Where Art Meets Story

Our growing archive of stories on art, design, and culture.

Inspiration: “Tanssiaiskengat Iso” by Helena Schjerfbeck
Inspiration: “An Unlikely Duo,” by Maria Wiik

Wiik was born in Helsinki. She was the daughter of architect Erik Johan Wik (or Wiik) (1804–1876) and his wife Gustava Fredrika Meyer. She was born and grew up in Brunnsparken and attended…
Inspiration: “La Liseuse,” by Félix Vallotton

In 1892, he became a member of Les Nabis, a semi-secret, semi-mystical group of young artists, mostly from the Académie Julian, which included Pierre Bonnard, Ker-Xavier Roussel, Maurice Denis, and Édouard Vuillard, with whom Vallotton was to…
Die Brücke Art Movement: The Pioneers of German Expressionism

The Die Brücke art movement was founded in 1905 in Dresden, Germany, by a group of young architecture students who sought to break away from traditional artistic norms. The founding members—Ernst Ludwig…
Biography: Mikhail Vrubel

Mikhail Aleksandrovich Vrubel, born on March 17, 1856, in Omsk, Russia, emerged as one of the most distinctive and controversial figures in Russian art, straddling the boundary between the fading world of…
Inspiration: “Portrait Of A Woman,” by Olga Boznanska

PORTRAIT OF A WOMANOlga Boznanska (1865-1940)1888PolishOil on CanvasDimensions: Height: 65 cm (25.5 ″); Width: 53 cm (20.8 ″)National Museum Krakow Boznańska was born in Kraków during foreign partitions of Poland. She was the daughter of…
Biography: Gustave Courbet

Gustave Courbet, born on June 10, 1819, in Ornans, France, emerged as one of the most influential artists of the 19th century, pioneering the Realist movement in French painting. Courbet’s rejection of…
The History of Art in London

London has long been a city of artistic transformation. From its earliest days as a Roman settlement to its rise as a global art capital, the city has been a canvas for…
Inspiration: “On The Edge of the Sea,” by Pierre Puvis de Chavannes

Puvis de Chavannes was born Pierre-Cécile Puvis in a suburb of Lyon, France. He was the son of a mining engineer. Being descended from an old noble family of Burgundy, he later added…
Inspiration: “Lace Making in Venice,” by Anders Zorn

Anders Zorn was born and raised on his grandparents’ farm in Yvraden, a hamlet near the village of Utmeland in the parish of Mora, Dalarna. He studied until the age of twelve in the school…
Biography: Thomas Wilmer Dewing

Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938) was an American painter associated with the American Tonalist movement and the American Impressionist movement. His art is characterized by its soft, atmospheric quality, often depicting elegant, contemplative…
The Delft School: Masters of Light and Everyday Life

The Delft School refers to a group of Dutch painters active in the city of Delft during the 17th century, a time known as the Dutch Golden Age. These artists focused on…