From the February/March 2018 Issue
Beauty in the Night
The “Night Clock” was designed by papal request. Once upon a time, there was a pope who couldn’t sleep… That could be the opening line of a story—a story about […]
From the October/November 2017 Issue
Mystical Symbolism
Outside the mainstream of spiritual art that was done in the service of conventional religions are works inspired by cults and esoteric philosophies. Art and religion go hand in hand. […]
From the October/November 2017 Issue
What Shines Within
Knife boxes were necessities for a well-appointed dining room. At Mount Vernon, George Washington’s Virginia estate, tours of the house begin in the elegant New Room. (Completed in 1787, it’s […]
From the August/September 2017 Issue
New Jersey Shore Impressionists
Jersey shore artists of the early 20th century took their cues from the French impressionists but added their own twists to the genre. Say “New Jersey shore” and images of […]
From the June/July 2017 Issue
Circus Sideshow
The Art of Amazement. By the time you read this, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will be no more. The owners announced earlier this year that in May, […]
From the April/May 2017 Issue
Sultanic Ceramics
Iznik pottery was an Ottoman Empire favorite. Sultan Suleiman I “the Magnificent” lived up to his name. During his reign, from 1520 to 1566, the ruler of the Ottoman Empire […]
From the April/May 2017 Issue
Healing Power
A cancer treatment center uses art to aid recovery. The idea that art can have a beneficial effect on health is not new. Authorities on the subject frequently quote Florence […]
From the February/March 2017 Issue
Horsey Set
South American equestrian silver was made to be noticed. The homes of wealthy landowners in 18th- and 19th-century colonial South America were not fancy. Instead, people showed off their wealth […]
From the February/March 2017 Issue
The Paradox of Wildlife Art
Idyllic depictions at odds with an ongoing tragedy. There are really two art worlds nowadays. There is the world of … well, what do you call today’s avant garde? Call […]