This past Sunday marked the 203rd anniversary of Samuel Palmer's birth. The British Romantic painter had visionary experiences as a child, which influenced his works. "In a Shoreham Garden" is different from most of his other paintings, with a more modern, less mystical, feel. For today, I've prepared a few ­_flossy facts about Samuel Palmer. 1. First exhibiting at the Royal Academy at age 14, Samuel Palmer could be considered a prodigy. He taught himself to paint, receiving... READ ON

To break up the winter doldrums, I present to you a painting filled with the joys of spring: Hungarian artist Pál Szinyei-Merse's "Lark," painted in 1882. 1. "Lark" is similar in theme to Pál Szinyei-Merse's "Picnic in May." Szinyei-Merse painted "Lark" 9 years later, but was still able to paint the landscape from memory. For the nude, however, he called in a model. 2. Szinyei-Merse was a bit ahead of his time, at least in Hungary, and... READ ON

Many late-nineteenth century artists became fascinated with Japanese woodblock prints and began producing works influenced by the Japanese art. The term Japonisme refers to those Japanese-inspired works, including paintings by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Vincent van Gogh, Camille Pissarro, and Gustav Klimt. Today I present to you two works of art—the woodblock print "Iris Flowers and Grasshopper" by Hokusai and Vincent van Gogh's painting, "Irises"—and a... READ ON

This week I'm excited to present a two-part 'Feel Art Again' feature on Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, one of the most famous and most highly paid artists of the 19th century. Since today is his birthday, we'll celebrate it with his 1893 painting, "Unconscious Rivals," and six fascinating factoids about the man himself. On Thursday, we'll take a look at his 1888 painting, "The Roses of Heliogabalus," accompanied by factoids about Heliogabalus. 1. The artist was born... READ ON