THE MAGAZINE
Artful Anchovies: The Art History Behind the Tinned Fish Revival
Canned seafood has transformed from cheap staple to a vibrant luxury that is quickly becoming a bespoke influence on the culinary and aesthetic world. There is another element that has been snatching the attention of small businesses, social media users, and consumers: the artwork that the fish comes wrapped in.
The Wall of Memory: The Lost Ukrainian Monument
Almost forty years ago, in 1986, the Soviet authorities destroyed the largest work of art in Europe, The Wall of Memory. The Ukrainian artists Ada Rybachuk and Volodymyr Melnychenko had spent thirteen years constructing the monument in Kyiv, just to find it forbidden by the Soviet authorities. Today, the AVRM foundation is still working for its restoration, against the backdrop of the war that started on 22 February 2022 with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
From London with Love: The Thursday Gallery Crawl
When it comes to art and culture, there’s hardly a city as hecticly eclectic as London. In this exclusive letter, TWoA spills the tea on all the going-ons in the London art scene, giving you insider information into the British art world, its peoples, and its dramas.
Reclaiming Venus: How We Misunderstand Beauty
The rise of imperfection as a new aesthetic challenges Renaissance ideals, but Botticelli’s Venus reminds us that beauty is more than skin deep—it’s a gateway to the divine. To find out why, read this article and discover how her beauty is just as moral and philosophical as it is physical.
Life in La Jolla: Three 20th-Century Modern Architectural Masterpieces
Los Angeles is experiencing a tragic series of wildfires. California houses multiple biospheres as well as the San Andreas fault, leaving the state prone to natural disasters such as wildfires, earthquakes, and tsunamis. Roughly 200 kilometers south of LA, various 20th-century architectural structures line La Jolla’s rugged coastline. Although they are not located in a fire risk zone, these structures must withstand earthquakes, tidal waves and erosion, and could be affected by tsunamis.
The Wicked Witch of Art History
In the recently released Wicked film, Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, belts out, “As someone told me lately: Everyone deserves a chance to fly!” But when it comes to witches in art history, not everyone shared this sentiment.
Disease, Death, and Disaster: Andy Warhol’s Hidden Legacy
The price of stardom? For Warhol, it meant obscuring his experiences with disease and disaster.
New Year’s Inspiration: Leon Bakst
With winter in full swing, add extra vibrancy to New Year’s eve with some beautiful pieces of art. Let us celebrate the life and art of Leon Bakst, a multifaceted master famous for innovative theatrical designs.
Into the Woods: Feeling the Benefits of Forest Bathing in Art
In our modern urban (and increasingly technological) lives, it is all too easy to feel overwhelmed. Wellbeing gurus suggest getting out, feeling our feet in the dirt, and bathing in the vibrations of nature. But a trip to the woods is not always feasible. So how about we try a form of forest bathing at home? Through art perhaps.
Finnish Folklore and Legends: How Art Helped Shape Finnish Identity
To understand Finnish art and the development of the Finnish style, one must first understand the history of Finland. Traditional Finnish Art found its roots in the need to develop a Finnish identity and detach the country from the control historically exerted by either Sweden or Russia. The illustrated Kalevala is a particularly important work because of its major role in developing Finnish art and Finnish national identity .
The Dazzling Spectacle of Frieze: Through the Eyes of an Intern
Ever wondered what it’s like to work at London’s buzzing and fashionable Frieze Art Fair ? Find out from Georgia Dougherty, currently a student at The Courtauld Institute of Art, London. Georgia attended Frieze Masters as an intern with James Cohan Gallery, a contemporary art gallery based in New York.
Marina Abramović and the Art of Being Present
What does it mean for an artist to become the artwork itself? In her 2010 performance entitled The Artist is Present, Marina Abramović spent three months sitting on a simple wooden chair in New York’s Museum of Modern Art, inviting audience members to sit across from her. Participants were required to follow three simple rules: remain silent, maintain eye contact, and avoid physical contact.
How a Vogue Fashion Model Turned into a War Correspondent: Lee Miller’s Legacy
When you think of models for fashion magazines like Vogue, you may not immediately imagine them as also being a major war correspondent. For Lee Miller, however, this reality was her living truth.
Reckoning with Colonial Art: Yinka Shonibare's Mr. and Mrs. Andrews Without Their Heads
Thomas Gainsborough’s iconic Mr and Mrs Andrews depicts a serene countryside scene as the happy couple sits in front of their expansive estate. Now imagine these figures had no heads. Yinka Shonibare’s Mr and Mrs Andrews without their Heads (1998) transforms this tranquil scene into a radical critique of colonialism.
Guest Artist: Emma Cormier Simola, Student, Courtauld Institute of Art, London
Guest artist Emma Cormier Simola is a French–Finnish artist currently studying Art History at the Courtauld Institute of Arts in London. She is passionate about gender inequalities and the political role of art.
Silent Stories: The Language of Style from the Old Masters to Bridgerton
To understand art (or Bridgerton!), you may as well start with the clothing. From the Old Masters to the TV screen, style reveals unspoken stories, offering a peek into characters’ interiority.
Guest Artist: Joseph Cornelius, 18, Courtauld Institute of Art, London
Dive into the magic world of illustrations with guest artist Joseph Cornelius, 18, Courtauld Institute of Art, London.
The Art of Pouring Milk
One of Johannes Vermeer’s pioneering works is The Milkmaid (c. 1660), at first glance a simple image of a housemaid pouring milk.
Carry That Weight: Yoko Ono’s “Cut Piece,” Womanhood, and Power
Quick: what is the first, and maybe only fact you know about Yoko Ono? Almost everyone thinks of her as the groupie girlfriend who broke up the Beatles. Instead, let’s focus on what she really did do, and maybe in doing so, make her rightly famous for her transformative and powerful art.
“Sleeping Beauties:” Reawakening Fashion, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s fashion exhibition “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” wants to enable museum goers to have a full sensory experience of the fashions of the past. And yes: this includes trying to recapture the scent left behind by the items’ former owners.