Schools and Periods

Drawing is the first gesture. It is what a child does as soon as they pick up a pencil, what an artist does to give shape to an idea, what each of us has done at least once without even thinking about it. However, drawing is not just a tool for designing or “sketching”; it […]

Have you ever tried writing without stopping, without thinking, without rereading? Just paper, pen, and an uninterrupted flow that flows from your fingers as if it came from a mysterious place? Welcome to the magical (and slightly crazy) world of automatic writing, one of the most fascinating practices born out of surrealism. Today, we find […]

Have you ever tried scraping paint off a surface just to see what’s underneath? Not by mistake, not to fix something… but as a creative gesture? If the answer is no, get ready to change your mind. In this post, I’ll explain grattage, a fascinating, rebellious, and somewhat wild technique that marked surrealism and continues […]

Have you ever placed a sheet of paper on a coin and rubbed a pencil over it just to see what would appear? Well, without knowing it, you were already doing frottage. It’s not magic, but it’s close. Because frottage is one of those techniques that seem to have been created for fun, but which, […]

Have you ever wondered how the world changes when it is seen through the eyes of a woman? Images have the power to document, denounce and move us. But when they are taken by women, and the subjects are women, the shot becomes revolutionary. This is the beating heart of the work of the Magnum […]

Have you ever walked inside a Gothic cathedral at sunset, when the light filters through the stained glass windows and you feel catapulted into a world of flying saints, dragons and angels with rainbow feathers? Well, if Gothic were a playlist, it would be a mix of epicness, mysticism and… colour at full volume! In […]

Have you ever wondered who is behind the planetary success of artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein or Jasper Johns? The answer is a name that has become a legend in the contemporary art world: Leo Castelli. If today Pop Art, Minimalism and Conceptualism are recognised globally, it is largely thanks to him. Castelli […]

What does it take to make a lasting mark in the art world? Vision, courage and, above all, a love of the unpredictable. Here, Ileana Sonnabend had all this. Whenever I think of her, I imagine a woman with a keen eye, capable of seeing what others missed. She was not just a collector or […]

Palaeolithic art, the first chapter of human creativity: from cave paintings to engravings, a journey into the essence of art and primitive life. When we think of art, we imagine famous paintings like the Lady with an Ermine or monumental sculptures like the Nike of Samothrace. However, the first traces of human creativity date back […]

A symbol of an idea of what a Renaissance city should be, the famous image of the ‘Ideal City’, painted by an unknown artist between 1480 and 1490, at the court of Federico da Montefeltro, is a work that boasts two alternative versions, painted by other unknown authors or perhaps by the author himself. This […]

Between the mid 15th century and the early 16th century, Italy witnessed the blossoming of a unique relationship between lords and artists that would profoundly mark the Renaissance. In this period of intense creativity and innovation, patrons were not mere patrons, but real cultural promoters who shaped cities as stages for their artistic and political […]

Imagine you are standing in front of a work of art, your gaze crosses that of the character being portrayed and in an instant the distance between you and the work vanishes. This powerful link between viewer and represented subject is an illusion masterfully orchestrated by artists over the centuries. From Renaissance works to contemporary […]

The Renaissance is that period in Western history, culture, politics and art, which runs from the end of the 14th century to the middle of the 16th century. It is a period characterised by a climate of rebirth of Italian art and change, which sees the new urban society gain a freer conception of life […]

The use of domes to cover religious or secular buildings not only has ancient origins, but its widespread use has been very successful in both East and West. The structure of the dome is a metaphor for the vault of heaven, a symbolic gateway between the earthly world and the divine world. The decoration of […]

Looking at artworks created during the fascist regime, I have often found myself pondering how fascism influenced the figurative culture of that particular historical period and what was the relationship between art and fascism. So how did the complex system of art develop during the 20-year fascist period and how did artists give voice to […]

I have always wondered how historical events, especially the most tragic ones, deeply influence art. Of course, every time I try to give myself an answer, I am amazed by the strength with which art reacts to the tragic nature of life, and in this post I want to share with you information about an […]

Are you familiar with Dadaism and have you wondered what exactly it represents in the vast universe of art? This movement, which emerged in the early decades of the twentieth century, radically transformed the perception of art and the role of the artist, laying the foundation for the advent of later currents such as Surrealism. […]

Have you ever heard of Neoplasticism? This term, which may not be as immediately recognizable as other art movements, represents a fundamental turning point in art history.Neoplasticism, also known as De Stijl, is a movement that influenced not only painting, but also architecture and literature, helping to redefine the way we see and understand art. […]

Have you ever thought about how art can transcend traditional sculptural canvases to become a deeper and more personal expression? In the art world, one form that stands out for its emotional and physical intensity is Body Art. Here is what is the history of Body Art, the meanings and manifestations of this fascinating art […]

Have you ever wondered what makes Action Painting so unique and revolutionary? This art form, also known as action painting, represents a real challenge to traditional art conventions. Originating in the 1940s and 1960s, Action Painting is closely related to abstract expressionism. That is why it is essential to understand this style first in order […]