If we asked readers to name female painters, not many names would likely come up. Most would mention Frida Kahlo and Berthe Morisot, and some might also recall Dora Maar, Yayoi Kusama, or Paula Rego; Spaniards might remember Maruja Mallo, and those who have seen the respective films might think of Leonora Carrington and Margaret […]
Painting
Posted inArchaeology
Analysis of Thutmose III’s Tomb Paintings Reveals Unprecedented Colors and Minoan Techniques
An international team of researchers has uncovered significant findings in the tomb of Thutmose III in the Valley of the Kings, Egypt. The study, which began in 2018, represents an unprecedented effort to analyze the ancient wall paintings with modern technology, leading to revelations about the techniques and materials used by ancient Egyptian artists. The […]
Posted inAntiquity
The Cypriots that Carried Copper Ingots on their Shoulders in the Bronze Age
Oxhide ingots are metal slabs, primarily made of copper, although sometimes also made of tin, produced during the Late Bronze Age on the island of Cyprus and later distributed across the Mediterranean. They were used, at least since 1500 BC, as a means of transporting copper and for bulk sales across the Mediterranean via maritime […]
Posted inArt, Modern Era
Joseph Ducreux, the Painter Who Created the Most Extravagant Self-Portraits in History
In another article, we talked about the tronie, a type of caricature portrait practiced by Dutch Golden Age painters. In the following century, it was a French artist who revived this interest in breaking away from academicism, creating some highly expressive portraits through gestures. Thus, the subjects appear laughing, asking for silence, pointing with a […]
Posted inArt, Classical Archaeology
Spectacular Frescoes Depicting Scenes Related to the Trojan War Discovered in Pompeii
The archaeological excavation initiated in 2023 in Insula 10 of Regio IX in Pompeii has uncovered two interconnected houses facing Via di Nola, adorned with frescoes in their interiors. Frescoes and mosaics depicting mythological themes related to the Trojan War, such as Paris and Helen, and Apollo and Cassandra, were found within them, framed by […]
Posted inClassical Archaeology
Extraordinary Fresco Depicting the Twins Phrixus and Helle Fleeing with the Golden Fleece Found in Pompeii
During the restoration works of the House of Leda in Pompeii, a fresco appeared depicting the mythological scene of the twins Phrixus and Helle fleeing from their pursuers on the back of the famous golden fleece ram. The scene, showing Phrixus on the ram while his sister is falling into the water, is painted as […]
Posted inArt, Middle Ages
The Most Inaccessible Church in the World is Excavated Inside a Sandstone Spire at an Altitude of 2,580 Meters (8,500 Feet)
In the Gheralta Mountains of the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia, inside a vertical rock wall at an altitude of 2,580 meters, lies the most inaccessible church in the world. It is called Abuna Yemata Guh, one of the nine saints who, according to tradition, arrived in northern Ethiopia between the late 5th and early […]
Posted inArt, Culture
A Painting by Gustav Klimt, Thought to Have Been Lost for a Hundred Years, Rediscovered
Art enthusiasts around the world received exciting news this year with the announcement that one of Gustav Klimt’s most famous “lost” works has resurfaced after over a century. Im Kinsky, the venerable Vienna-based auction house known for setting world records with iconic Austrian works, will offer the long-hidden painting at their highly anticipated April 2024 […]
Posted inAncient Rome, Art
The Aldobrandini Wedding, the Most Famous and Admired Roman Fresco until Pompeii was Discovered
Since the Renaissance, the search for ancient remains, statues, marbles, and any object that could be sold to collectors in Rome was the order of the day. By the early 17th century, it had become a business with almost professional seekers, and as the painter and architect Federico Zuccari wrote, it was they who, in […]
Posted inArt
Johannes Gumpp, the 17th-century Painter whose only Work is a Mysterious Triple Self-portrait
Since the existence of the art of painting, artists have created self-portraits or included themselves in representations of mythological, religious, or invented themes. Until the invention of photography, the easiest, though not the only, way to create a self-portrait was to look in a mirror. Depending on the era, this could be more or less […]
