videos + essays
Screen with the Siege of Belgrade and Hunting Scene (or Brooklyn Biombo)
Japanese objects came through Mexico on their way to Spain, and had a lasting impact on the arts of the Americas.
Baron Antoine-Jean Gros, Napoleon Bonaparte Visiting the Pest House in Jaffa
Napoleon masterfully manipulated his image, and this painting meant for Parisian audiences is pure propaganda.
Alexander Mosaic from the House of the Faun, Pompeii
Sources tell us that painting was the Greek’s finest art form: is this a hint at what we’re missing?
Ibrahim El-Salahi, Reborn Sounds of Childhood Dreams
How would you paint a picture of something that’s not quite representable… like the sound of voices chanting, a spiritual vision, a childhood memory, or a dream that you can’t remember?
The Art of Conquest in England and Normandy
1066—William the Conqueror crossed the sea, invaded England, and became king. Language and art changed forever.
Biombo with the Conquest of Mexico and View of Mexico City
This screen offers an idealized bird’s eye view of Mexico City on one side, and depicts the Conquest on the other.
Night Attack on the Sanjô Palace
Complete mayhem! The violent scenes of this remarkable handscroll meld grisly horror with morbid humor.
Richard Caton Woodville, War News from Mexico
Painted for a divided US, people from North and South could identify with this image—others remain marginalized.
Paolo Uccello, Battle of San Romano
The Italian city-states were constantly at war, but this battle is between surface decoration and deep space.
Albrecht Altdorfer, The Battle of Issus
Time collapses in this ambitious painting. As the Greeks battle the Persians, the West fends off the Ottoman East.
Cassone with the Conquest of Trebizond
On this marriage chest, domestic duties meet political concerns as Florence casts a wary eye on a changing East.
Eugène Delacroix, Liberty Leading the People
Bare-breasted with a bayonet? Liberty leads a revolution that won’t be televised but will be seen in the Paris Salon.
