Obelisk

A New History of Art

Natürlichekunst, or Natural Art

A few weeks ago I saw my first gongshí in person. Two hours into a rangy wander through the least popular rooms in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and my brain was collapsing. I’d gotten stuck in one those second floor balconies above the greek marbles, consumed by endless rows of uninspired cycladic pottery and votives to pedestrian gods. Read More

Feature

Alexandre Cabanel
—Creativity vs the Académie

From its subject matter and color scheme to the visibility of each brushstroke, Alexandre Cabanel's artwork was defined by the total authority of the Académie — but even under extreme constraint, creativity finds ways to express itself. Read More

Random Draw

Emperor Antoninus Pius
—Ancient Rome, 161 CE

Antoninus Pius is often referred to as one of the 'Five Good Emperors' of ancient Rome, so called for reigning during the Roman Empire's most powerful and influential period. Read More