Great Women Artists

Despite the fact that women were involved in the process of creating art from the dawn of humanity, the conversation on their true input started not so long ago. Feminist art historians of the 1970s began uncovering the forgotten or overlooked names in the history of art.

Here are 10 fascinating women artists who left a lasting mark on history that you should definitely know.


10. Remedios Varo (1908 – 1963): The Almost Forgotten Woman 

ArtistMicrocosmos by Remedios Varo, 1959, via Sotheby’s

The name of the great Surrealist Remedios Varo has been known in Mexico for years, but it was ignored by the rest of the world until recent years. Varo worked in Spain and France, surrounded by the most influential Surrealists, but she struggled to make a living as an artist. She was a close friend of artists Leonora Carrington and Kati Horna. The trio made works in Surrealist fashion. They were commonly referred to as the three witches by their colleagues.

Success found her when she left Europe for Mexico when World War II started. Unlike other Surrealists who fled to Mexico, she never directly referenced Mexican art in her works but she was nonetheless interested in it. Varo had a deep interest in alchemy and witchcraft, which helped her create magical compositions. However, her works are not only spiritual, they also make a place for irony and for political issues, mostly those concerning women.

TO READ ABOUT THE OTHER NINE, CLICK HERE...

Great Pyramid of Giza

The Great Pyramid of Giza is the last remaining artefact in the seven wonders of the ancient world, a fascinating emblem of the ancient civilization that once ruled over Egypt. Along with the surrounding pyramids in the Giza complex, the Great Pyramid is remarkably well preserved, and has become a UNESCO World Heritage site which is under extensive protection. 

Built over 4,000 years ago, it is the largest pyramid in the world, and remained the tallest structure made by human hands for over 3,000 years, until the Eiffel Tower was constructed in Paris in 1889.

How, exactly, such a colossal structure was built has been a subject of fascination for centuries. The purpose of the Great Pyramid of Giza has also been a source of extensive study and research. Below we outline some of the most widely accepted purposes of the Great Pyramid that attracts millions of tourists every year.

Historians believe the primary role of the Great Pyramid of Giza was to act as a tomb for the great Egyptian King Khufu. Egyptians believed that their pharaohs would go on to become gods in the afterlife, but in order to prepare for a safe transition into the next world, they had to have the right burial chamber. 

King Khufu spent 27 years planning the construction of his pyramid with his cousin and vizier, the architect Hemiunu.

In its day it was the most impressive structure in the world, unlike anything anyone had seen, and its sheer scale and ingenuity seemed to represent the almighty power of the man who once ruled over the ancient kingdom, although it was more likely a demonstration of his kingdom’s wealth, which waned in subsequent generations. 

When Khufu died, his sarcophagus was placed inside the king’s chamber, deep inside the pyramid, although his remains were never found. However, his pyramid was surrounded by several satellite pyramids built for his wife and family.              TO READ MORE...

A Few Philosophical Concepts

What is the meaning of life? What are good and evil? What is justice? These are some of the questions that philosophers have been asking for centuries. Philosophy is a complex and fascinating field of study that can sometimes seem daunting to beginners. And while there’s no one answer that everyone will agree on, it’s still important to know some of the most fundamental ideas in philosophy. Here are ten common philosophical concepts everyone should be familiar with, regardless of educational background.

Plato's Theory of Ideas
Plato was the first to separate the “world of things” from the “world of ideas.” According to Plato, the idea (eidos) is the source of a thing, its prototype, the underlying reality of any particular object. For example, the “idea of a table” can either coincide with a particular table in reality or not match. But the “idea of the table” and the “concrete table” will continue to exist separately.

A vivid illustration of the division of the world into the world of ideas and the world of objects is the famous Platonic myth of the cave, in which people see not objects and other people but only their shadows on the wall of the cave. In this metaphor, the shadows projected on the wall of the cave correspond to the individual objects in the world, while the objects whose shadows are on the wall correspond to the ideas – which are more fundamental and real, in Plato’s view.

The cave for Plato is an allegory of our world, where people live, believing that the shadows on the walls of the caves are the only way to know reality. However, in reality, the shadows are just an illusion. Still, because of this illusion, it is difficult for people to pose critical questions about the existence of reality and overcome their “false consciousness.”  READ MORE...