Art History

March 21, 2022

The Story Behind Raphael’s Masterpiece ‘The School of Athens’

Long before Raphael the hotheaded, red-eye-mask-wearing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle entertained children onscreen, there was Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (best known simply as Raphael) the esteemed painter who’d won over a cultured crowd of art connoisseurs. By his mid-20s, Raphael was already a star. At the top of his game, this master of the Italian Renaissance had been invited by the pope to live in Rome, where he would spend the rest of his days.

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March 7, 2022

Longstanding Mystery Surrounding the Origins of a 30,000-Year-Old Figurine Is Solved

New information is shedding light on the origins of a 30,000-year-old sculpture. The Venus of Willendorf, a 4.4-inch-tall carving crafted between 30,000 and 25,000 BCE, is named for its discovery in Willendorf, Austria. However, the stone it is made from could not be found anywhere in the area—a fact that shrouded the object in mystery for years. Now, researchers believe they have an answer to the statue's history, pinpointing the unique rock to northern Italy.

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March 2, 2022

Exploring the Experimental and Avant-Garde Art of Surrealism

With its imaginative imagery, experimental artistic approach, and subconscious-inspired subject matter, Surrealism may seem like a difficult genre to grasp. After all, even the movement's pioneer, André Breton, referred to the genre as an “invisible ray,” while iconic Surrealist Salvador Dalí noted that “people love mystery, and that is why they love my paintings.

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February 25, 2022

Futurism: The Avant-Garde Art Movement Obsessed With Speed and Technology

Fascinated by new industry and thrilled by what lay ahead, the early 20th-century Futurists carved out a place in history. Growing out of Italy, these artists worked as painters, sculptors, graphic designers, musicians, architects, and industrial designers. Together, they helped shape a new, modern style of art that still has staying power today. The Futurists were revolutionaries, members of an avant-garde movement that sought to free itself from the artistic norms of the past.

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My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.