Art History

July 29, 2024

What We Can Learn From the Exquisite History and Ornate Aesthetic of Gothic Architecture

Aesthetically ornate and conceptually transcendent, the Gothic style has become one of the world's most distinctive architectural movements. Though it originated in the Middle Ages, the one-of-a-kind genre continues to captivate today, as evident in some of Europe's most beautiful buildings. While the Gothic approach appears to be a novel form of architecture, its signature style has been shaped by different influences.

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July 15, 2024

2,000+ Years of Dogs in Art, From Ancient Mosaics to Instagram Selfies

Our four-legged friends are often the muses for art of all kinds. Of these creatures, dogs are one of the most popular subjects for painting, sculpture, and photography. Throughout art history, they’ve made appearances with members of the aristocracy, self-portraits with famous creatives, and been immortalized as balloons—and that’s just a small fraction of the dog art that exists between the past and today.

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June 30, 2024

15th-Century Monk Crowdsourced Info to Create Shockingly Accurate World Map

Before satellites and air flight, one might think mapping the contours of continents and the shores of seas accurately was nearly impossible. However, careful research alone could sometimes produce useable, surprisingly accurate renditions of geography. In the 15th century, a medieval monk known as Fra Mauro bucked cartographic tradition and carefully crafted a massive eight-foot by eight-foot map of the then-known world. Created for King Afonso V of Portugal, this Mappa Mundi (World Map)

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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.