Mysteries in the paint

Hidden women, forgotten artists, and the poet with no hands. (Issue #439) Karola in her Studio by Dominik Skutetzky, via Wikimedia Commons “History is written by the painter,” writes Anna Saraiva in her analysis of Jacques Louis David , the painter of Napoleon and countless other historical pieces of art. It’s not just histories, though — context, culture, and emotions are all imbued into works of art.