In this article, I address some approaches to exploring the ways in which men express their place and role in the activities, tasks, ways of producing the world, its wealth, its well-being, and its domination, through the artistic works they create, on the one hand, with the violent forms mandated by patriarchal society and, on the other, in accordance with the criteria and norms of the dominant artistic canon. I approach this methodologically from a feminist anthropological perspective, through which I propose to reveal the relationship between patriarchal violence and the dominant artistic canon, as conceptions and practices whose representations visualize the supremacist nature with which male artists recreate the epic feats of other men. This form of production of their works is what is recognized, within the androcentric bias, as "art history." While I refer to several artistic disciplines, I focus on painting. The objective is to contribute to a critical, analytical, and comprehensive understanding of how men, through the arts, constitute themselves, through the actions of their forms and conditions of life, as gendered subjects based on patriarchal and masculine principles.

The article addresses how the work of the court painter Charles de La Fosse expresses the visual rhetoric of absolutist power at a transitional moment in Louis XIV’s reign. La Fosse’s painting The Sacrifice of Iphigenia, created for the Palace of Versailles, may be situated in the context of the premiere performance of Jean Racine’s play Iphigenia on 18 August 1674, in the grand gardens of the Orangerie. Art historians have largely overlooked how the painting contributes to the evolving imagery of the king, particularly through chromatic effects and the parting of thick clouds in the sky. This essay analyses the painting within its courtly context, to examine how the image constructs a representation of the king’s divine power through embodied colour.

Abstract This article outlines a methodological framework for the ecocritical practice of early modern art history. First, we describe an emerging field of ecocritical studies in early modern art history and contextualize that development within recent ecocritical turns in other disciplines of early modern studies and periods of art historical research. Then, through a quartet of case studies, we demonstrate four ecocritical approaches to practicing early modern art history. We thereby offer novel perspectives on how ecocritical methods can both transform the study of early modern art history and provide essential historical insights amidst our contemporary eco-crisis.

Abstract This article explores the representation of silvopastoral systems in European art from the 16th to the nineteenth century, with a specific focus on ruminant livestock grazing in wooded environments. Drawing from a wide interdisciplinary body of literature in agroforestry, environmental history and art history, this study adopts a scoping review approach combined with visual analysis of selected artworks. While not a systematic review, it synthesizes existing scientific knowledge on silvopastoralism (defined as the integration of trees, forage, and livestock) and applies this lens to historical paintings. By analyzing key botanical, forestry, zootechnical and land use elements in selected works, the research highlights the relationship between humans, animals, and natural ecosystems as captured through visual art. Particular attention is given to silvopastoral elements such as grazing patterns, tree cover, and animal breeds. Methodologically, the paper integrates knowledge from plant and animal sciences, ecology, and livestock management to assess how these elements are portrayed. The study indicates how artistic depictions provide valuable insights into historical land-use practices, animal husbandry, tree species, and rural socio-ecological dynamics that shape the European agroforestry heritage.

Conflict, by definition, is almost always associated with violence. This essay is an examination of what I here call an example of “silent violence”—the traumatic event of the great famine in Bengal in 1943-4—news of which, in the interests of colonial war policy and policing of nationalist and Left movements, was suppressed. Word of course soon got out, not only through the hordes of starving refugees arriving in Calcutta, but particularly through the work of artists—painters, poets, novelists, theatre activists and musicians—who documented the event in a multitude of vivid forms, visual, literary and performative. The essay examines the range of artistic responses to the famine and the attempts to silence voices and images revealing its extent and causes, the silences of much of Indian art history which frequently ignores the tragedy and its artistic representations, and raises again the perennial question of the social role and impact of the arts.

