New Essays in Art History.

Close readings of paintings, artists, symbols, scandals, and strange details.

Feature EssayVan GoghSelf-Portraiture8 minute read

Van Gogh Wanted a Matching Set

The rivalry hidden inside an exchange of portraits, and how one earnest request turned into three self-portraits and a dedication that didn't survive the decade.

Feature EssaySymbolism8 minute read

The Deceitfulness of Riches: What Truly Makes Us Rich?

Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale's lavish garden scene asks whether beauty, abundance, and luxury can ever replace love.

More to Read

Feature EssaySelf-Portraiture

The Face He Never Stopped Practicing On

Rembrandt returned to his own face for forty years, not as vanity, but as discipline.

Feature EssayTurner

How Turner Faked a Ship’s Death to Write His Own Legacy

Turner did not simply paint a ship's final tow. He edited it into a eulogy.

Feature EssayPower Dressing

#OOTD: Absolute Monarchy Edition

Hyacinthe Rigaud's 1701 portrait of Louis XIV is the most influential power outfit in Western history.

"Academic enough to cite. Unhinged enough to send to the group chat."

Browse by Obsession.

Saints, scandals, color, patrons, monsters, wigs, fruit, lighting, revenge, tiny dogs.