Best known as part of the influential vanguard of Impressionist artists that experimented with new painting techniques in the late 19th century, Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) was deeply inspired by classical traditions and returned again and agai...

Millennials have been incited to regard their parents' generation as entitled and selfish, and to blame the baby boomers of the Sixties for the cultural and economic problems of today. But is it true that young people have been victimized by their el...

The towering genius of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) has been celebrated – and remained undisputed – for hundreds of years. A groundbreaking, essential addition to scholarship, "Leonardo da Vinci Rediscovered" continues this legacy while simultaneous...

In this "personal encyclopedia of nature's seasons", lifetime naturalist Bruce Beehler reflects on his three decades of encountering nature in Washington, D.C. The author takes the reader on a year?long journey through the seasons as he describes the...

Contemporary artist Alicja Kwade (b. 1979) has received international acclaim for her minimalist, large-scale sculptures and installations intended to parse, but not resolve, various scientific and metaphysical conundrums. Kwade's site-specific insta...

Internationally renowned Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei (b. 1957) transformed over 300 sites across New York City into a compelling, ambitious public art exhibition concerned with the global refugee and migration crises. "Good Fences Make Good...

"Islamic art" can be a challenging term in an ever-changing art world. Through the exploration of a wide array of media – from painting, sculpture, and photography to video and multimedia – an internationally renowned group of scholars, collectors, a...

"Islamic art" can be a challenging term in an ever-changing art world. Through the exploration of a wide array of media – from painting, sculpture, and photography to video and multimedia – an internationally renowned group of scholars, collectors, a...

Although an elusive concept, "camp" can be found in most forms of artistic expression, revealing itself through an aesthetic of deliberate stylization. Fashion is one of the most overt and enduring conduits of the camp aesthetic. As a site for the pl...

A romantic description of the second law of thermodynamics is that the universe becomes increasingly disordered. But what does that actually mean? Starting with an overview of the three laws of thermodynamics, MacArthur "genius grant" winner R. Steph...