British
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A Guide to Romanesque Architecture
Romanesque was a style of medieval architecture popular in Western Europe in the 1000s and 1100s. Here’s everything you need to know about Romanesque.
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Thomas Cole’s Journey: Atlantic Crossings
Thomas Cole’s Journey: Atlantic Crossings presents Cole within the landscape painting tradition of his native England. Find out why I loved the exhibition.
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A Guide to Gothic Architecture
Gothic (and Gothic-style) abound in church architecture around the world. But what exactly are its characteristics? Learn the stylistic attributes and historical context of Gothic architecture.
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Four Magical Christmas and Winter Paintings
Eager to get into the holiday spirit? Enjoy this selection of winter and Christmas-themed paintings by American, British, and European artists.
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Gargoyles and Grotesques of Wells Cathedral, Somerset, UK
Two weeks ago, I talked about the mouth puller grotesque and how common he can be in Gothic architecture. The grotesque above belongs to a related type – the thorn puller, who struggles to pull a thorn or some other painful irritant out of his foot. The thorn puller appears in many different churches and may…
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Gargoyles and Grotesques of Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland, England
This rather distressed-looking grotesque lives on Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland, England. He sticks out his tongue and pokes at something inside his mouth, as though he’s having some dental problems. I can’t help but feel a little sorry for this odd little dude. He belongs to a subset of gargoyles and grotesques known as “mouth pullers”…
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A Young Girl Dressed Up for Christmas (December 22nd)
For a fine art Advent calendar, a charming illustration of a well-dressed little girl by Kate Greenaway.
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Gargoyles and Grotesques of the Tower of London
This weirdly-misshapen face is one of several gargoyles or grotesques located on the infamous Tower of London. Considering the many horrifying things that have happened inside that castle-turned-prison, I would say that his somewhat-twisted appearance is appropriate, though I’m sure this wasn’t intentional. Interestingly, the other Tower of London gargoyles I found, though all still disembodied…
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Christ in the House of His Parents (December 1st)
The first installment of an art historical advent calendar – features Pre-Raphaelite painting Christ in the House of His Parents by John Everett Millais.
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Gargoyles and Grotesques of St. Denys, Aswarby, Lincolnshire
This square-ish fellow kind of reminds me of an early video game creature. When I went to get the image link, I noticed it was titled “Hunky Punk”, which I thought was interesting. I googled the term and discovered that “hunky punk” is a term specifically used in Somerset, England to describe grotesques (never true…
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St. Cuthbert’s Gospel – Day 20
Read about an early medieval English illuminated manuscript associated with Saint Cuthbert, an important British monastic figure.
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Vernacular Literature – Day 16
Most medieval manuscripts were written in Latin, the language of learning and religion. In this post, you’ll learn about those written in other languages.
