The MuseMuse Journal
Blog
Stories about paintings, and practical help for the day you go and look at them.
Caravaggio: From Painter to Murderer on the Run
He killed a man over a tennis match, fled Rome with a death sentence on his head, and painted some of his best work while running.
Read the story
A Brief History of the Collar
Ruffs, lace, stiffened linen. What a painted collar tells you about the person wearing it.
The Banned Painting That Survived a Bonfire
Savonarola burned the vanities of Florence. Somebody hid the Birth of Venus.
Nudes with Pubes: Art’s Biggest Controversy
Painted, scraped off, painted again. A small detail that has embarrassed four centuries of curators.
The Night Watch’s Hidden Murder Mystery
The militia who commissioned it were not happy. What people have claimed to find in it since is stranger still.
The Do’s and Don’ts of Visiting an Art Gallery
How close you can stand, when to use your phone, and why the guards are watching your backpack.
The MuseMuse Guide to Sounding Like an Art Expert
Nine words people use in galleries, and what they actually mean.
The Scream’s Secret
A pencil line in the corner, invisible for a century, written by Munch himself.
The Ultimate London Long Weekend Guide for Art & Culture Lovers
Three days, the museums worth your time, and where to eat between them.
The Secret Behind Ugly Medieval Babies
They are not badly painted. They are deliberately unsettling, and there is a reason.
Non-Finito: The Art of Incompleteness
Works their makers never finished, and the argument that they are better for it.
How to Recognise These 5 Christian Martyrs in Paintings
The wheel, the arrows, the eyes on a plate. A field guide to who is who.
4 Hacks to Improve Your Visit at the British Museum
Which entrance to use, which rooms empty out, and what everyone walks past.
4 Spanish Restoration Fails
Well-meaning amateurs, irreversible damage, and one very famous monkey.
5 Sculptures Carved to Perfection
Marble made to look like skin, rope and lace. Five that still do not seem possible.
We Got a Webby Nomination
MuseMuse was nominated for a Webby. Thank you to everyone who voted.
Museum Fatigue: A Century-Old Problem
The heavy-legged hour-two slump has a name, a date and a body of research behind it.
Why Museums Are the Ultimate First Date Hack
Cheap, quiet enough to talk, and there is always something to say.
4 Stunning Ceilings in Rome You Must See (That Aren’t the Sistine Chapel)
Look up somewhere other than the obvious place. Four of them, all free.
Nothing in that category yet.