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Painting of a man and a woman in period clothing pose inside a room with a chandelier, a convex mirror, and an inscription on the wall behind.

Philosophy of art

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To master the art of close looking, learn to hold time still

Visual literacy is a skillset that’s rarely taught, but it begins with learning how to look – and how to hold time still

by Grace Linden

Abstract painting with vibrant red, yellow, and blue shapes against a dark, textured background. The colours and forms create a striking, dynamic composition.

Artists and art history

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Is the attunement of abstract art and music more than a metaphor?

How does the abstract art of Kandinsky and Klee imitate the meaning and emotion in the music of Shostakovich and Bach?

by Michelle Liu

A large spider sculpture with St. Paul’s Cathedral and cranes in the background on a cloudy day in London.

Poetry

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A conversation with my spider Maman and Louise Bourgeois

Woman made of braided steel, monster I call Maman: why am I so scared of you? An imagined conversation with Louise Bourgeois

by Pascale Petit

Two people viewing the Mona Lisa painting in an ornate frame, displayed against a dark wall in a gallery.

Beauty and aesthetics

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What happens if we make the Mona Lisa more symmetrical?

The Golden Ratio and symmetry are two universal rules of beauty. The problem is they conflict with one another

by Manil Suri

Ancient cave painting with red pigment and engraved lines on a textured stone surface.

Artists and art history

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The art of Ice Age children offers a tactile sense of the past

Small hands in dark caves: Ice Age art reveals the role of artistic expression and child’s play in ancient societies

by Izzy Wisher

A historical painting showing three people, one standing with a fan and two seated, each holding a flower; vibrant clothing and a colourful background.

Artists and art history

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The art of Mughal India is best appreciated with all the senses

Experience the multiple layers of sensory pleasure and meaning conveyed through scented flowers in the art of Mughal India

by Bharti Lalwani & Nicolas Roth

A pointillist painting of three nude women indoors, two seated and one standing, with a wall and a window showing an outdoor scene.

Artists and art history

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The vibrating beingness of Seurat’s pointillist paintings

The pointillist paintings of Georges Seurat have a blurred, vibrating beingness that is a visual manifestation of emotion

by Summer Brennan

A photo from the set of the film Edward Scissorhands of Johnny Depp and Diane Wiest as the characters Edward and Peg

Artists and art history

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Love the art, disgusted by the artist? Maybe philosophy can help

Rather than trying to leave behind beloved art by immoral artists, let philosophy offer you a model for engaging with it

by Erich Hatala Matthes

Human evolution

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Why it took us thousands of years to see the colour violet

The colour violet was largely missing from art before the Impressionists, and is seen differently by different cultures. Why?

by Allen Tager

Psychiatry

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This isn’t just art, but a supercharged act of meaning-making

Psychiatric art is crammed with meaning yet it actively resists interpretation. This paradox lies at the heart of its appeal

by Shruti Ravindran

Artists and art history

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What art history reveals about the rise of anti-feminist women

How can anyone favour a patriarchal system that routinely harms them? On Susanna and the Elders and anti-feminist women

by Paula Keller

Painting and sculpture

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Looking at portraits with an eye to evolutionary psychology

Why our understanding of Jean-François Raffaëlli’s ‘Roadman’ portrait can use a little help from evolutionary psychology

by Dan Sperber