History of Arts Archives -

Under cinema’s spell

The realm of fantasy is a very wide one. In fact, its definition, when it comes to art, tends to depend on the artistic field. Pierre-George Castex defines it as "the brutal intrusion of mystery in real life". This is the generic conception. Now if we try to narrow it down to the cinematographic field, a film of fantasy can just as well be one of science fiction as a horror movie. The point is to build the story on supernatural elements, from the world of magic and imagination. It doesn’t matter if the result is Alien or Harry Potter, it will still be a fantasy movie.

Imagining improbable things

Imagine yourself sitting outside. The sun is coming up at the horizon. You can see the clouds gaining some colours, the sky is slowly turning brighter. The birds are chirpy-duping. Some left-over party humans are returning home. You say hi. You feel the wind tousling up your hair. And, suddenly, the morning sun is getting too bright, too warm. You get off the bench, or chair, or log, or other entity you imagined yourself sitting on, and go. Where to? I don’t know. That’s up to you to fantasise about.

The intriguing story of Curupira

Children’s literature… So many controversies can arise from it. But let’s face it, they are the first narratives that we hear as a human being, and so they help shaping the stories through which we will see the world.

An Ode to MGM

‘Frothy confections’ is a term that’s often heard to describe early movie musicals of the 1930s. True, if one considers them from such a perspective, that’s all they’re bound to see.

So beautiful and so lost: “Va Pensiero”

As Verdi lay down the quill with which he had just penned the famous notes to “Va Pensiero,” he could hardly imagine the song would still resonate with his nation over a hundred years later.

Caetano Veloso - Secretaría de Cultura Ciudad de México

Accidentally revolutionary

There is no better way to describe Tropicalismo than as a casual conversation with friends that became an artistic movement. It started with the intention of discussing the modernization of art.

La courtisane: between depravation and emancipation

The 19th century is known to be one of social awareness. Especially in France, the condition of the lower classes began to interest artists.

The Vulva and the Arts

When I set myself to research the representation of the female genitalia in the art world, I was ready to find obstacles. It is nothing new that the topic is taboo and it has been for a long while in the Western world. So, my expectations were low.

A Bird of Beauty

At first glance, it appears true beauty always eluded Edith Piaf. At just one and a half metres in height, with the slight figure of a waif, the French chanteuse was never acclaimed for her looks, and her 28 year career never rested on visual glamour.

On the way to Christmas

Now that you ate all the chocolates in your advent calendar waiting for Christmas day, what would you say about discovering the story of these little boxes you love so much ? Once upon a time in Germany, children were about to celebrate Jesus Christ’s birth.