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Architects, critics, and fans have written extensively…

The 11 Best Books About Frank Lloyd Wright of 2020

Realism is back. Realistic, or representational, art fell out of favor with the advent of photography, but today's painters and sculptors are reviving old techniques and giving reality a whole new spin. Check out these six dynamic approaches to…

6 Realistic Styles in Modern Art

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Bom Jesus House
Architect Eduardo Souto de Moura works mainly in his native Portugal designing both private houses and major urban projects. Browse this photo gallery for a sampling of architecture by the 2011 Pritzker Laureate.
Souto de…

An Introduction to Architect Eduardo Souto de Moura

Stucco is a mortar mixture that is commonly used as an exterior siding application on houses. Historically it has been used as a sculpting medium for architectural ornamentation. Stucco can be made by mixing sand and lime with water and various other…

The Art and Architecture of Stucco

Small, economical, and practical, the Cape Cod style house was built all across America during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. But Cape Cod architecture began centuries before in colonial New England. This photo gallery shows a variety of Cape Cod…

A Photo Tour of Cape Cod Architecture

Artist Edward Hopper (1886-1967) created somber portraits of modern life in America. Famous for his painting Nighthawks, he depicted desolate urban scenes and haunting rural landscapes. Hopper's oil paintings, watercolors, sketches, and etchings…

The Life and Art of Edward Hopper, American Realist Painter

Characteristics of Rococo Art and Architecture
Rococo describes a type of art and architecture that began in France in the mid-1700s. It is characterized by delicate but substantial ornamentation. Often classified simply as "Late Baroque," Rococo…

An Introduction to the Rococo

Elements of Classical architecture have been around since the Renaissance. In the U.S. everything is "new" or "neo" again — from the Neoclassical styles that flourished after the American Revolution to the Neoclassical Revival of the 20th century.
In…

Is Your House Neoclassical?

A lyric poem is short, highly musical verse that conveys powerful feelings. The poet may use rhyme, meter, or other literary devices to create a song-like quality.
Unlike narrative poetry, which chronicles events, lyric poetry doesn't have to tell a…

What Is a Lyric Poem? Definition and Examples

Narrative poetry tells stories through verse. Like a novel or a short story, a narrative poem has plot, characters, and setting. Using a range of poetic techniques such as rhyme and meter, the narrative poet presents a series of events, often…

What Is Narrative Poetry? Definition and Examples

Frank Lloyd Wright buildings can still be seen from coast to coast, across the United States. From the spiraling Guggenheim Museum in New York City to the sprawling Marin County Civic Center in California, Frank Lloyd Wright architecture is on…

Frank Lloyd Wright Architecture by City and State

French for "fool the eye," trompe l'oeil art creates the illusion of reality. Through skillful use of color, shading, and perspective, painted objects appear three-dimensional. Faux finishes like marbling and wood graining add to the trompe l'oeil…

Trompe l'Oeil Art Fools the Eye

Macbeth, William Shakespeare's bloodiest play, is one of the most quoted dramatic works in the English language. Memorable lines from the tragedy explore themes like reality and illusion, ambition and power, and guilt and remorse. Famous quotations…

'Macbeth' Quotes Explained

Hamlet is one of the most quoted (and most parodied) plays by William Shakespeare. The play is well-known for its powerful quotations about corruption, misogyny, and death. Yet, despite the grim subject matter, Hamlet is also famous for the dark…

'Hamlet' Quotes Explained

Ekphrastic poetry explores art. Using a rhetorical device known as ekphrasis, the poet engages with a painting, drawing, sculpture, or other form of visual art. Poetry about music and dance might also be considered a type of ekphrastic writing.
The…

How Poets Engage With Art

When did Western architecture begin? Long before the magnificent structures of ancient Greece and Rome, humans were designing and constructing. The period known as the Classical Era grew from ideas and construction techniques that evolved centuries…

Architecture Timeline - Western Influences on Building Design

Victorian architecture in America is not just one style, but a collective of many designs, each with its own unique array of features. The Victorian era is a time period, marking the reign of England's Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1901. It is an era…

American Victorian Architecture, Homes From 1840 to 1900

A floor plan is a simple two-dimensional (2D) line drawing showing a structure's walls and rooms as though seen from above. Walls, doorways, and windows are often drawn to scale, meaning proportions are somewhat accurate even if a scale designation …

Answers the Question: Where Are the rooms?

Surrealism defies logic. Dreams and the workings of the subconscious mind inspire art filled with strange images and bizarre juxtapositions.
Creative thinkers have always toyed with reality, but in the early 20th century Surrealism emerged as a…

Surrealism, the Amazing Art of Dreams

The Villages of Loreto Bay is an eco-friendly, New Urbanist community built on the rocky eastern coastline of Baja California Sur in Mexico. The construction site is a three-mile strip of desert tucked between craggy mountains and the Sea of Cortez,…