Arts

Whether it's finding out the identity of the painter Banksy or wondering who is the real "Girl with a Pearl Earring," there's no shortage of mysteries and intrigue within the world of art.

By Melanie Radzicki McManus

Boasting "floor to ceiling views of graffiti-strewn concrete from almost every room," Banksy's Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem welcomes visitors to the Mideast conflict with art-filled rooms under the eye of an army watchtower.

By Nathan Chandler

We have just a fraction of Sappho's works, but what we have reveal her personal voice in Greek lyric poetry. Just who was this woman that so inspired even Plato?

By Carrie Whitney, Ph.D.

The Venus de Milo is one of the most recognized statues in all the world, but why does she have no arms?

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

Dr. Seuss didn't live atop Mount Crumpit. He didn't have a loyal pup named Max outfitted with reindeer antlers. But there were some similarities between Seuss and his famous green miser.

By Laurie L. Dove

'Uncle Tom's Cabin' was a wildly popular 19th-century novel about a heroic enslaved man in the American South. But along the way, 'Uncle Tom' became shorthand for a Black man who's subservient to whites. What caused the switch?

By Dave Roos

Popularized in the 1897 novel "Dracula" by Bram Stoker, and the film "Nosferatu" in 1922, the word "nosferatu" is largely considered to be an archaic Romanian word, synonymous with "vampire," though the true origin story is long and complicated.

By Mark Mancini

Illustrator Amber Share loves the outdoors. But not everyone has her same enthusiasm. She found a way to turn their bad reviews of national parks into comedy gold.

By Cherise Threewitt

In 'A Series of Unfortunate Events,' noted for its dark humor and sarcastic storytelling, narrator Lemony Snicket recounts the calamitous lives of the Baudelaire children, who are orphaned after a mysterious house fire.

By Laurie L. Dove

Both William Shakespeare and Geoffrey Chaucer are known for using iambic pentameter in their famed works of literature. But what is iambic pentameter and how can you spot it?

By Carrie Whitney, Ph.D.

The tiny Southeast Asian country of Cambodia has achieved a worldwide reputation for perfecting the art of shadow puppetry. But the practice is in danger of dying out.

By Tara Yarlagadda

It's hard to imagine, but much of the world's most beautiful art sits, rarely seen by anyone, in tax-free warehouses called freeports.

By Patrick J. Kiger

J.K. Rowling fans rejoice! The beloved author is releasing a brand-new book online. And it's totally free.

By Carrie Whitney, Ph.D.

Gone are the days of peach and flesh crayons. Crayola just created 24 skin tone crayons to help advance inclusion through coloring.

By Carrie Whitney, Ph.D.

Painters love to include hidden symbols and meanings inside their works, either as pointed messages to specific viewers or simply as signposts to be found by a general audience. Here are six you may have missed.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

Leonardo's 'The Last Supper' has had a rough history, from flaking paint to the fact that da Vinci really didn't even want to paint it.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

The wildly successful author of numerous children's books, Shel Silverstein was also a poet, musician, illustrator and man of many talents. He even lived in the Playboy mansion for a time.

By Oisin Curran

This classic celebrated its 150th anniversary of publication in 2018. With a new film adaptation coming out this month, we look at how various movie versions of "Little Women" were tweaked to fit the times.

By Oisin Curran

Orson Welles was just 23 when he read a revised script of the book 'War of the Worlds' and had much of the United States believing that aliens were invading.

By Sam Abramson & Sarah Gleim

He once completed a 33-foot (10-meter) panoramic drawing of Tokyo in eight days. And he did it entirely in pen.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

From "Showboat" to "Hamilton," each of these 10 shows pushed the musical genre forward in some way. Did your favorite show make the list?

By Alia Hoyt

Art From the Heart is an ongoing project that donates portraits to families of Georgia's soldiers who have died in the line of duty.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

Just what is it that makes us unable to look away from da Vinci's Mona Lisa?

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

Interned during World War II, Ruth Asawa went on to create a body of iconic sculpture, numerous public commissions and a continuing legacy for young artists.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

For such a simple nursery rhyme, the story behind who wrote it sure is complicated. Even Henry Ford got involved.

By Dave Roos