Born Today in Art History: Jean-Honoré Fragonard and the Politics of Pleasure (April 5, 1732)
Born on April 5, 1732, Jean-Honoré Fragonard reminds us that the nude in art has always been about wit, sensuality, and freedom—not just anatomy.
Today in Art History
This Week in Nude Art History: Four April Dates That Changed the Human Figure
From Prud’hon to Dürer, four early-April art history dates show how artists redefined the nude as feeling, pleasure, ideal form, and inquiry.
This Week in Nude Art History: Goya, Valadon, and the Week America Put the Body on Trial
This week in nude art history, Goya, Suzanne Valadon, and the Mapplethorpe prosecution reveal the same recurring fight over who gets to depict the body honestly.
Born Today in Art History: Max Ernst and the Surrealist Body (April 2, 1891)
Today marks the 135th birthday of Max Ernst, born April 2, 1891, in Brühl, Germany — one of the most
Francisco Goya Was Born Today, 280 Years Ago. He Painted the Nude That Ended the Age of Goddesses.
Two hundred and eighty years ago today — March 30, 1746 — Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes was born
Georges Seurat Died Today, 135 Years Ago. He Proved the Body Is Made of Light.
Georges Seurat died on March 29, 1891. He was thirty-one years old. He had been painting seriously for about a
Edward Steichen Was Born Today, 147 Years Ago. He Made the Camera See the Body the Way Only Painting Could.
Edward Steichen was born today, 147 years ago, in a stone house in the village of Bivange, Luxembourg. He would
Wilhelm Lehmbruck Died Today, 107 Years Ago. He Made the Body an Architecture of Feeling — Then the World Broke Him.
Wilhelm Lehmbruck died on this day in 1919. He was 38 years old. He had just been elected to the
William Morris Was Born Today, 192 Years Ago. He Only Painted One Picture — and Spent His Life Proving the Body Is Where All Design Begins.
William Morris was born on this day in 1834. He died in 1896 at sixty-two, exhausted and furious, having spent
Juan Gris Was Born Today, 139 Years Ago. He Shattered the Body — and Made It Beautiful.
On this day in 1887, José Victoriano González-Pérez was born in Madrid. The world would know him as Juan Gris