Welcome to Obelisk,
a place to discover art.
ArtistsArtworkMovementsThemesMediumsEssaysQuizzes
HomeAboutStoreDiscordMembership

Obelisk

Portrait Miniatures & Medallions
Think of them as the wallet photos of the past. Portrait miniatures were an evolution of the broader miniature illustration style used to illuminate manuscripts. Around the 1520s, in the French and English courts, tiny portraits began to replace portrait medallions in brass or silver as the business cards of the day. Where medallions could be dimensional, portrait miniatures could be colored to more evocatively depict the sitter. read more
Portrait Miniatures & Medallions, Themes in Art
The Etruscans, 400BCE
Chimera of Arezzo
This is an undeniably modern interpretation. The chimera, like most beasts of antiquity, was the bad guy. Child of the giant serpent Typhon and the half woman half snake Echidna (you know her from the Starbucks logo) the Chimera was an abominable thing, unnatural combination of lion and goat, with the head of a snake for a tail. Her brothers and sisters live in legend. read more
Chimera of Arezzo, The Etruscans
Toyen
What's in a name?
Names are assigned to us before we are aware of their meaning, and we grow into them as much as they come to reflect us. In Japan artists often changed names after milestones in their lives, but in the west, once you've been given a name, you're usually stuck with it—a rigidity that makes claiming a new name even more powerful magic. read more
Toyen, The Artists
Sascha Schneider, 1904
Hypnosis
To Sascha Schneider the male body was perfection, and the world its antagonist. Schneider worked in Germany in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, during the development of Freikörperkultur, free body culture, also called the Health and Hygiene movement. Freikörperkultur aimed to counteract the restraint and stress of industrialization with a restorative mix of open air nudity, exercise, and healthy diet. read more
Hypnosis, Sascha Schneider
Born on May 16
Tamara de Lempicka, The ArtistsPortrait of Tamara de Lempicka

Tamara de Lempicka

Rediscover the elegance with luminous and brilliant colors

1898 – 1980
Laura Wheeler Waring, The ArtistsPortrait of Laura Wheeler Waring

Laura Wheeler Waring

1887 – 1948

Artwork

Artists

Movements

By continuing to browse Obelisk you agree to our Cookie Policy