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Albrecht Dürer Bewitched
Albrecht Dürer's witch engravings seem to be emblematic of the European witch trials. But could they be about something else entirely?
Sep 10
•
Nicole Miras
27
9
August 2025
Watching "The Gilded Age"? Behind the Real Artist Who Paints Gladys's Portrait
John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) was high society's favorite portrait artist. But his oeuvre comes with a few surprises.
Aug 28
•
Nicole Miras
51
13
Tambora and the American Frontier
In the final essay in our series "The Year Without a Summer," we'll examine how Tambora's eruption motivated westward expansion of the United States.
Aug 27
•
Nicole Miras
3
How a Volcano Gave Us the Bicycle
From the invention of the "running machine," to the birth of meteorology, let's examine a few bright spots that appeared after Tambora's tragic…
Aug 20
•
Nicole Miras
13
Frankenstein, Yunnan, and the Opium Trade
The Year Without a Summer inspired authors from England to Southwestern China. But horrific famines would also compel farmers to turn to a lucrative…
Aug 17
•
Nicole Miras
8
Van Gogh's "Starry Night" Up Close
"Just as we take the train to get to Tarascon or Rouen, we take death to reach a star."
Aug 13
•
Nicole Miras
70
11
The Year Without a Summer
Mount Tambora's 1815 eruption was the largest volcanic event in recorded history, with broad implications for the global climate, agriculture, the arts…
Aug 10
•
Nicole Miras
16
6
The Most Hated Artists in the World?
Nothing divides museum-goers like Abstract Expressionists. How did they become a global phenomenon, and what did the CIA have to do with it?
Aug 7
•
Nicole Miras
77
24
Crossroads Roundup: Ed Sheeran's Painting Career, Extraordinary Maya Burial, and Egypt's First Ruler
This month's news in art, archaeology, culture, and more.
Aug 1
•
Nicole Miras
27
1
July 2025
The Alchemist Who Broke China's Porcelain Monopoly
Johann Friedrich Böttger made the terrible mistake of promising a king that he could turn base metals into gold. When life hands you lemons, make…
Jul 31
•
Nicole Miras
32
Last Call at the Café: Manet's Final Years
In the last installment of our series, we examine Édouard Manet's work at the end of his life.
Jul 29
•
Nicole Miras
24
A "War on Beauty": Manet and the Impressionists
Manet refused to participate in the First Impressionist Exhibition. Nevertheless, his name was inexorably tied to the Impressionists and their radical…
Jul 24
•
Nicole Miras
12
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