
Blue
Artists turn to the color blue to conjure depth, mood, and atmosphere. It recalls both the sky and the sea. But blue pigment was sometimes costly. Ultramarine blue was made from lapis lazuli, a semiprecious stone mined in what is now Afghanistan. For centuries of Western art, it was reserved solely for painting the Virgin Mary’s cloak.
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Interactive Article: Stories and Symbols in Jan van Eyck’s "The Annunciation"
The work is a triumph of early Northern Renaissance painting—and storytelling.

Video: Oddly Satisfying: Makeup Inspired by Vincent van Gogh
Watch a mesmerizing makeup transformation inspired by Vincent van Gogh's 1889 Self Portrait.

Article: 10 Contemporary Women Artists to Know
See their paintings, sculptures, installations, and more—all new additions to our collection.

Article: Poet Heid E. Erdrich Responds to a Portrait by Amedeo Modigliani
The educator, curator, interdisciplinary artist, and guest curator at the Mead Art Museum of Amherst College responds to Modigliani's "Roma Woman with Baby"

Article: The 19th-Century Blockbuster: Frederic Edwin Church’s “Niagara”
The American artist, skilled at both painting and publicity, created a sensation similar to the social media–famous exhibitions of today.

Article: Mary Cassatt Brings Girls and Women into the Museum
Author and art historian Katy Hessel on the impressionist's iconic painting.
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Seascapes
Artists have long been fascinated by the sea—whether for its serenity or for the interplay of light with turbulent waves. Painters like Willem van de Velde the Younger became known for marine scenes that show beaches or boats crossing rocky coasts.

Weather
From the serenity of a snowy scene to the gloom of a rainy day, artists capture the emotional effects of weather.