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Painting Techniques

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Artemisia Gentileschi: Judith Slaying Holofernes and the Physics of Baroque Revenge
Artemisia Gentileschi: Judith Slaying Holofernes and the Physics of Baroque Revenge
In 1620, Artemisia Gentileschi completed her masterpiece Judith Slaying Holofernes, turning raw personal trauma into one of Baroque art's most formidable visual statements. Painted eight years after surviving a brutal... Read more...
How an Art Forger Escaped the Death Penalty by Painting a "Vermeer" in Prison
How an Art Forger Escaped the Death Penalty by Painting a "Vermeer" in Prison
In May 1945, Allied military investigators in Amsterdam arrested a 56-year-old Dutch painter named Han van Meegeren for high treason. The charge: selling a 17th-century masterpiece by Johannes Vermeer, Christ... Read more...
How Ghana’s Hand-Painted Movie Posters Built a Folk Art Revolution
How Ghana’s Hand-Painted Movie Posters Built a Folk Art Revolution
Sitting on a shaded porch in Teshie, near Accra, the artist Heavy J dips his brush into crimson oil paint. He dabs a fresh layer of blood onto a knife... Read more...
How Enid Marx Turned Daily Commutes Into Art History (And Why Block-Printed Patterns Work So Well on Your Wall)
How Enid Marx Turned Daily Commutes Into Art History (And Why Block-Printed Patterns Work So Well on Your Wall)
Most people treat geometric pattern as background filler: a safe, repetitive design meant to cover up drywall without starting an argument. Enid Marx proved that pattern is piece of precision... Read more...
Rembrandt's Night Watch Is Darker and Smaller Than He Made It
Rembrandt's Night Watch Is Darker and Smaller Than He Made It
In 1715, a few Amsterdam officials looked at Rembrandt's biggest oil painting and decided it didn't fit the wall they had in mind. So they cut it down. A workman... Read more...
Leonardo's 25-year fight over a painting he'd already abandoned
Leonardo's 25-year fight over a painting he'd already abandoned
Leonardo da Vinci is probably the most famous artist in history. He's also one of the worst at finishing what he started. The story of The Virgin of the Rocks... Read more...
Still Life with Meadow Flowers and Roses: Vincent van Gogh's Hidden Wrestlers
Still Life with Meadow Flowers and Roses: Vincent van Gogh's Hidden Wrestlers
In January 1886, Vincent van Gogh was shivering in Antwerp, struggling to pay for coal while surviving on bread and coffee. He had enrolled at the local art academy to... Read more...
The Hidden Portrait Beneath Van Gogh’s Patch of Grass
The Hidden Portrait Beneath Van Gogh’s Patch of Grass
In July 2008, scientists in Hamburg, Germany, fired a high-energy particle accelerator at a small, dark oil painting of a field of grass. The painting, Patch of Grass (originally titled... Read more...
The painting that hides a skull in plain sight
The painting that hides a skull in plain sight
Room 4 of London's National Gallery holds a portrait that stops people mid-step. Two men in expensive clothes stand beside a table loaded with globes, sundials, and a lute. The... Read more...
Why Ukiyo-e Woodblock Prints Are the Ultimate Modern Wall Art
Why Ukiyo-e Woodblock Prints Are the Ultimate Modern Wall Art
In 1853, Japanese ports opened to the West, and a flood of packing materials hit Europe. But the European artists weren't looking at the porcelain inside the crates. They were... Read more...
The Power of Density: Why Complex Wall Art Outlasts Spectacle
The Power of Density: Why Complex Wall Art Outlasts Spectacle
Most people stand in the center of the room to judge if a piece of art is working. They step back, cross their arms, and ask themselves if the colors... Read more...
What Is Airbrush Art? The Technique Behind the Trend
What Is Airbrush Art? The Technique Behind the Trend
You've seen them taking over Pinterest boards and interior design magazines. Those bold, colorful prints with perfectly smooth color transitions that look almost too flawless to be painted by hand.... Read more...
Alla Prima vs Impasto: Two Painting Techniques That Changed Art Forever
Alla Prima vs Impasto: Two Painting Techniques That Changed Art Forever
You're standing in a museum, staring at a Van Gogh landscape. The paint is so thick you can see the actual ridges of his brushstrokes catching the light. Next to... Read more...