This article explores an uncharted aspect of Russian stonecutting art history: the experience of inviting Yevgeny Yevgenyevich Lanceray to serve as artistic director of the imperial lapidary factories. A representative of an extensive family whose influence on the development of Russian art is beyond doubt, this brilliant graphic artist and decorator introduced several innovations to the organization of the artistic process. The objective of this publication is to analyse this process. Drawing from documents in the archive of the imperial Peterhof Lapidary Factory that have not previously been introduced into scholarly circulation, this study explores the practice of delegating design work to leading masters, considering the profile of their main activity as introduced by Lanceray. Thus, leading animal sculptors were engaged to create objects and their details featuring images of animals, while renowned architects and decorators with extensive experience in designing the interiors of mansions and residences were involved in developing a range of interior vases. Furthermore, the uncovered archival material enables us to contemplate the stylistic explorations of the late Art Nouveau era, a resurgence of interest in the national style, and a reversion to neoclassical forms. The meticulous review of the documents allowed for the identification and reattribution of works that had become detached from their original place of creation and their respective authors during their history. This publication fulfils several objectives: it enhances understanding of Lanceray’s creative activity and work as a guest artist at the imperial manufactories, sheds new light on the artistic side of the Peterhof Lapidary Factory during the period before World War I, which has been virtually unexplored previously. The author also makes new attributions for works of stone-cutting art from museum and private collections.

Art historian Yang Jung-moo has observed that a masterpiece is not defined by clarity or perfection but by its enduring ambiguity, controversy, and mystery. This paradox, while originating in fine art, also illuminates the practice of plastic surgery. In sculpture, works such as the Mona Lisa, Michelangelo's David, and the Seokguram Buddha resist singular interpretation, inviting ongoing debate while radiating vitality-what Indian aesthetics calls prāṇa. Similarly, masterpieces in plastic surgery transcend technical standards. Although surgical training emphasizes precision, symmetry, and measurable outcomes, the most meaningful results often lie beyond flawless execution. Ambiguity emerges when natural irregularities preserve individuality; controversy arises as procedures challenge cultural and ethical norms; and mystery is present when modest corrections restore dignity, identity, and narrative resonance in ways that exceed surgical technique. Historical examples underscore this paradox. Harold Gillies' pioneering reconstructions of World War I soldiers, Archibald McIndoe's rehabilitation of burned airmen in the Guinea Pig Club, and Paul Tessier's radical craniofacial surgeries were imperfect by technical criteria yet transformative in restoring life and personhood. Like sculptors, surgeons confront material resistance, balance perfection against vitality, and ultimately seek to transcend their medium. Thus, masterpieces in both art and surgery remain inexhaustible: they do not provide final answers but sustain life, provoke dialogue, and preserve mystery across time. Plastic surgery, therefore, belongs not only to science but also to the humanities, where the true measure of mastery lies in shaping form while allowing space for life's breath.

The Katakomben-Stichting (Catacombs Foundation) is a private institution established in 1913 by the wealthy Dutch textile entrepreneur Jan F.M. Diepen and his family on the site of a ‘facsimile’ of the most famous sections of the Roman catacombs (today Museum Romeinse Katakomben), constructed between 1909 and 1913 in an abandoned quarry in Valkenburg aan de Geul, the Netherlands. The Foundation owns a collection of early Christian artifacts, watercolours and cartoons aimed at the creation of replicas of the catacomb paintings, as well as an archive, all of which await proper study and dissemination. A careful survey of the archive has added a new and valuable piece to the history of research involving the Crypt of Saint Cecilia in the Catacomb of Saint Callixtus. Diepen, together with the Trappist monk Eugenius van Doorn, coordinated between 1912 and 1916 a pioneering stratigraphic analysis of the decorations of the so-called ‘palimpsest wall’ of the Crypt, after they discovered a previously unknown fragment of an early medieval wall painting containing the bust of a Christ hovering in the sky, from that moment known as Salvatore Olandese . The analysis was supported by meticulous documentation of the decorations, which remains largely unpublished within the Foundation’s archive. The reasons for not publishing this comprehensive study remain uncertain. Examining Diepen’s notebook and correspondence with Rome-based archaeologists and art historians reveals a ‘harsh’ picture of the so-called ‘Roman school’ of Christian Archaeology, marked by rivalries and hostilities and lacking scientific collaboration with foreign scholars. It was precisely within this environment that a certain obstructionism appears to have emerged against the Dutch amateur and his circle’s efforts to study and publish the Salvatore Olandese , contributing to the ‘cancellation’ of this fresco from collective memory to this day.

