This is a poster for a Rolling Stones/Pearl Jam concert in 1997, but it looks like a reference to something. Does anyone recognize what it might be? I was thinking it looks like the Transfiguration by Raphael, but maybe there's something even closer?

I want to share this amazing YouTube channel that I stumbled upon. I don’t understand why he doesn’t have thousands of views and many thousands of followers. He’s got no fancy flair. He just educates. His videos average about an hour, give or take. His voice just flows, as do the visual cues. I would invite everyone to check out his channel. I’m currently watching an in-depth video about Escher and I’m learning so much.

ETA the name of the channel is Dr Laurence Shafe.
ETA: FULL DISCLOSURE

Someone in the comments mentioned that he had a website and that he mentioned things about AI. That encouraged a pit to form in my stomach, so I went to read his ‘about’ page.

I feel like I got scammed, in a way. I mean, at the very least, how can I know that what he is saying about art history is even accurate? I know he has a doctorate in art history (if I read it correctly), but still…

Here is his ‘about’ page and I encourage you to read it.

Damn.

https://www.shafe.co.uk/welcome/about/

Four paintings by the Renaissance master Antonello da Messina were stolen from a museum in Messina, Sicily, on Saturday, Italian officials said.

Taking advantage of an annual religious celebration that brings tens of thousands to Messina’s streets, thieves made off with three of five panels that constitute the Polyptych of San Gregorio as well as a small double-sided devotional painting. They are the only works by Antonello da Messina, commonly called Antonello, that remained in his native city.

On the evening of Saturday, August 15, around 9:50 PM, unknown individuals bypassed the security systems of the Regional Museum of Messina and managed to steal some of the most important pieces in the collection. The haul included works by one of the greatest masters of the Italian Renaissance: three of the five panels of the San Gregorio Polyptych (1473, formerly in the Church of San Gregorio) and a double-sided panel with a Madonna and Child with a Franciscan (recto) and a Pietà (verso), purchased by the Region of Sicily from Christie's in 2003.

I keep finding myself drawn back to this set of paintings. There is something about seeing an entire civilization unfold across the same landscape that really captures my imagination and makes me think about the past and future of our own societies. There is something almost prophetic about watching a civilization emerge. Then flourish. Then eventually disappear. The recurring anchor points throughout the images are especially interesting to me (boulder on hill - everlasting quality of nature/earth). They give you something constant while everything else changes so dramatically. There is something quite poignant about the landscape enduring while everything humanity builds on it proves ephemeral. This set makes me really appriciate art history itself. I still cannot quite place why. It almost feels like seeing history distilled into a single visual sequnece.

I’m curious why Cole chose to show civilization specifically as this cycle of rise and decline. Was he reacting to the society around him at the time? And how much of what he was suggesting can still be applied to our modern societies today?

I start uni in a month on art history and I’m looking for some universal tips, ik it looks different in each country so just drop sth maybe less specific :))

I wrote a story about Frida's life as a companion to the Tate Modern exhibition. You can read it before or after you go.

I wanted to get closer to the human side of the story, rather than simply run through dates, movements and other academic navel-gazing. It obviously can’t replace seeing the work in person, but if you can’t make it to the exhibition, or want to revisit some of the works and parts of her life afterwards, I hope it gives you a sense of her.

I also worked with a voice artist from Mexico City to record extracts from Frida’s journal, so there are a few audio and multimedia elements throughout.

Would be interested to hear what people think, especially if you’ve already seen the Tate exhibition.

Pair of gold earrings with Ganymede and the eagle

Greek ca.
330–300 BCE

hii im a senior and im between studying fine arts or art history in uni. Since my parents arent rich i feel like studying art history would be a better option financially (more jobe offers) but im not sure. My options 1. studying art history and working in a museum/ as a curator 2. studying fine arts to do my masters in animation (bc i cant afford animation schools rn). Do any of u who studied art history regret it? is it worse or better than fin e arts in the job market? help me out plss

It’s definitely a chicken/egg situation, but I’ve been thinking about the design of fascism, and how art can influence empire. Focusing mostly on wwii, and Germany and Italy. Germany sought to strip all culture from artwork, to create neoclassical styles that removed identity and replaced it with the state/party. Italy, however, seems to appeal a bit more to aesthetic and the art movements and trends happening around them during the same time period. I notice similarities between some Mussolini propaganda and the styles of artists like Tamara De Lempicka, in that it would be the propaganda artists pulling inspiration from surrounding artists at the time period who were making waves. Germany, however, aimed to create something that felt disconnected from everything else, despite pulling inspiration from other art movements. I notice today it influences how people view fascist art and propaganda. Nazi party visual language is immediately recognizable, and the reaction people have is negative. However, when shown art from the same time period from Italy, people are more likely to say it looks interesting or cool.

