The Great “What Even Is Reality?” Experiment. Imagine waking up one day in the late 1800s and deciding that everything everyone had been painting for the last 500 years was boring and wrong. That’s basically Modernism in a nutshell. This wasn’t just one art movement but a whole chaotic umbrella of revolutionary styles that said: … Read More
Let’s talk about when mental health becomes your medium, Yayoi Kusama, the 95-year-old Japanese artist who has been covering everything in polka dots literally since before your parents were born, and somehow became one of the most Instagrammed artists on the planet. Here’s the wild part: Kusama has voluntarily lived in a psychiatric institution since … Read More
Picture this… Speed, Violence, and Really Questionable Manifestos: it’s 1909, and a bunch of Italian artists are so obsessed with cars, trains, and industrialization that they literally write a manifesto declaring they want to destroy museums, libraries, and anything that smells remotely like the past. This is Futurism, the art movement that looked at the … Read More
Let’s talk about Peter Paul Rubens, the 17th-century Flemish painter who basically invented the concept of “doing too much” when flesh met canvas (everyone lost their minds) and made it look absolutely glorious. While other artists were carefully dabbing at their canvases, Rubens was running what can only be described as the Renaissance equivalent of … Read More
Let me tell you about the art movement that crashed the pop culture gallery party, then basically said “screw you” to the entire establishment, while clutching a hot rod magazine and a can of spray paint. Lowbrow art, also delightfully known as Pop Surrealism, emerged from the gritty streets of 1970s Los Angeles like a … Read More
If Minimalism is the responsible friend who alphabetizes their spartan record collection, Maximalism is the one who shows up with packed crates to listen while wearing sequins at 10 a.m. and says, “Let’s paint the ceiling gold.” But long before Pinterest boards and dopamine-decor TikToks, the Maximalism art movement was already hard at work proving … Read More
In a world obsessed with overstimulation, Alex Katz has mastered the art of chill. Born in 1927 (yes, he’s still painting), Katz has outlived art trends, critics, and most likely your favorite Instagram filter. While others chased complexity, Katz simplified. His art doesn’t scream for attention; it casually leans against the wall, looking good without … Read More
Before Instagram feeds were flooded with beige aesthetics and cactus flat lays, Georgia O’Keeffe was already out there in the New Mexico desert living it. She didn’t need filters or mood boards; the high priestess of desert drama and petal power was the aesthetic. Her clean lines, color harmony, and unapologetic independence made her the … Read More
If you’ve ever driven along Lake Michigan and wondered if a UFO landed in Wisconsin, rest easy, it’s just the Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM) flexing its architectural wings. Designed by Santiago Calatrava, the museum’s Burke Brise Soleil (that enormous kinetic “wing” roof that opens and closes daily) feels like a cross between a swan taking … Read More
An entertaining deep dive into the world of Symbolism and why it still hits hard in today’s art scene. What Even Is Symbolism? Let’s set the mood. Imagine a painting: a lone candle flickering beside a skull, a wilting rose resting near a book, a crow perched ominously in the corner. Spooky? Yes. Meaningful? Absolutely. … Read More