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Arts & Culture

An Almost Mystical Feeling

Master painter Rembrandt was also a talented draftsman and printmaker

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Man of the Century

But 100 years after writing his classic memoir, the question about Henry Adams remains: Which century?

"In his writing," Theroux says, E.B. White (shown on his Maine farm circa 1970) "is the kindest and most rational observer of the world."

Living With Geese

Novelist and gozzard Paul Theroux ruminates about avian misconceptions, anthropomorphism and March of the Penguins as “a travesty of science”

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Last Page: Going Up?

Some brushes with fame are more uplifting than others

An Interview with Stephanie Dickey, author of “Rembrandt at 400”

Stephanie Dickey discusses Rembrandt’s ambition and what it was like to see the paintings in person

"A resilient person is performing competently while in the midst of adversity," says Stuart Hauser, author of Out of the Woods: Tales of Resilient Teens.

Extraordinary Resilience

Psychiatrist Stuart Hauser answers questions about his new book, Out of the Woods, which chronicles four emotionally disturbed teenagers

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Passion Fruit

Edward Weston quested for the perfect pepper

For his new book, Old Masters and Young Geniuses: The Two Life Cycles of Artistic Creativity, economist David Galenson conducted a study of artistic greatness.

Interview: David Galenson

Pondering the nature of artistic genius, a social scientist finds that creativity has a bottom line

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Last Page: Strings Attached

“You want the greatest guitar ever?” Dad asked

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Ways of Seeing

Inviting artists to help showcase its collections is just one way the Hirshhorn Museum is expanding its vision

On their first flight together, Charles and Anne Morrow Lindberg flew more than 7,000 miles from the United States to China.

Sky Writer

Anne Morrow Lindbergh chronicled the flights made with her celebrated husband

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Q&A: Lucy Lawless

Lucy Lawless, star of Xena: Warrior Princess, which aired from 1995 to 2001, has given her signature costume to the Museum of American History

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What’s Up

Topper, 1st Class and No Popcorn

Future president Richard M. Nixon.

When He Said “Jump…”

Philippe Halsman defied gravitas

A 30-foot-high communal meetinghouse, or mudheef, is constructed entirely of the region's ubiquitous marsh reeds, which, woven into majestic arches, support even its elegantly curved roof. "If you go back 4,000 years," one villager told the author, "you'll find exactly the same design."

Return to the Marsh

The effort to restore the Marsh Arabs’ traditional way of life in southern Iraq—virtually eradicated by Saddam Hussein —faces new threats

Philadelphia was, and remains, the crucible of North American cricket. In 1908, native son J. Barton King set records that stood for 40 years.

The History of Cricket in the United States

The game is both very British and, to Americans, very confusing. But it was once our national pastime, and its gaining fans on these shores

"All I know is that the museum's a better place because of the Gee's Bend exhibitions," says Peter Marzio, director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (shown here). "They expand the sense of what art can be." The new show (quilts are by Loretta P. Bennett) opened in Houston in June.

Fabric of Their Lives

There’s a new exhibition of works by the quilters of Gee’s Bend, Alabama, whose lives have been transformed by worldwide acclaim for their artistry

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Say What?

In an era of global communications, regional dialects are hanging in there, y’all

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The Painter Who Hated Picasso

Sporting artist Alfred Munnings loved horses, the English countryside and a good stiff drink. What he didn’t like was modern art

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What’s Up

Body language, new stripes and prime real estate

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