Stories behind the surface
Journal
Essays begin with museum records and lead outward: toward a technique, a life, a close reading, or a question worth carrying into the gallery.
Close looking
The Campbell Sisters: A Waltz Held in Marble
Lorenzo Bartolini turns a double portrait into a study of shared rhythm, using carved drapery, linked bodies and polished marble to hold a passing dance in view.
21 July 2026 · 3 min read
Close looking
Why Rodin’s surfaces still feel modern
The fingerprints, seams, enlargements, and unfinished passages are not flaws around the work. They are where the work happens.
20 July 2026 · 6 min read
Artist story
Edmonia Lewis: carving a place in Rome
A transatlantic career in marble joined Neoclassical training to questions of freedom, literature, and self-definition.
18 July 2026 · 5 min read
Technique
From wax to bronze: one sculpture, several disappearances
Lost-wax casting turns a temporary model into a durable metal body through molds, heat, channels, and calculated absence.
14 July 2026 · 7 min read