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It's The Simple Things




5 Art Nouveau Buildings That Embody the Elegance of This Architectural Style
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

Pam Givens
Dec 17, 2025


The Splendid History of Gustav Klimt’s Glistening “Golden Phase
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,

Pam Givens
Dec 17, 2025


Ukraine’s Monumental Soviet-Era Mosaics
by Claire Voon is a staff writer and reporter at Hyperallergic. Often unremarked or dismissed as state propaganda, Ukraine’s Soviet-era mosaics are also artworks in themselves that speak to a complex history. For three years, photographer Yevgen Nikiforov traveled across Ukraine with an ambitious mission: document as many surviving Soviet-era mosaics as possible. These monumental panels have, for decades, adorned the interiors and exteriors of buildings in nearly every town

Pam Givens
May 3, 2022


Hagia Sophia • Mosaics
Rediscovered in 1934 by Byzantine Institute , The Zoe Mosaic has a lot to tell us about Empress Zoe. Empress Zoe was the daughter of Constantine VIII who wanted her to marry to Argyros before he died. When she married to Argros, Zoe was 50 and still a virgin. After their marriage, Zoe fell in love with a young stable boy, Michael. They killed Argyros by drowning him in the bath. And Michael became Emperor. However, about 7 years later, Michael IV died and his nephew Michae

Pam Givens
May 3, 2022


7 amazing Russian churches that seem right out of a fairytale
YES, THE SISTINE CHAPEL AND THE SACRÉ COEUR are impressive pieces of architecture, but, like most Catholic churches , their exterior tend to be sober and austere, lacking the color and the tiny bit of fun that could make walking in a little more tempting. Eastern Orthodox churches don’t have that problem — they tend to be brightly painted, and the “onion domes” that top them make them look straight out of Candy Landy. The most iconic Russian Orthodox church is St. Basil’s Cat

Pam Givens
May 3, 2022


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, yet it has come to characterize Klimt's style and has resulted i

Pam Givens
May 3, 2022


GAUDI’S BARCELONA: A UNIQUE WAY TO SEE THE CITY
by Nomadic Matt September 9th, 2018 You can’t visit Barcelona without seeing Gaudi’s influence everywhere you go. He’s the city’s most famous architect helped shape the design of the city during its booming 19th and early 20th century. His influence still shapes the city today. Born in 1852, Anton Gaudí belonged to the Art Nouveau movement, with his first designs being centered around Gothic and traditional Catalan architectural styles. It wasn’t long until he developed

Pam Givens
May 3, 2022
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