Let’s start with composition. This refers to how the different parts of a work come together to create a whole (much like a piece of classical music – or a cake).
Next, up, we’ve got en plein air – a fancy way of saying 'outdoors'. Painting en plein air was popular with the Impressionists, who found that working outside let them capture the nuances of light and colour far better than they could in the studio.
Now, like almost every painter who came before them, the Impressionists were figurative artists. In plain English, this meant that they painted real things, like people and places and implausibly stacked fruit bowls.
By contrast, abstract artists aren’t interested in depicting the world as we normally see it: if you're into shapes, lines and big blobs of colour, this might be the style for you.
Another bit of art jargon that sounds scarier than it really is diptych. This is simply an artwork made up of two separate parts or panels. And you guessed it – a triptych is a work made up of three.
If a triptych doesn’t float your boat, then how about a tondo? Taken from rotondo, the Italian word for ‘round’, this refers to a work in the shape of a circle.
Another exotic term beloved by art buffs is fin de siècle. This French phrase translates to ‘end of century’, and generally refers to the period from around 1880 to 1900. Of course, you could simply say ‘the end of the 19th century’ – but that wouldn’t be anything like as impressive, would it?
Last but not least, we come to the most valuable weapon in the art expert’s arsenal. Next time you find yourself faced with a work you really don’t understand – or a work you really don’t like – stand in silence, slowly stroke your chin, and after at least twenty seconds have passed, utter the immortal words: hmm… interesting.
Right: you’re all set to dazzle the experts with your newfound vocab. But if you want to take things to the next level, be sure to download MuseMuse.
Our app is packed full of bite-sized breakdowns spanning thousands of years of art and culture. And whether you’re a complete newbie or a cultural connoisseur, you’re bound to learn something new (and have fun while you do it!).
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While the museum’s main entrance on Great Russell Street is pretty impressive to look at, it can also attract some equally impressive queues. To cut down the wait time, try the rear entrance on Montague Place. Thankfully, most visitors seem to have no idea that it exists (or perhaps they just really love queuing).
Either way, this ‘back door’ is usually a safe bet for a much smoother entry – giving you more time to peruse the museum’s incredible collection!
While it might be a bit of a cliché, it’s also an inescapable fact: London has some pretty terrible weather. So, on those rare days that the sun decides to make an appearance, most normal people want to make the most of it, not spend the day indoors.
Which is great for us. While everyone else is outside getting some vitamin D, we can enjoy a less crowded, less hectic British Museum. Sure, this might seem just a little bit wrong – but to get a better look at the likes of the Rosetta Stone and the Sutton Hoo Helmet, it’s more than worth it!
(And whatever you do, just try not to go on a rainy day – because then things really can get messy).
The British Museum is a vast site – but few visitors venture beyond a few core exhibits. Their loss is our gain: from the Holy Thorn Reliquary to the Mold Gold Cape, the museum’s less popular galleries are still packed full of priceless historical treasures – and you won’t have to elbow anyone out of the way to see them!
In a collection as big as the British Museum, you’re never going to be able to see everything – but MuseMuse can help you make the absolute best of your visit. With our custom itineraries and bite-sized guides to the essential exhibits, you can cut out the aimless wandering and glide through the place like a pro.
Right then, you’re all set for a spiffing day out at the British Museum – we hope that our top tips will add that extra bit of sparkle to your visit! Just don’t telltoomany people about that back entrance, eh?
Let’s start with composition. This refers to how the different parts of a work come together to create a whole (much like a piece of classical music – or a cake).
Next, up, we’ve got en plein air – a fancy way of saying 'outdoors'. Painting en plein air was popular with the Impressionists, who found that working outside let them capture the nuances of light and colour far better than they could in the studio.
Now, like almost every painter who came before them, the Impressionists were figurative artists. In plain English, this meant that they painted real things, like people and places and implausibly stacked fruit bowls.
By contrast, abstract artists aren’t interested in depicting the world as we normally see it: if you're into shapes, lines and big blobs of colour, this might be the style for you.
Another bit of art jargon that sounds scarier than it really is diptych. This is simply an artwork made up of two separate parts or panels. And you guessed it – a triptych is a work made up of three.
If a triptych doesn’t float your boat, then how about a tondo? Taken from rotondo, the Italian word for ‘round’, this refers to a work in the shape of a circle.
Another exotic term beloved by art buffs is fin de siècle. This French phrase translates to ‘end of century’, and generally refers to the period from around 1880 to 1900. Of course, you could simply say ‘the end of the 19th century’ – but that wouldn’t be anything like as impressive, would it?
Last but not least, we come to the most valuable weapon in the art expert’s arsenal. Next time you find yourself faced with a work you really don’t understand – or a work you really don’t like – stand in silence, slowly stroke your chin, and after at least twenty seconds have passed, utter the immortal words: hmm… interesting.
Right: you’re all set to dazzle the experts with your newfound vocab. But if you want to take things to the next level, be sure to download MuseMuse.
Our app is packed full of bite-sized breakdowns spanning thousands of years of art and culture. And whether you’re a complete newbie or a cultural connoisseur, you’re bound to learn something new (and have fun while you do it!).
For decades, no one knew what to make of them. Some believed they were the work of a vandal. The truth remained a mystery until 2021, when infrared imaging and handwriting analysis finally settled the debate.
The words were written by Munch himself. The revelation transformed the painting from an expression of terror into something even more intimate: a quiet confession. The inscription appears on only one of the four known versions of The Scream.
The image was born from a single night that left a permanent mark on Munch. He later described the experience in his diary, and his words are as haunting as the painting itself:
“I was walking along the road with two friends—the sun was setting—suddenly the sky turned blood red—I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned on the fence—there was blood and tongues of fire above the blue-black fjord and the city. My friends walked on, and I stood there trembling with anxiety—and I sensed an infinite scream passing through nature.”
That moment of dread did not come out of nowhere. Munch’s life was already steeped in loss and fear. His mother and one of his sisters had died of tuberculosis when he was young. Another sister was later committed to a mental asylum. He struggled with alcoholism, anxiety, and recurring breakdowns. Mental illness haunted his family, and Munch lived with the constant fear that madness was not just around him, but inside him, waiting.
And that burning red sky may not have been pure imagination. Some scientists believe it was inspired by the eruption of the Krakatoa volcano in Indonesia in 1883. The explosion sent ash particles high into the atmosphere, creating spectacular, blood red sunsets around the world for years.
So why would Munch scribble such a brutal line over his own masterpiece?
The words were added after The Scream was first exhibited in 1895, after critics reacted rather harshly. One review mocked the work, suggesting that only a madman could have painted something so disturbing. Munch did not argue publicly. Instead, he responded in pencil, writing the accusation himself in letters so faint they almost disappeared into the paint. It was defiance, irony, and self-awareness all at once.
The painting’s troubled history does not end there. The Scream was stolen twice, once in 1994 and again in 2004, and recovered both times. Four versions of the work exist today. One of them, the 1895 pastel, sold for $119.9M in 2012, making it one of the most expensive ever sold.
What remains is an image that still screams across time, and a single sentence, nearly erased, that asks whether madness was the subject of the painting, or its source.
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