art
How Bernini sculpted the Roman Catholic Church during the Counter-Reformation
Bernini created art for 8 different popes. In the process, he helped reinforce and redefine Christianity’s visual culture.
The forgotten paintings of ancient Greece and Rome
Paintings played an important role in these ancient civilizations. Unfortunately, pigment is not nearly as durable as marble.
Artist Agnieszka Pilat’s strange journey from communist Poland to capitalist San Francisco
The so-called "court painter of Silicon Valley" was shaped by her youth in communist Poland but looks forward to a future ruled by celebrity robots.
Humans may share a universal sense of beauty in color combinations
Independent of cultural background, people seem to share a sense of what makes certain color combinations aesthetically pleasing.
How to paint like Rembrandt, according to a professional portrait artist
Frank Slater’s book "Practical Portrait Painting" reveals the secrets of masters old and new, from Leonardo da Vinci to Augustus John.
10 of the greatest classical composers of all time
From Brahms to Tchaikovsky, here's a curated list of composers whose music has shaped the classical canon.
15th century futurism: Leonardo da Vinci’s famous helicopter design finally takes flight
Da Vinci dreamed up a helicopter 400 years before they actually existed. Now, engineers have brought his design to life, but with a twist.
Rare moments when history was accidentally captured on camera
For a long time, important events could only be visualized retroactively through paintings. Photography allowed us to capture history as — or sometimes even before — it happened.
Why does experiencing “flow” feel so good? A communication scientist explains
Flow occurs when a task’s challenge is balanced with one’s skill.
Can a duck ever be a rabbit? Wittgenstein and the philosophy of “aspect perception”
Most things in the world can be seen in surprisingly different ways.
Stendhal syndrome: Can beautiful art make you mentally ill?
People who visit Florence seem strangely susceptible to Stendhal syndrome, which is blamed on an overwhelming sense of awe.
Five of the most exciting telescope pictures of the universe
With a new telescope on the horizon, we reflect on the best pictures of space that came before.
Grammy winner explains why Adele is right – album tracks should not be shuffled
Just as storylines make sense only when you have the context of the beginning and the end, listeners need to understand the impetus for why the album was even made.
The subtle tricks artists can use to bridge the uncanny valley
The most technically impressive feats of animation often strike us as eerie instead of impressive, and it’s all thanks to the uncanny valley.
How Mariah Carey stole Christmas
The singer-songwriter distilled the essence of the holidays into a hit song, and for her efforts she was crowned the Queen of Christmas.
How John Berger’s “Ways of Seeing” changed the way we look at art
Released in 1972, "Ways of Seeing" has proven to be as worthy of study as the artistic traditions it investigates.
How scientists and artists resurrected the scents of extinct flowers
Using DNA from samples of extinct flowers, synthetic biologists managed to approximate long-lost floral scents.
How Nietzsche’s love for music influenced his philosophy
The German thinker wrote both treatises and songs. He approached each form of expression with the same level of interest.
Spirit photography captured love, loss, and longing
Haunting photographs depict the dead as "still with us."
Why Arthur Schopenhauer thought music was the greatest of all artforms
Music is often labelled a “universal language,” and according to the philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, there is a good reason for that.
Dante’s Inferno is far more popular than Paradise. What does that say about us?
In hell, we assume a position of moral superiority, looking down over the sinners and the poor decisions that led them to this wretched place. In heaven, Dante is looking down upon us.
A brief overview of the history of European portraiture
Portraiture is one of the most intimate genres in all of painting, and it has reinvented itself many times across European history.
The philosophy and magic of Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli
Studio Ghibli movies celebrate the natural world using a very Japanese mixture of Shinto, Buddhist, and Daoist themes.
Tatlin’s Tower and the untapped potential of early Soviet architecture
Bolsheviks planned to erect a towering monument to the socialist cause, but their quixotic ideas never got off the ground.
How Michelangelo’s David turned Renaissance Italy on its head
Although the statue’s political connotations faded over time, its eyes remain fixed on a key moment in Florentine history.
Optical illusion: Why Hans Holbein hid a creepy skull in “The Ambassadors”
The German artist painted death as it appeared in life – omnipresent and hidden in plain sight.
How computational biologists made proteins write classical music
Ever wondered what oxytocin receptor proteins sound like?
A team of computer scientists and musicologists have finally completed Beethoven’s unfinished 10th Symphony
Due to deteriorating health, all Beethoven left behind for his final symphony were some musical sketches.
Found: 200,000-year-old art made by children
In the perilous mountains of Tibet, archaeologists unearthed ancient hand and footprints that seem to be the creative work of children.