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A collection of essays, reflections, and explorations in the world of art. Each piece invites you to pause and see the world through a different lens.

Showing 15 of 324 articles

The Male Gaze in Art: Laura Mulvey and How We Look at Female Subjects

Art History

12 min read·May 31, 2026

The Male Gaze in Art: Laura Mulvey and How We Look at Female Subjects

Laura Mulvey coined "the male gaze" in 1975. Discover how it applies to painting, why John Berger got there first, and how bell hooks changed the conversation with the oppositional gaze.

The Death of the Author: Roland Barthes and Who Gets to Decide What Art Means

Art History

13 min read·May 30, 2026

The Death of the Author: Roland Barthes and Who Gets to Decide What Art Means

Roland Barthes declared the author dead in 1967. Discover what "The Death of the Author" means for art, who decides what a painting means, and why the debate still matters.

Formalism vs Contextualism: Two Ways of Looking at the Same Painting

Art History

12 min read·May 29, 2026

Formalism vs Contextualism: Two Ways of Looking at the Same Painting

Formalism says art is about form. Contextualism says art is about context. Discover the 80-year argument that defines how we look at paintings, and why both sides are right.

What Is Art Criticism? How Writing About Art Became Its Own Art Form

Art History

14 min read·May 28, 2026

What Is Art Criticism? How Writing About Art Became Its Own Art Form

Art criticism began with Diderot writing about Paris Salon paintings in secret. Discover how writing about art became its own art form, from Diderot to Greenberg to Berger.

Small Museums Worth Traveling For: Hidden Gems Most People Miss

Art History

15 min read·May 27, 2026

Small Museums Worth Traveling For: Hidden Gems Most People Miss

The world's best small museums have masterpieces without the crowds. Discover the Mauritshuis, the Frick Collection, the Gemäldegalerie, and six more hidden gems worth a detour.

The Hermitage: Russia's Imperial Collection and Its Complicated History

Art History

14 min read·May 26, 2026

The Hermitage: Russia's Imperial Collection and Its Complicated History

The Hermitage has 3 million works in a former tsarist palace. Discover Rembrandt's Prodigal Son, Leonardo's Madonna Benois, and the complicated history behind Russia's greatest museum.

The British Museum: Empire, Controversy, and the Rosetta Stone

Art History

12 min read·May 25, 2026

The British Museum: Empire, Controversy, and the Rosetta Stone

The British Museum has 8 million objects from 2 million years of human history. Discover the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon Marbles, and the controversy that will not go away.

The Vatican Museums: Sacred Art, Secular Power, and the Sistine Chapel

Art History

11 min read·May 24, 2026

The Vatican Museums: Sacred Art, Secular Power, and the Sistine Chapel

The Vatican Museums have 70,000 works across 7 km of galleries. This guide covers the Sistine Chapel, the Raphael Rooms, the Gallery of Maps, and how to survive it.

The Guggenheim Bilbao: When the Building Is the Artwork

Art History

10 min read·May 23, 2026

The Guggenheim Bilbao: When the Building Is the Artwork

The Guggenheim Bilbao is the building that launched the Bilbao Effect, the idea that a museum can transform a city. Discover Gehry's titanium masterpiece and what is inside.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art: A Guide to Navigating 5,000 Years

Art History

11 min read·May 22, 2026

The Metropolitan Museum of Art: A Guide to Navigating 5,000 Years

The Met has 2 million works spanning 5,000 years. This guide tells you how to navigate it, what to see, what to skip, and how to avoid museum fatigue.

The Prado: Spain's National Collection and Why It Matters

Art History

12 min read·May 21, 2026

The Prado: Spain's National Collection and Why It Matters

The Prado has the world's finest collection of Spanish painting. Discover Velázquez's Las Meninas, Goya's Black Paintings, Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights, and why it matters.

The Rijksmuseum: Rembrandt, Vermeer, and the Dutch Golden Age Under One Roof

Art History

13 min read·May 20, 2026

The Rijksmuseum: Rembrandt, Vermeer, and the Dutch Golden Age Under One Roof

The Rijksmuseum is the national museum of the Netherlands with 8,000 works of Dutch art and history. Discover the Night Watch, Vermeer's Milkmaid, and the Gallery of Honour.

The Tate Modern: London's Industrial Cathedral for Contemporary Art

Art History

12 min read·May 19, 2026

The Tate Modern: London's Industrial Cathedral for Contemporary Art

Tate Modern is the world's most-visited modern art museum inside a former power station on the Thames. Discover the Turbine Hall, the Rothko room, and how to navigate it.

MoMA Explained: How the Museum of Modern Art Shaped Modern Taste

Art History

13 min read·May 18, 2026

MoMA Explained: How the Museum of Modern Art Shaped Modern Taste

MoMA defined modern art as a category. Discover how Alfred Barr's vision shaped what we think of as modern, what to see, and what most visitors miss.

The Uffizi Gallery: Florence's Renaissance Treasure House

Art History

12 min read·May 17, 2026

The Uffizi Gallery: Florence's Renaissance Treasure House

The Uffizi has the world's deepest collection of Italian Renaissance painting. Discover Botticelli's Venus, Leonardo's Annunciation, and how to navigate Florence's greatest museum.

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Blog

The Male Gaze in Art: Laura Mulvey and How We Look at Female Subjects

The Death of the Author: Roland Barthes and Who Gets to Decide What Art Means

Formalism vs Contextualism: Two Ways of Looking at the Same Painting

What Is Art Criticism? How Writing About Art Became Its Own Art Form

Small Museums Worth Traveling For: Hidden Gems Most People Miss

The Hermitage: Russia's Imperial Collection and Its Complicated History

The British Museum: Empire, Controversy, and the Rosetta Stone

The Vatican Museums: Sacred Art, Secular Power, and the Sistine Chapel

The Guggenheim Bilbao: When the Building Is the Artwork

The Metropolitan Museum of Art: A Guide to Navigating 5,000 Years

The Prado: Spain's National Collection and Why It Matters

The Rijksmuseum: Rembrandt, Vermeer, and the Dutch Golden Age Under One Roof

The Tate Modern: London's Industrial Cathedral for Contemporary Art

MoMA Explained: How the Museum of Modern Art Shaped Modern Taste

The Uffizi Gallery: Florence's Renaissance Treasure House

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Blog

The Male Gaze in Art: Laura Mulvey and How We Look at Female Subjects

The Death of the Author: Roland Barthes and Who Gets to Decide What Art Means

Formalism vs Contextualism: Two Ways of Looking at the Same Painting

What Is Art Criticism? How Writing About Art Became Its Own Art Form

Small Museums Worth Traveling For: Hidden Gems Most People Miss

The Hermitage: Russia's Imperial Collection and Its Complicated History

The British Museum: Empire, Controversy, and the Rosetta Stone

The Vatican Museums: Sacred Art, Secular Power, and the Sistine Chapel

The Guggenheim Bilbao: When the Building Is the Artwork

The Metropolitan Museum of Art: A Guide to Navigating 5,000 Years

The Prado: Spain's National Collection and Why It Matters

The Rijksmuseum: Rembrandt, Vermeer, and the Dutch Golden Age Under One Roof

The Tate Modern: London's Industrial Cathedral for Contemporary Art

MoMA Explained: How the Museum of Modern Art Shaped Modern Taste

The Uffizi Gallery: Florence's Renaissance Treasure House

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