Egyptian archaeologists discover five tombs at Saqqara

Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities presented its recent discoveries on Saturday which include five tombs belonging to a pharaonic necropolis complex at Saqqara, just outside the capital Cairo. The tombs, which are believed to have housed senior officials from the Old Kingdom and First Intermediate period of ancient Egypt, date back to as long ago… Read More Egyptian archaeologists discover five tombs at Saqqara

Vermeer's 'hidden' Cupid is the enigmatic artist's latest mystery

For around three centuries, the girl reading a letter in the dimly-lit solitude of a Johannes Vermeer painting gave no indication of what the message contained. Facing an open window, her figure gently curved as she scanned the note in her hands, her body appeared slight against the vacant wall behind her. But last week,… Read More Vermeer's 'hidden' Cupid is the enigmatic artist's latest mystery

Soft Construction with Boiled Beans (Premonition of Civil War) – The Surreal World of Salvador Dalí

As his fame grew, Dalí’s reputation was undermined by his outrageous pronouncements. He confessed that he dreamed of Adolph Hitler “as a woman” whose flesh “ravished me.” Although he insisted he rejected Hitlerism despite such fantasies, the Surrealists, who were allied to the French Communist Party, expelled him in 1939. He also later extolled Spain’s… Read More Soft Construction with Boiled Beans (Premonition of Civil War) – The Surreal World of Salvador Dalí

Archaeological 'treasures,' including 2,400-year-old fruit, discovered at ancient Egyptian city

Archaeological “treasures,” including Greek ceramics and 2,400-year-old wicker baskets filled with fruit, have been discovered at the site of the ancient sunken city of Thonis-Heracleion, off Egypt’s coast. Thonis-Heracleion was Egypt’s largest Mediterranean port before Alexander the Great founded Alexandria in 331 BCE. A team from the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM), led by… Read More Archaeological 'treasures,' including 2,400-year-old fruit, discovered at ancient Egyptian city

Alexxa Gotthardt: Unraveling the mysteries of ancient Egypt's spellbinding mummy portraits

While ancient Egyptian mummy portraits have long been objects of curiosity, only a minimal amount of scholarship exists about them. Many questions have lingered since they were uncovered by archeologists around the Egyptian city of Fayum in the late 1800s. Who painted them? What pigments and substrates did the artists use, and where were these… Read More Alexxa Gotthardt: Unraveling the mysteries of ancient Egypt's spellbinding mummy portraits

Eva Rothenberg: Why the 'brightest color on Earth' may also be the future of eco-conscious art

Art and science can seem two opposites on a spectrum. One is creative and interpretive, the other exact and empirical. But an emerging technology known as Pure Structural Colour — dubbed the “boldest, brightest color on Earth” in a new exhibition — shows how interplay between the two may be revolutionary for both. Panels of… Read More Eva Rothenberg: Why the 'brightest color on Earth' may also be the future of eco-conscious art

This year's Oscars could have been a moment of pride for China. Then politics got in the way

NB: No, not politics, but nationalism, which Albert Einstein called ‘the measles of mankind‘. It is a tragedy that a talented person be abused in her own country because she refuses to kneel before this false god. This is not just a Chinese problem, its a lesson we all need to learn. DS  The Academy Awards this year could… Read More This year's Oscars could have been a moment of pride for China. Then politics got in the way

MATTHEW ROZSA: This 45,500-year-old cave painting of a pig may be the oldest known work of art

45,500 years is a long, long time. It is nearly 23 times as long as the distance between the point at which you are reading this article and the birth of Jesus Christ. It is roughly 9 times as long as the distance between the present day and the rise of ancient Egyptian civilization. And, according… Read More MATTHEW ROZSA: This 45,500-year-old cave painting of a pig may be the oldest known work of art

Jack Guy: Spectacular eight-mile frieze of Ice Age beasts found in Amazon rainforest

Thousands of rock art pictures depicting huge Ice Age creatures such as mastodons have been revealed by researchers in the Amazon rainforest. The paintings were probably made around 11,800 to 12,600 years ago, according to a press release from researchers at Britain’s University of Exeter. The paintings are set over three different rock shelters, with the largest, known… Read More Jack Guy: Spectacular eight-mile frieze of Ice Age beasts found in Amazon rainforest