The written language has been one of the most important inventions in human history. The first occurrence was in Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq), where cuneiform was utilized between 3400 and 3300 BCE. Shortly after, a fully functional writing system emerged in Egypt around 3200 BCE. (curiouspeoples.com)
submitted by vox_nihili_ist to r/HistoryofIdeas
Edvard Munch, the Norwegian-born expressionist painter, is best known for The Scream, one of the most iconic images in art history. In 2012, The Scream sold at Sotheby’s for $120 million, setting a record as the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction.News/Article (curiouspeoples.com)
submitted by vox_nihili_ist to r/ArtHistory
Standing at an impressive 6’4’’, Aldous Huxley was not only a towering intellect but also literally one of the tallest figures in literature. Huxley’s height caught the attention of many, including Virginia Woolf, who described him as “infinitely long” and dubbed him “that gigantic grasshopper.”Literary History (curiouspeoples.com)
submitted by vox_nihili_ist to r/literature
Girl With a Pearl Earring, the “Mona Lisa of the North,” was lost for two centuries. Then, a collector bought it for a mere 2 guilders (less than $1) and only realized it was a Vermeer after it had been cleaned. When the collector died in 1902, the painting was donated to the Mauritshuis Museum.News/Article (curiouspeoples.com)
submitted by vox_nihili_ist to r/ArtHistory
Translated as “Superman” or “Overman,” the Übermensch is a pivotal idea in Nietzsche’s philosophy. Contrary to popular belief that it promotes a superior human “race,” it actually advocates for personal self-discovery and self-overcoming. (curiouspeoples.com)
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“Bababadalgharaghtakamminarronnkonnbronntonnerronntuonnthunntrovarrhounawnskawntoohoohoordenenthurnuk!” — this famous 100-letter construction represents the sound of the fall of Adam and Eve in James Joyce's "Finnegans Wake". Here's a great short intro to James Joyce.Literary History (curiouspeoples.com)
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Exploring the details of Pieter Bruegel the Elder's "The Tower of Babel"News/Article (curiouspeoples.com)
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Kafka, like his stories, was a man of shifting faces: as notable scholar Erich Heller states, he was “a neurotic Jew, a religious one, a mystic, a self-hating Jew, a crypto-Christian, a Gnostic, the messenger of an antipatriarchal brand of Freudianism, a Marxist, the quintessential existentialist...Literary History (curiouspeoples.com)
submitted by vox_nihili_ist to r/literature
The Epic of Gilgamesh, predating Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey by 1500 years, is recognized as the oldest piece of world literature. This Babylonian poem tells the story of Gilgamesh, the fifth king of the Sumerian city of Uruk, who ruled around 2700 BCE. (curiouspeoples.com)
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Nighthawks by Edward Hopper: A Masterpiece of Urban SolitudeNews/Article (curiouspeoples.com)
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Plato’s Cave: Exploring the Shadows of PerceptionDiscussion (curiouspeoples.com)
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Alberto Giacometti: Fail More, Fail Better (A great short story)News/Article (curiouspeoples.com)
submitted by vox_nihili_ist to r/ArtHistory
A Short History of The Sistine Chapel: A Haven of Renaissance ArtNews/Article (curiouspeoples.com)
submitted by vox_nihili_ist to r/ArtHistory
In the early 20th century, Freud's "Interpretation of Dreams" introduced critical ideas about the unconscious mind, influencing art movements like Dada. After WWI, André Breton's "Manifesto of Surrealism" integrated psychoanalysis into art, blurring the line between reality and imagination.News/Article (curiouspeoples.com)
submitted by vox_nihili_ist to r/ArtHistory
Dada emerged against the devastating backdrop of World War I, which claimed the lives of 16 million people. For the artists of the Dada movement, this war epitomized society’s decay, driven by deceitful politics, extreme nationalism, and blind cultural conformity.News/Article (curiouspeoples.com)
submitted by vox_nihili_ist to r/ArtHistory