This study is structured to trace the genesis of temple architecture in India through a detailed examination of its historical, religious, and cultural underpinnings, and to explore how these foundational elements are reflected in the heritage temples that dot the Indian landscape today. It seeks to address the following key questions: What are the roots of temple architecture in India, and how did they evolve across time and regions? How did religious texts and philosophical traditions shape the conception and construction of temples? The methodology employed in this study combines historical analysis, textual interpretation, and comparative evaluation. Primary sources such as inscriptions, temple manuals, and archaeological reports are examined alongside secondary literature from historians, archaeologists, and architectural theorists. Case studies of significant heritage temples across different regions are included to illustrate the diversity and continuity of architectural traditions. The dissertation adopts an interdisciplinary approach, integrating perspectives from history, art history, religious studies, and heritage conservation to provide a holistic understanding of the subject. As India negotiates its identity in a globalized world, the recognition and preservation of its temple heritage become crucial for sustaining cultural continuity and fostering national pride. Understanding the genesis and reflection of temple architecture offers insights into the broader narrative of Indian civilization and contributes to the ongoing dialogue between tradition and modernity. In conclusion, the heritage temples of India are not static relics of the past but dynamic embodiments of a living tradition that continues to evolve. Their genesis is rooted in a complex interplay of spiritual vision, architectural innovation, and cultural expression.

This study is structured to trace the genesis of temple architecture in India through a detailed examination of its historical, religious, and cultural underpinnings, and to explore how these foundational elements are reflected in the heritage temples that dot the Indian landscape today. It seeks to address the following key questions: What are the roots of temple architecture in India, and how did they evolve across time and regions? How did religious texts and philosophical traditions shape the conception and construction of temples? The methodology employed in this study combines historical analysis, textual interpretation, and comparative evaluation. Primary sources such as inscriptions, temple manuals, and archaeological reports are examined alongside secondary literature from historians, archaeologists, and architectural theorists. Case studies of significant heritage temples across different regions are included to illustrate the diversity and continuity of architectural traditions. The dissertation adopts an interdisciplinary approach, integrating perspectives from history, art history, religious studies, and heritage conservation to provide a holistic understanding of the subject. As India negotiates its identity in a globalized world, the recognition and preservation of its temple heritage become crucial for sustaining cultural continuity and fostering national pride. Understanding the genesis and reflection of temple architecture offers insights into the broader narrative of Indian civilization and contributes to the ongoing dialogue between tradition and modernity. In conclusion, the heritage temples of India are not static relics of the past but dynamic embodiments of a living tradition that continues to evolve. Their genesis is rooted in a complex interplay of spiritual vision, architectural innovation, and cultural expression.

Can menstruation be magical? This paper explores how the menstrual cycle has been reimagined as a source of power through art from the 1980s onwards. Beginning with a brief history of menstrual magic in the Western tradition, we examine how historical phenomena including the witch trials, the advent of Wicca, and the late twentieth-century feminist reclamation of the witch archetype have inspired artists. Next, we turn to examples of artworks that combine menstruation with witchcraft themes, beginning with the creative inclusion of menstrual witches in a 1980 educational Norwegian pamphlet, the project Biomenstrual: A spell book for more-than-human menstrual care from 2021, and a project exploring the potential to grow meat from menstrual serum by artist WhiteFeather Hunter from 2024. Positioned within Critical Menstruation Studies, Art History, and Neopagan Studies, the ensuing analysis examines the complex, often contradictory connections between menstruation, witchcraft, and witches, especially when negotiating medical and scientific paradigms.

In 1929, Hjalmar Bergman was commissioned to write a play for the opening ceremony of the 1930 Stockholm Exhibition, an event that established functionalism as the dominant trend in Swedish architecture. The rejection of his proposal by the progressive organisers, art historian Gregor Paulsson and architect Gunnar Asplund, was something of “an odd story” according to Bergman himself, who, in an interview, asserted that the play was refused “for functionalist reasons”, and because of the tribute it paid to traditional Swedish handicraft. Some time before the interview, Bergman had ironised about this contemporary expression of Modernism in his radio play Tankar om funktionalism (Thoughts about Functionalism). In this article, Bergman’s personal assessment of the functionalist doctrine, according to which the purpose of architecture should dictate its form, is discussed and related to the improbable room at the centre of the Borck family home in the novel Farmor och Vår Herre (1921; Thy Rod and Thy Staff, 1937). While earlier readings of the puzzling ‘rooms of wonder’ that appear in Bergman’s generally solid houses of fiction have applied psychological and biographical lenses to interpret what may look like purposeless nooks and crannies, this essay departs from the historical context to show Bergman’s understanding – if not appreciation – of functionalism.

