GREAT BARRINGTON — The earliest recorded still life paintings date back more than two millennia and are referred to as Xenia, a Greek word meaning a specific kind of generous hospitality extended ...

The time-honored tradition of still life painting has proven a cornerstone of art history, offering unparalleled insight both into an artist’s technique and style as well as a glimpse into the ...

Even during the sixteenth century, when the Holy Roman Emperor resided in Spain and made that country the greatest power of the earth, Spain could never aspire to cultural hegemony over the rival ...

Consider the Mediterranean monk seal. The mammal has been prized on the Italian peninsula since ancient times, hunted for its meat, fur, oil, and medicinal properties—so much so that by the 16th ...

“Tea at Smith,” watercolor, by Nava Grunfeld. The title of Grunfeld’s exhibit, “Lit From Within,” comes from her technique for painting still lifes, which involves a process of layering transparent ...

Purchase this and other timeless New Criterion essays in our hard-copy reprint series. In terms of public reception in his day, he might have done better to paint even more still lifes. In terms of ...

In conversation with Observer, the artist opens up about the rituals, recipes and personal history behind her quietly radical paintings of food.

“You’re not allowed to lick paintings in museums, which is cruel when you’re faced with something as mouthwateringly tempting as Wayne Thiebaud’s art,” said Eddy Frankel in The Guardian. The American ...

All classic cocktails owe their longevity to stories that amplify their intoxicating appeal, often rooted in multiple claims of origin and ownership that evoke mystery and mastery. A well-balanced ...