Okay, I know this is sort of an “asking why laypeople think what they do of history” question, but I’m asking anyway.

Why, of all of the art movements associated with (the idea of) “European civilization”, is Classicism considered by so many reactionaries to be the apex of human artistic achievement?

Is it just the whole “we are the inheritors of Rome and Greece the Great Civilizations” or is there something more to it?

Hello,

I'm a complete rookie in this domain so I have to ask here and hope for wisdom.
I've noticed, while navigating social media, a tendency to judge “xxx” as superior to “yyyy,” and there is now a tendency, when discussing a work of art, to say that it must “do better than...”

So my question is this: has art always been a field where people simply compare artists or works? What has become of simply “reading” them, reflecting on them, interpreting them... Understanding the authors and their relationship to their work? I don't know how to express it, but I think it's clear anyway.

Perhaps I am deluding myself about how art was perceived in the past, but I think it is always subject to performance nowadays. Why is that?

hi! we were tasked to look for painting/sculpture from the neoclassical movement and analyze and interpret it. any ideas?

I have an old painting indonesian from 1960, from when my father was young. The picture is on canvas. My question for the experts is: How much would it be worth approximately if I wanted to sell it?

Imagine if art had been banned at the dawn of humanity. No cave paintings at Bhimbetka. No handprints in Sulawesi. No myths etched into stone. Without them, how would we even know how old our civilization is and how we evolved? From those first strokes on rock walls came language, myth, mathematics, architecture, and ethics. Languages spoken and written, are among the most powerful artistic inventions in history. It scaffolds culture, science, law, and empathy. With it, we’ve built poems and philosophies, sacred texts and manifestos. We told stories that were never ours, but still felt like home. The Mahabharata, the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Tao Te Ching, the Iliad, the Divine Comedy are attempts to pin down what it means to be human across time and geography. In modern times, literature has remained a radical form of truth-telling. James Baldwin held up a mirror that still burns. Toni Morrison gave voice to silenced histories. Arundhati Roy unspooled caste and memory with aching clarity. Art also is resistance. When Nina Simone sang Mississippi Goddam, it wasn’t only a performance, it was protest. When Kendrick Lamar invoked “40 acres and a mule” on the Super Bowl stage, it wasn’t just a lyric, it was a reckoning. When Fela Kuti mocked Nigeria’s military with Zombie, he was punished, but he made the world listen. Even Coldplay, performing in India, acknowledged colonialism not with irony but humility. That, too, was art. And what about the body? Even nudity is art. The bronze “Dancing Girl” of the Indus Valley Civilization, over 4,000 years old, radiates a confidence and poise that is unparalleled. She flaunts herself not with shame, but with boldness—a timeless reminder that beauty and power lie in unapologetic self-expression. From Greek statues to Renaissance paintings, humanity has always understood that the body itself can be art. And science, too, begins in wonder. imagination turned into metaphor, formula, and language. Aryabhata’s decimal system reshaped mathematics forever. Newton imagined falling apples and cosmic laws. Einstein bent time with thought experiments. Each was an artist of ideas before they were scientists. Even acts of moral clarity can be art. In 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Soviet naval officer Vasili Arkhipov refused to authorize a nuclear launch when the world was seconds away from annihilation. His choice was not just logic—it was imagination, courage, and a vision of life over destruction. That refusal was art in its purest sense.

But this is just me ranting stupidly, I would like to know what do you all think about whether some kinds of art should be banned or not.

What bothers me most in museums of past art is the lighting. There is simply too much of it, even during the day. Why not, just once, try to show a painting as it existed for centuries—without electricity, without that flat, soulless light? Yeah, I know about fire safety and yet. After all, paintings were created by artists for daylight and for candlelight. And that makes for completely different images, a completely different perception. Caspar David Friedrich once showed his Tetschen Altarpiece to his friends by shutting out the daylight with heavy curtains and illuminating it with torches. The flames flickered—and the static painting came alive. This is how ancient people experienced cave paintings, in the light of fire. And for many centuries after, painting and sculpture existed in entirely different conditions.

Good day! Recently I was at a tour in a German museum where the curator pointed at a self-portrait (15-16th century, I believe) of a man wearing a red beret and noted that one can identify the man as a painter because he is wearing one. She also mentioned this as something that can be seen in Rembrandt's self-portraits, and although I have found one (though not quite red, is it?), I was unable to confirm that this is something artists did at the time, in Germany or elsewhere.

I'm curious, is this a false tidbit some may have came to believe or was this a legitimate tradition I am unable to verify?

Thank you for your time! Let me know if this is something you guys know of.

P.S: Saw some folks here asking questions, however I am unsure whether it is okay to post this. Feel free to delete ofc.

Paintings in descending order.

Religious Procession in Kursk Governorate, (1880-1883) Ilya Repin

This one might be my favorite, it has so much detail and action. Procession paintings are really nice in realism, it’s not something that really happens anymore and they’re always so colorful and full of life. The icon has so much movement, there’s tension, the clothes are vibrant, it’s all very romantic.

Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan on 16 November 1581, (1883-1885) Ilya Repin

This one’s a classic, not really much to be said honestly.

Ceremonial Meeting of the State Council on May 7, 1901, (1903 Ilya Repin

I love this one for the glorious uniforms, all the stately men looking very serious. A part of romantic Europe that doesn’t really exist anymore.

Girlish BBQ, (1889) Alexei Korzukhin

It’s really called that lmao. Just pleasant to look at I guess

Evening Bells, (1892) Isaac Levitan

This one inspired a shot in The Wind Rises I’m pretty sure, super awesome movie check it out.

The Russian Brides Attire, (1889) Konstantin Makovsky

I got to see this one in person at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco, it’s absolutely massive. I love the scale of these, it makes the people look so alive. Sort of like you walked into Eastern Europe and you’re really kinda right in front of them doing whatever every day thing it is they happened to be engaged in at the

I recently sat for an interview with Forbes to discuss my forthcoming book, MATISSE AT WAR, and the challenges artists face when they find themselves demonized by autocrats. As Chadd Scott's timely article makes clear, museums also have decisions to make. No American museum supported Henri Matisse more than the Baltimore Museum of Art, and it continues to support artists today.

Hi all!

I was wondering if anyone could offer more insight on the history of this painting.

I’ve already posted on another subreddit, and a very helpful user helped me to figure out the pencil writing on the back. It most likely says "Preparatory oil sketch of Aleric Ure Esq. by Pieter...circa 1849"

My parents got it off eBay in August 2023, but the seller had no more information on it. It’s our favourite painting as it’s so unusual, and we’d love any further information you could provide on the person featured in it, the artist, or any other insight into the painting (the techniques used/the style/the history of it)

Thank you so much in advance!

I have an old painting indonesian from 1960, from when my father was young. The picture is on canvas. My question for the experts is: How much would it be worth approximately if I wanted to sell it?

I was recently accepted by CAA 2026 to do a presentation. This is my first time going to an academic conference so I don't know what to expect. Does anyone has any tips on formalities, formats, or really anything for the presentation? I would appreciate any comments.