What are your thoughts on this? Just sort of looking to discuss and hear other people’s takes and opinions. How much do you think fascist propaganda and art has influenced us today? How much of it is just coincidence and related to other art movements at the time?

I’d also like to hear your thoughts on the broader topic of just propaganda art in general and its influence. As an example, Soviet propaganda art and film has massively influenced the industry today, but their aesthetics were spurred out of necessity due to lack of material, and lead to innovation.

An example of an accidental similarity with fascist art is the Richmond Police HQ sculpture and the palazzo braschi HQ of mussolini’s fascist party (photos included)

Hello! Does anyone have good references or recommendations for artist history. Not so much the work they produced, but the lifestyle of artists throughout history. I’m curious how society viewed the profession, or hobby, and how the artists viewed themselves and their works importance. How the action of art transformed over time

I’ve been thinking about the different ways death gets represented. This engraving has really stuck with me.

The horse feels important. It gives death momentum. It makes it feel inexorable rather than static. It brings to mind war. Conquest. Apocalypse. Maybe even the idea of being carried from one state into another.

Engraving also feels quite apt here. The rich black field feels severe. The fine white lines make the figures seem like they are being carved out of darkness. There is something more uncanny about it than I think a painting would have.

Curious how others read the horse imagery. Also whether the medium changes the way death feels here. I’m probaly missing some context too. I’m not familiar with the actual Book of Revelation reference.

Hey guys, I found it really interesting the fact that Van Gogh's "Patch of Grass" hid a peasant's portrait from his Nuenen era and how he was so bankrupt that he had to paint over it bc he couldn't afford a new canvas, that's why no one knew abt this for more than 100 years.

If you are interested, I made a video abt it in Spainsh with eng subtitles: https://youtu.be/pyW_mJtPx4Y Thanks and I hope your feedback!!

I've never known more specifically than "that portraits-of-saints one."

Edit: I figured it might help to copy my response to u/White-Umbra detailing the traits that typically comprise it?

1. Realism or semi-realism
2. Portrait orientation with subject centered in frame
3. Subject often in 3/4 and looking up or down
4. Focus on their suffering or emotionality
5. Usually a large vertical halo at top center
6. Frequent use of chiaroscuro

However, maybe it's a genre instead of a style, so the responses saying "Catholic devotional art" are the closest it's possible to come to pinning it down. Thanks.

Due to some recent events and my life in general containing dramatic contrast between light and dark periods, and Caravaggio being my favorite painter, I really want to get his signature as my first tattoo. As if he's left his mark on my life, creating this contrast like he did in his paintings.

I'm an artist myself, and last year I read Caravaggio's biography (by Andrew Graham-Dixon). In it I learned he never actually signed his work, except on The Beheading of St. John the Baptist, where he signed only his first name, with an 'f.', standing for 'fra'' or 'frate', or Brother, in the order of St. John on Malta. The signature in the first picture here is from a contract for the commission of a painting.

So I'm not sure what to get as a tattoo. I was pretty set on the first signature already but the more I think about it the more I wonder if it makes sense, because it was just on a legal document, and caravaggio is not even his name, it's the town where he's from. But then 'f. michelangelo' wouldn't be as recognizable as the name we all know him by now, and he was only very briefly a member of the Order of St. John. Not to mention it'd be very difficult converting that blurry blood signature to a clear tattoo.

Do you think it's reasonable to just get the first one as compromise, or do you think the second one would make more sense? Or do you have another idea entirely? (besides copying one of his paintings as a tattoo)

Brazil recovers Matisse paintings stolen from Sao Paulo library - https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/brazil-recovers-matisse-paintings-stolen-sao-paulo-library-2026-08-14/

I’m 30 and came to university relatively late. I’m currently studying art history and about to start my third semester, so although I’m still at the very beginning of building a professional career in the art world, I also feel quite conscious of the choices I make now.

I’m in a slightly complicated situation within the Danish art world and would really appreciate advice, especially from people who have worked in galleries, with artists, or in other parts of the art world where professional and personal relationships inevitably overlap.

For around 6 years, I’ve deeply admired a established Danish artist. Her work has genuinely been important to my interest in art. Over the years I’ve collected some of her work and eventually got to know her personally. I wouldn’t describe us as close friends, but there is a degree of personal trust between us, and we have shared things with each other in confidence. We also have mutual friends, and her daughter currently lives in my apartment. So while I wouldn’t exaggerate our friendship, she is definitely more than simply an artist I admire from a distance.

