THE MAGAZINE
The Real Story Behind John Singer Sargent’s “The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit”
Some paintings ask to be revisited, changing as we change. In this TWoA essay, Tamar Avishai explores John Singer Sargent’s The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit (1882), a portrait that quietly breaks the rules of representation. Drawing on modern realism and echoes of Diego Velázquez’s Las Meninas, the painting captures childhood not as display, but as lived experience—intimate, elusive, and hauntingly familiar.
How to Enjoy Art History by the Pool (or From Your Sofa)
Art history doesn’t have to be confined to lecture halls and libraries. In this TWoA lifestyle piece, Tamar Avishai offers easy, pleasurable ways to weave art into your summer—whether you’re poolside, travelling, or stretched out on the sofa. From novels and films to podcasts, museums, and even colouring books, this is art history at its most relaxed and inviting.
Reuniting with Nature: Yo-Yo Ma’s Birdsong
What happens when music listens back to nature? Yo-Yo Ma brings his cello into forests and open landscapes, creating a quiet dialogue between human sound and birdsong. From his Our Common Nature initiative to his collaboration with composer Anna Clyne, this piece explores how music can reconnect us—with the natural world and with one another.
The Art of Protest
Art has always been a substantial part of Sudanese culture. Discover the powerful impact of Sudanese art in telling stories, inspiring young people, and creating positive change!
Fancy a Visit to Paris Opera Ballet?
A Paris stage, streamed straight to your sofa. In this TWoA guide, Christina Ezrahi explores Signes, the cult ballet by Carolyn Carlson created for the Paris Opera Ballet. Revived in 2023, the work brings together abstract painting by Olivier Debré and music by René Aubry—a rare fusion of visual art, sound, and movement, broadcast live on Bastille Day.
Happy Birthday, Igor Stravinsky! Celebrating an Icon of Twentieth Century Music and Ballet
Think ballet, think modernism. In this TWoA birthday tribute, we revisit how Igor Stravinsky transformed twentieth-century music through ballet—from The Firebird and The Rite of Spring to his defining collaborations with George Balanchine. A story of scandal, innovation, and the birth of neoclassical ballet.
Hilma af Klint & Piet Mondrian: ‘Forms of Life’ at the Tate Modern, London
Two pioneers, one shared fascination with nature. In this TWoA exhibition review, Hilma af Klint and Piet Mondrian are seen in dialogue at Tate Modern’s Forms of Life—from early landscapes and spiritual inquiry to radical abstraction inspired by the living world.
Guest Artist: Caroline Williams, City & Guilds of London Art School
Returning to art after raising a family, Caroline Williams explores sculpture as intimacy, illusion, and transformation. In this TWoA Guest Artist feature, she reflects on plaster, colour, and figuration during her Foundation studies at City & Guilds of London Art School—from Miyazaki-inspired fantasy to unsettling realism.
In Conversation: Pianists and 2023 Cliburn Junior Competitors Saehyun Kim 김세현 (16) and Seokyoung Hong 홍석영 (15)
Ahead of the 2023 Cliburn Junior Competition, TWoA speaks with rising pianists Saehyun Kim and Seokyoung Hong about moving from Seoul to the US, artistic individuality, and finding freedom beyond competition.
Ask the Experts: Practice and Competition Advice from Pianists Seokyoung Hong 홍석영 (15) and Saehyun Kim 김세현 (16)
How much should you really practise? How do you stay calm on stage? In this TWoA expert guide, Cliburn Junior pianists Seokyoung Hong and Saehyun Kim share honest advice on competition pressure, mental practice, and trusting the music—cloud-gazing included.
Get Inspired: Raphael’s Sistine Madonna
What makes Raphael’s Sistine Madonna so enduring? From divine symbolism to its famous cherubs, this TWoA piece explores why the Renaissance masterpiece continues to inspire artists and audiences alike.
Keep Cool!
Stressed before exams or performances? Take a cue from West Side Story—and let Riff’s iconic “Cool” remind you how music and dance help us breathe, pause, and reset. A TWoA moment of calm.
Maria Callas: La Divina - The Divine
A century after her birth, Maria Callas still defines the word “diva.” A TWoA portrait of the voice, discipline, and vulnerability behind opera’s most enduring legend. Beyond the jewels and scandals, this is the story of an artist who changed how opera feels, sounds, and is remembered.
Guest Artist: Florence Penry-Jones, City & Guilds of London Art School
Inspired by music, memory, and emotion, Florence Penry-Jones transforms sound into colour and movement. A TWoA guest artist feature on painting as therapy, rhythm, and release.
Happy Birthday, Irina Kolpakova!
As she turns ninety, Irina Kolpakova remains one of ballet’s living treasures—an unbroken link to the imperial Russian tradition and a guiding force at American Ballet Theatre. Read on to learn more about her life and work.
Human Is: A New Reality of Science Fiction (Schinkel Pavillon, Berlin, 19 March – 23 July 2023)
What happens when artificial intelligence stops serving humanity—and starts replacing it? Human Is at Berlin’s Schinkel Pavillon plunges viewers into a dystopian, science-fiction future shaped by autonomous machines and post-human forms. Through unsettling sculpture, live simulations, and grotesque bodies, the exhibition explores fear, dehumanisation, and technological power gone rogue. Read on for more.
Give It to Me Straight: The Infinite Lines of Carmen Herrera
Straight lines are supposed to be practical—cold, rational, even dull—but Carmen Herrera spent a century proving otherwise. In this elegant meditation on hard-edge abstraction, Tamar Avishai explores how Herrera transformed the simplest of forms into fields of tension, emotion, and infinite depth. From vibrating triangles to horizons that pull the eye endlessly forward, Herrera’s work reveals how form itself can become meaning. Read on for more.
Christian Spuck and Giuseppe Verdi’s ‘Messa da Requiem’ at Staatsballett Berlin
Christian Spuck’s Messa da Requiem brings Giuseppe Verdi’s monumental score to the ballet stage in a stark, visually arresting production. Premiering at Staatsballett Berlin at a pivotal moment in Spuck’s career, the work confronts life, death, and collective ritual through massed bodies and choral force. At its best, music and movement fuse into a gripping total artwork; at its weakest, Verdi’s soaring score resists choreography altogether.
Hip Hop Meets Ballet: Dutch National Ballet and ISH Dance Collective Present Oscar Wilde’s “Dorian Gray”
What happens when classical ballet collides with hip hop culture? In Dorian, Dutch National Ballet and ISH Dance Collective reimagine Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray for an image-obsessed, social-media age. Through structured improvisation, live illustration, and sharply contrasting movement styles, the production pushes dancers—and audiences—far beyond their comfort zones. Read on for more.
Fake “Photography”? Boris Eldagsen and the Sony World Photography Awards 2023
When an AI-generated image won the 2023 Sony World Photography Awards, the artist behind it refused the prize. Boris Eldagsen revealed that The Electrician was not a photograph at all—but a work created using artificial intelligence. His decision ignited a global debate about authorship, truth, and the future of photography in the age of AI. Where do we draw the line between writing with light and writing with prompts?