Painting and sculpture
![Impressionist painting of a rural landscape with cows grazing, trees, houses, a church spire and a hazy sky at sunset.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/4635d144-e5f5-4ff6-9ef8-b7022da83adb/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
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
![Two people viewing the Mona Lisa painting in an ornate frame, displayed against a dark wall in a gallery.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/b421474c-cbce-4b49-b3e8-4f695f3571b3/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
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
![A colourful, textured painting of a forest with dark trees and vibrant foliage against a starry blue night sky.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/10615b64-63cc-41c5-b056-f90a2d89b871/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Spirituality and religion
film
An exquisite Mongolian meditation on the oneness of all beings
Directed by Alisi Telengut
![](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/b03fed13-24b1-4f33-8b68-94705a14bd21/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Artists and art history
idea
Gentileschi. Let us not allow sexual violence to define the artist
Artemisia Gentileschi’s body of work has been framed by her personal history. Her paintings should speak for themselves
by Eliza Apperly
![Pastel drawing of a man with a moustache, surrounded by yellow background, holding a sleeping cat on his shoulder.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/b4927d5b-a49b-4957-aaa5-9d162b10f81d/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
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
![Illustration of legs immersed in water, with the lower half submerged, showing blue hues and ripples on the surface.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/6e156052-3dda-4be9-b664-472ce710a7ce/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Mindfulness and meditation
film
A leaf, a bird and a fisherman animate Heraclitus’ aphorism on flux
A film by Michelle Brand
![Drawing of a man in a cap and coat sitting with arms crossed, facing right, with a village and bare trees in the background.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/4938ed76-9037-4bd3-a968-8d9b47e2af2e/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
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
![A person in a witch hat observes a colourful, abstract painting featuring multiple characters, including a central nude figure, in a museum.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/5611e3e8-feae-429e-b262-4f0d569b64cb/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
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
![Abstract artwork depicting two distorted human figures with splashes of red and pink on a white background.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/9890abc7-0584-4a93-8718-6f9d2f44567e/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Painting and sculpture
film
Wangechi Mutu’s otherworldly artworks grow from the ground up
Directed by Ian Forster and Jackie Lebo