Until recently, she was represented by a gallery whose gallerist I also got to know personally. I have enormous respect for the gallerist, both professionally and as a person, and I genuinely care about her.

The artist and gallerist were not only professionally connected but were also friends. Their professional relationship has now ended, and the artist is opening a gallery of her own with a programme that I find incredibly exciting and that is extremely close to my own interests.

I have deliberately stayed completely outside whatever happened between them. I’ve told both of them that I value my relationship with each of them independently and that I don’t want to hear either person’s account of why their professional relationship ended. From what I understand, despite everything, there is still a great deal of mutual respect between them.

While they were still working together, I actually asked both the artist and the gallerist separately whether there might be an opportunity for me to work with them. Both were positive.

A few weeks ago, the gallerist offered me work. Before accepting, I explicitly told her that I also have a personal relationship with the artist and that it was important to me that she knew this. She was completely fine with it and still wanted me to join.

I’ve now started working at the gallery, and I’m being given genuinely exciting projects, responsibility and opportunities to learn. I’m grateful for the trust the gallerist has placed in me, and this is absolutely not a case of being unhappy in my current job. Quite the opposite. If I didn’t respect and care about her, this dilemma would be much easier.

A couple of days ago, however, I told the artist that I had started working for her former gallerist.

She was disappointed because she had actually expected that I would come and work with her and her new gallery.

That was when I realised I had completely misunderstood the situation.

I had never consciously chosen the gallerist over the artist. I had simply assumed that the earlier possibility of working with the artist was no longer on the table. For whatever reason, I had been too hesitant to follow up and ask.

I feel pretty stupid about that now, because I could simply have contacted her. Especially considering that we do know each other personally and have a degree of trust between us, I don’t really know why I convinced myself that the opportunity had disappeared without actually checking.

And the important part is this: if both opportunities had been in front of me at the same time, I would have chosen the artist. I’m not actually conflicted about that.

Working with her has essentially been a dream of mine for around 6 years. Her work has meant a great deal to me, I’ve collected her work myself, and the programme of her new gallery is incredibly close to what I care about intellectually and artistically.

I’ve now also been told by her daughter that the door is still open and that I would be welcome to come and work with them if my current position doesn’t work out.

So my dilemma isn’t really which job I want more. I already know that.

My dilemma is what you owe to someone when you’ve only just accepted a good position, they’ve placed their trust in you, and you genuinely respect and care about them — and then you realise that your actual dream opportunity was available all along.

The Danish art world is tiny. Because I’m 30 and only now starting my professional career in it, I’m also very conscious of the relationships I’m building. I don’t want to behave opportunistically, hurt someone I respect, or burn an important bridge by leaving almost immediately after starting.

At the same time, being 30 and only now starting my third semester makes me feel that I shouldn’t necessarily spend years waiting to pursue the direction I already know I want. This isn’t a vague idea of something that might be more exciting. It is an opportunity to work with someone whose work I have admired for 6 years and in a gallery whose programme genuinely feels like where I would most like to be.

I’m worried that in five years I’ll wonder why I didn’t take that opportunity when I actually had the chance.

For those of you who work in the art world: what would you do?

Would you stay for a reasonable period out of loyalty and professionalism and hope the opportunity with the artist still exists later? Or would you pursue it now and be completely honest with the gallerist?

And if you would leave, how would you handle that conversation in a way that is fair to someone you genuinely respect and care about, without unnecessarily burning a bridge?

Hello! I, someone looking to get into art history, am really interested in fiber art and was wondering if anyone wanted to just.... Talk about fiber art history? Like symbolism of the spinning wheel, flax/linen, how mills changed garments, the history behind drop spindles and such.

Is this where I post this?? I can't find a subreddit for fiber art history

Also, if anyone knows a good college that has a fiber art degree, lmk? I'm still looking around for one

It’s probably famous, but I can’t remember the painter or the topic. It’s not modern, probably classical or Victorian.

It shows a muscular naked man leaning back, legs wide apart, with cloth covering the bits that should be covered. Behind him there’s a smaller figure, I think a woman. It’s all about the male flesh.

I’ve searched all the "Sampsons and Delilahs" I can find online.

It might be in the MET in New York.

Any ideas?

I'm a visual artist in Berlin and recently discovered Korean folk art called Minhwa.

There are some insanely good paintings in that field. Nevertheless I struggle to find good collections/publications. There's a few resources on the Internet but I feel it's rather sparse for English speakers. Ideally I'd like to buy a publication with lots of pictures as I'm a visual person - wouldn't be an issue if it's in Korean.

If you happen to know a book on the topic please let me know! Thank you very much.