Tempered chaos is key for painter Maggie Michael (in her Washington, D.C. studio). "In control or out of control; loved or loving; sexual or violent; my work relates to different aspects of our humanness," she says.

Artist on the Rise

Contemporary artist Maggie Michael shakes up abstract painting by giving control a chance

Chihuly's Walla Wallas (2005).

The Nature of Glass

Prolific sculptor Dale Chihuly plants his vitreous visions in a Florida garden

Thomas Buechner's portrait of Bill Zinsser.

Two Men and a Portrait

One wondered how an artist brings paint to life. The other showed him

A relentless self-promoter, Houdini appeared in several films. Performing his daring escapes for the screen, he had hoped that he could slow down his packed schedule. His showmanship did not translate in film, and his movies proved to be failures. (Library of Congress)

Houdini Revealed

Some 80 years after his death, Harry Houdini is back in the public spotlight. This photo essay sheds light on the escape artist’s life

Stencil by Banksy on the waterline of The Thekla

Graffiti: A Second Look

None

One Man’s Trash

None

Invented Worlds

None

Snubbing the Icons

None

Digital Sculptures

Designs for Living, from A to Z

Edward Bernard's "Orbis eruditi", comparing all known alphabets as of 1689

An Alphabet of Pictures

The Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. Picture taken by Hubble

Dwarf Galaxies Caught Speeding

Milky Way Revised

Ten Days, 1973

Q and A: James Rosenquist

None

Lads Without Plaids

Kiltless in Scotland: An Action Plan

None

Operatic Entrance

As Paris feted Queen Elizabeth II, photographer Bert Hardy found a circumstance to match her pomp

None

Comic Phyllis Diller’s Cabinet Keeps the Jokes Coming

The stand up comic’s archive holds a lifetime of proven punch lines

None

What’s Up

Visual music, Macbeth and people wearing hats

None

Writer Turned Scientist

In this interview, Mary K. Miller, author of “Reading Between the Lines,” describes becoming a shift supervisor in the lab

Many artists throughout history, including Van Gogh, Cellini, and Michelangelo, have led lives worthy of tabloid headlines.

Artists Behaving Badly

Temperamental masters of the art world

"War Thoughts at Home" is only one small part of a much larger research project, says Stilling.

Frost Bite

A recently discovered poem by Robert Frost has brought fame—and controversy—to an English student

Page 327 of 366