This article explores the emotional labour of social practice artists. It does so in order to consider creative approaches to care and well-being that will enable artists to practise more safely and sustainably. It reflects on various forms of labour involved in artmaking – from craft and artisanal labour to intellectual, immaterial, affective and relational labour – before reporting on the perspectives of social practice artists concerning the emotional labour involved in their work. Their views were collected first using a questionnaire and then a online forum. This work was carried out during an exploratory interdisciplinary project in 2022, conducted by an art historian and clinical research psychologist, funded by University College London, and in partnership with the Social Art Network (SAN). The reporting of this project and critical reflections on labour is timely given the ongoing governmental and council cuts to funding for primary care services in the United Kingdom, which will increase the need and workload of artists through such initiatives as social prescribing. Concurrently, arts and culture funding is being slashed. This article lays the groundwork for exploring emotional labour to inform future developments of infrastructures of collective care for social practice artists and, indeed, communities at large.

What if future teachers could learn to read the world like art historians, reason about it like mathematicians, and engage with it as sustainable change-makers? Through the lens of STEAM-H, this study examines their potential to become transformative educators fostering critical thinking and spatial–geometric competencies. The aim is to analyse how future teachers demonstrate Critical Spatial Literacy (CSL) skills—such as spatial literacy, critical thinking, and onto-semiotic dimensions—when carrying out hermeneutic readings of works of art and constructing models from AI-generated images within the framework of Critical–Visual Maker (CVM) Culture. This qualitative-descriptive study examines evidence from students’ analyses of pairs of classical and contemporary artworks, as well as models linked to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), applying CSL categories in both cases. The findings reveal a transition from formal descriptions in mathematics and art history to more complex critical interpretations. Furthermore, the interrelationship among the three groups of categories proposed in the theoretical framework becomes evident. The study concludes that, by engaging in reflective and critical questioning, the interaction between STEAM-H, CSL, and CVM Culture can constitute an effective educational ecosystem for fostering geometric creativity, critical spatial literacy, and interdisciplinarity, thereby contributing to the development of a critical and egalitarian citizenship committed to global challenges and sustainable futures.

The paper deals with the status of the stone in the culture and traditions of the Albanians in the western Balkans, primarily in the territory of modern Albania. Due to natural and geographical conditions, stone has been the most essential building material and a marker of settlement boundaries in the studied region since prehistoric times. Persistent even today, mythological beliefs animate the stone, making it a living participant in history and real or fictitious events. In traditional society, an oath on a stone was considered more effective than an oath on sacred texts (the Bible for Christians, the Quran for Muslims). The study in the paradigm of anthropology aims to identify the conditions and mechanisms for preserving traditional building materials and technologies, to analyze the pattern of inclusion or, conversely, rejection from the life support system of innovations, the value and priority of which is questioned by part of society, which maintains largely patriarchal views and a number of archaic beliefs. The article, based on the author’s expedition materials from 1990—2025, as well as data from sources stored in the Archive of the Institute of Cultural Anthropology and Art History of the Academy of Sciences of Albania (Tirana), allows us to conclude that Albanians, despite the spread of new building materials since the 20 th century, have preserved natural stone as the basis for the construction of important public and religious buildings, ‘correct’ housing and the most reliable homes.

The article examines the musical code of Ukrainian culture as a tool for acoustic representation of ethno- identity, in which intonation formulas, rhythmic structures, and modo-harmonic means function as symbolic elements of cultural memory. A comparative analysis of the structural features of Ukrainian embroidery and a musical work is carried out: both systems are characterized by modularity, symmetry, variability, and semantic load. Cultural and philosophical parallels between ornament as a visual text and music as a sound form of a national archetype are traced. The author addresses the phenomenon of synesthesia as a universal mechanism of intermodal cultural thinking, which provides a relationship between timbre in music and color in embroidery, the emotional function of a work of art, and the mental perception of a symbol. In the context of the analysis of the repertoire heritage of Ukrainian composers, the emphasis is on such figures as Stanislav Liudkevych, Mykola Leontovych, Myroslav Skoryk, Yevhen Stankovych. Their works are considered as examples of national musical thinking, in which acoustic elements are permeated with ethnocultural content. Special attention is paid to the phenomenon of "Songs about the Rushnyk" by Platon Maiboroda with lyrics by Andrii Malyshko — a song that has acquired the meaning of an acoustic symbol of Ukrainian identity, where the rushnyk appears as a carrier of emotional memory, and the musical form as a means of its transmission. The article also analyzes the manifestations of Ukrainian cultural semiotics in the choral, symphonic and instrumental repertoire, in media art and ethnodesign. By comparing vyshyvanka and music as parallel systems of cultural communication, their role in preserving the national code is substantiated, especially in wartime. The work is interdisciplinary in nature, combining methods of cultural philosophy, musicology, and art history, which allows us to deepen our understanding of the mechanisms of identity representation in Ukrainian art.

