THE MAGAZINE
Of Fields and Feelings: A Brief History of Landscape Art
For centuries, landscapes were mere backdrops—symbolic, sublime, or decorative. But in the nineteenth century, a revolution took place. Through the Barbizon School and the Impressionists, landscapes captured internal and external reality, sealing transitory beams of light, atmosphere, and sensation into eternity. Read the article to find out more.
Bites of Luxury: From the Renaissance to the Kardashians
In art, life, and social media, food does more than tempt: it signals status. TWoA looks at how lobsters, lemons, Erewhon smoothies, and untouched piles of fruit became a visual shorthand for luxury—and why this is a trend that keeps resurfacing. Read on.
Composing Abstract Expressionism: On Jazz and Jackson Pollock
Ever wondered how sight and sound collided in post-war America? The Abstract Expressionists—Jackson Pollock above all—absorbed the improvisational logic of jazz musicians. How, why, and when? Read on.
Sargent’s Madame X: The Portrait That Hurled Painter and Sitter into Scandal
John Singer Sargent’s Portrait of Madame X didn’t just scandalise the 1884 Paris Salon—it reshaped the possibilities of modern portraiture. Beyond capturing Paris’s infamous “it girl,” Virginie Gautreau, the painting exposed subtler tensions: artist versus sitter, authenticity versus artifice, ambition versus expectation. Read on to explore its reception and enduring cultural reach.
Helene Schjerfbeck: Painting the Soul
Why does Helene Schjerfbeck’s gaze feel like it looks straight through you? In this gripping TWoA exploration of Finland’s most enigmatic modernist, discover the stories behind her haunting self-portraits, her pioneering role in shaping Finnish art, and the quiet resilience that made her one of Europe’s most radical women painters. A must-read for anyone fascinated by modernism, identity, and the art of painting the soul.