It's The Simple Things

Posted on April 26, 2026by Janet Simmonds A purely personal list of fabulous mosaics in Italy, dating from about the 6th century right up to the 21st century. So that’s 1400 years of mosaic artistry. Many of these mosaics date from the Roman era and some of them are copies of even older Greek mosaics. These mosaics tell us stories, they mark important buildings and they teach us about saints, bishops and important events of the past. Often these mosaics were used to teach a l

Facebook shared a memory with me today from this website, and it reminded me that I hadn’t updated this site or the blog for many months. The last post was in October 2025, when I wrote about leaving CMA and wondering what might come next. At the time, I think I was standing in that familiar space between endings and beginnings, not quite sure what would take shape. Since then, I have really enjoyed writing for the new blog I started several months ago, which has surprised me

This article will focus on one exceptional piece of art that can be found inside the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta on Torcello.

Ravenna, A Mecca For Mosaics

5 Art Nouveau Buildings That Embody the Elegance of This Architectural Style By Samantha Pires on April 18, 2021 From Left to Right: Casa Batlló, Casa Batlló Balcony, Old England Building, Hôtel Tassel, Secession Building, Secession Building Detail, Paris Métro Entrances, Paris Métro Entrances Interior The whimsical Art Nouveau , like many international styles, can be found across almost all creative mediums: art, furniture, architecture, and more. Unlike some of these inter

The Splendid History of Gustav Klimt’s Glistening “Golden Phase” Detail of “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I” Austrian artist Gustav Klimt is one of the most celebrated Symbolist artists. During his successful career, he cultivated a portfolio comprising academic paintings, life drawings, and even decorative art objects. Still, he is most well-known for the collection of glistening, gilded works he produced during his Golden Phase . This luminous period lasted about a decade,