The figure of the snake in the second creation account of Genesis has sparked the imagination of many throughout (art) history. Mostly, this serpent has been labelled as a cunning and deceitful animal which played an important role in the so-called “fall of man.” This attributive quality has its roots in the Masoretic Text (MT) which introduces the snake as being the most ‘ārûm (crafty) of all animals in Gen 3:1. Remarkably, the Septuagint (LXX) translation of Genesis renders this lexeme by phronimos (wise). The fact that this is the only instance in the LXX corpus where ‘ārûm is rendered by phronimos is even more surprising. Although several scholars have described the translation technique of the LXX translator of Genesis in great detail, none have provided an explanation for why the translator opted for this specific rendering to denote the snake in Gen 3:1. Therefore, this study will examine this unique rendering and aims to provide a decisive conclusion to the question of why the translator opted to render ‘ārûm by phronimos to denote the snake’s nature in Gen 3:1.

The concepts of dance, cultural code, national identity play an important role in the fields of Art History, Cultural Studies and anthropology. Gender codes in choreographic solutions, that is, the personification of men – courage, Women – tenderness, are one of the features that have also been reflected in the dance art of many peoples. The article considers dance art as an artistic and communicative tool that reflects the culture of a particular people or community, acting as a carrier of a cultural code. As a research Nasan, we consider the national dances of the Kazakh and Georgian peoples in comparison. The purpose of the research is to identify the gender characteristics of the Kazakh and Georgian peoples in preserving national identity through dance art. According to the chronological space of the study, the dances of the last five years are analyzed. To achieve the goal of the study, attention is paid to the works and works of professional choreographers in the national dance art. This research work also contributes to the strengthening of cultural ties between Kazakhstan and Georgia and shows that it is possible to preserve national identity through dance.

Xawery Dunikowski’s Monument to the Liberation of Warmia and Mazury is one of the most iconic, yet controversial, landmarks of the Polish city of Olsztyn. Erected in 1954 as the Monument in Gratitude to the Red Army, it was meant to symbolise the Russian victory over Nazi Germany and the eternal friendship between the Polish and the Soviet nations. At the same time, it was praised as a masterpiece created by one of the most renowned Polish artists of the twentieth century. For many, however, it has always been predominantly a sign of Soviet dominance and oppression in the country that should disappear from public space. As such, the monument is an example of a dissonant heritage, actively contested and mutilayered with meanings and values, and involving a discordance. Combining the approaches of art history, heritage studies, and political anthropology, this article explores the long-lasting debate about the monument’s future, which started after the fall of communism in 1989. The aim is to demonstrate how shifting policies, both domestic and foreign, which were radicalised after the outbreak of the Russian–Ukrainian war in 2022, have impacted attempts to remove or recontextualise the memorial. Investigating the tensions between politicians, historians, journalists, and activists, the article concludes that the debate goes far beyond the local context but is representative of ongoing discussions on the legacy of communism, and, in a broader sense, of the challenges involved in managing heritage during times of global democracy crises.

With her book Donne e Violenza di Guerra. Uno Sguardo sull’età Antica (Women and violence in war. A glance at Antiquity) the Italian archaeologist Mariarosaria Barbera focuses on women, violence and war in Antiquity. Assembling a large body of mostly textual evidence covering the Archaic Greek world up to Christian Late Antiquity, this book sheds further light on traditional topics such as the status of women in ancient societies, gender-sex politics and the far-reaching consequences of gendered violence. By welcoming research methods from philosophy, art history and classical literature, this intriguing volume calls upon the reader to re-think the ways in which women were viewed as a necessary part in the political, economic and social aspects of military struggles. Combined, the book’s five chapters create a space supportive of women’s multi-faceted roles during armed conflict, rooted in experiences and expressions of heroism, diplomacy, resilience and revenge.