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Painting and sculpture

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Photo of a derelict brick building with colourful graffiti on the wall broken windows and overgrown vegetation at dusk.

Painting and sculpture

idea

Works of urban graffiti are not vandalism, but public monuments

They might appear to have little in common with statues or obelisks, but graffiti images serve a vital public function

by Rafael Schacter

A person in a witch hat observes a colourful, abstract painting featuring multiple characters, including a central nude figure, in a museum.

Beauty and aesthetics

idea

Why art seems more beautiful when you can see yourself in it

Research suggests that people find artworks more aesthetically pleasing when they’re personally relevant to them in some way

by Matt Huston

A woman holds a square mirror that blocks her face; it reflects rocks and grass. There is blue sky and clouds in the background. The only element in focus is the reflection on the mirror.

Painting and sculpture

film

Losing her eyesight, a painter’s art evolves with the way she sees the world

Directed by Liberty Smith

Two people view a famous painting in a gallery; it’s the Mona Lisa in an ornate frame.

Beauty and aesthetics

idea

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

Painting of a serene rural landscape with cows grazing at sunset, a church spire, trees and fields in the background.

Human evolution

idea

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

Abstract blue and white line drawing of multiple nude female figures, seen from various angles, arranged in a pattern.

Artists and art history

film

A minotaur shifts shapes and sexes in this ferociously original animation

A film by Chaerin Im

Etching of a man sitting on a milestone marked “Paris” with a broom, barren trees and distant houses in the background.

Painting and sculpture

idea

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

Pastel painting of a smiling man with a moustache and a cat on his shoulder, set against a yellow background.

Neurodiversity

idea

When the mind is dark, making art is a thrilling way to see

For aphantasic artists with no mind’s eye, creating paintings is a way to experience the mental pictures they can’t see

by Adam Zeman

A photo of an artist in a cap and paint-splattered trousers sitting next to a large painting of a man holding his face in his hands.

Painting and sculpture

film

A rural Namibian artist reflects on authenticity in work and in life

Directed by Niklas von Klitzing and Leo Stolz