Artists and art history
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
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
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
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
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
Bob Dylan turned American folk traditions into modern prophecy
Bob Dylan’s ‘A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall’ is the first truly modernist folk song: it reworks tradition into a prophetic warning
by Timothy Hampton
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
One Kandinsky, one viewer and one guard, in a Moscow power station
Directed by Nastia Korkia
Struth’s unpeopled photos evoke the loneliness of urban life
Thomas Struth’s empty streets speak of an existential loneliness that is a shadowy but ever-present aspect of urban life
by Richard Deming
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
An improvised animation doubles as an absurdly fun lesson in creativity
Directed by Sasha Svirsky
Wangechi Mutu’s otherworldly artworks grow from the ground up
Directed by Ian Forster and Jackie Lebo
The astounding performances of an artist making art and life simultaneous
Directed by Adrian Heathfield & Hugo Glendinning