started experimenting with colors together with one of his colleagues, he radically changed the course of art history. André Derain (1880-1954) was an Avant-Garde artist who worked together with other aspiring painters such as Henri Matisse (1869-1954) and Maurice de Vlaminck (1876-1958). The three of them are considered to be the …
When this Italian artist started carving figures out of small marble blocks, he was instantly recognized as a wunderkind. Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680) lived up to his father’s expectations when he was still a child because he became one of the greatest Baroque sculptors in history. He moved from Naples to Rome as a child …