The Visual Writer

Renee Mertz

July 12, 2018

Sunset at Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland

Renee Mertz

July 12, 2018

Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz

featured

More >>

Mar 5, 2023

Nubian treasures at the Saint Louis Art Museum

Mar 5, 2023

Mar 5, 2023

Jan 8, 2023

Exterior sculptural decoration of Villa Barbaro, Maser

Jan 8, 2023

Jan 8, 2023

Nov 13, 2022

Yinka Shonibare at the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park

Nov 13, 2022

Nov 13, 2022

Mar 26, 2021

21 best reads in 2020

Mar 26, 2021

Mar 26, 2021

Dec 7, 2019

Greek pottery from Etruscan tombs at Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Ferrara

Dec 7, 2019

Dec 7, 2019

Sep 12, 2019

Death masks from Brooklyn's House of Wax

Sep 12, 2019

Sep 12, 2019

Sep 4, 2019

Pre-Columbian objects from the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Sep 4, 2019

Sep 4, 2019

Jun 19, 2019

Shang and Zhou bronzes

Jun 19, 2019

Jun 19, 2019

May 22, 2019

Baroque pearls of Palazzo Pitti

May 22, 2019

May 22, 2019

May 18, 2019

Aesthetics of “The Long Night” (and a note on "The Bells")

May 18, 2019

May 18, 2019

May 8, 2019

Olenna was right: a rant on Game of Thrones, feminism, and contemporary politics

May 8, 2019

May 8, 2019

Oct 31, 2018

Human anatomical collections of Bologna

Oct 31, 2018

Oct 31, 2018

Barbaro, eye contact woman.jpg

Oct 10, 2018

Silent, unchanging household: Veronese's figures at Villa Barbaro

Oct 10, 2018

Oct 10, 2018

Sep 26, 2018

Beneath the Maya world: cenotes and caves of the Yucatán

Sep 26, 2018

Sep 26, 2018

Sep 12, 2018

Parco dei Mostri, Bomarzo

Sep 12, 2018

Sep 12, 2018

Sep 6, 2018

The British Museum's crystal skull and the joy of fakes

Sep 6, 2018

Sep 6, 2018

Books

More>>

Oct 3, 2023

Spooky Victober reads

Oct 3, 2023

Oct 3, 2023

Dec 31, 2022

Best reads of 2021—A very late reflection

Dec 31, 2022

Dec 31, 2022

Mar 26, 2021

21 best reads in 2020

Mar 26, 2021

Mar 26, 2021

Mar 16, 2021

A review of my 2020 reading challenge

Mar 16, 2021

Mar 16, 2021

Dec 29, 2019

2020 reading challenge

Dec 29, 2019

Dec 29, 2019

Edward J Goodman, Too Curious, London, Guildford, Bentley & Son, 1888.jpg

Apr 24, 2019

Inspiring book covers

Apr 24, 2019

Apr 24, 2019

Nov 7, 2018

Malatestiana Library, Cesena

Nov 7, 2018

Nov 7, 2018

Libraries

More>>

Jun 5, 2019

Biblioteca comunale dell'Archiginnasio, Bologna

Jun 5, 2019

Jun 5, 2019

May 15, 2019

Piccolomini Library, Siena

May 15, 2019

May 15, 2019

Nov 14, 2018

Austrian National Library, Vienna

Nov 14, 2018

Nov 14, 2018

Nov 7, 2018

Malatestiana Library, Cesena

Nov 7, 2018

Nov 7, 2018

Gardens and Parks

More>>

Nov 6, 2022

Sculpture in the gardens

Nov 6, 2022

Nov 6, 2022

Oct 23, 2022

Flora and fish at the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park

Oct 23, 2022

Oct 23, 2022

May 18, 2020

Frescoed interiors of Villa Lante's garden palazzine

May 18, 2020

May 18, 2020

Mar 7, 2020

Niki de Saint Phalle's Tuscan Tarot Garden

Mar 7, 2020

Mar 7, 2020

Jan 25, 2020

Tellen Woodland Sculpture Garden, Sheboygan, WI

Jan 25, 2020

Jan 25, 2020

Jun 26, 2019

La Scarzuola, Montegabbione

Jun 26, 2019

Jun 26, 2019

Apr 10, 2019

Parco Mediceo di Pratolino, Vaglia

Apr 10, 2019

Apr 10, 2019

Oct 3, 2018

Villa Lante, Bagnaia, Viterbo

Oct 3, 2018

Oct 3, 2018

Sep 12, 2018

Parco dei Mostri, Bomarzo

Sep 12, 2018

Sep 12, 2018

The Great Indoors

More>>

Oct 30, 2022

Views of Utopia at the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park

Oct 30, 2022

Oct 30, 2022

May 18, 2020

Frescoed interiors of Villa Lante's garden palazzine

May 18, 2020

May 18, 2020

May 10, 2020

Duomo di San Gimignano

May 10, 2020

May 10, 2020

Apr 29, 2020

A Renaissance chapel in a Gothic cathedral: the dramatic, divergent interiors of Duomo di Orvieto

Apr 29, 2020

Apr 29, 2020

Apr 18, 2020

Three-dimensional curation at the Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna

Apr 18, 2020

Apr 18, 2020

Apr 11, 2020

Light and shadow at the Milwaukee Public Museum

Apr 11, 2020

Apr 11, 2020

Apr 4, 2020

The good hang: revisiting the spaces of the Milwaukee Art Museum

Apr 4, 2020

Apr 4, 2020

Feb 25, 2020

Views from the fortress of San Leo

Feb 25, 2020

Feb 25, 2020

Jan 2, 2020

Stunning ceilings of Ferrara

Jan 2, 2020

Jan 2, 2020

Jul 18, 2019

Ravenna interiors

Jul 18, 2019

Jul 18, 2019

May 15, 2019

Piccolomini Library, Siena

May 15, 2019

May 15, 2019

Apr 17, 2019

Still looking up in Florence

Apr 17, 2019

Apr 17, 2019

Apr 3, 2019

Looking up in Florence

Apr 3, 2019

Apr 3, 2019

Jul 16, 2018

Ceilings of Palazzo Chiericati, Vicenza

Jul 16, 2018

Jul 16, 2018

villas and palazzos

More>>

Jan 8, 2023

Exterior sculptural decoration of Villa Barbaro, Maser

Jan 8, 2023

Jan 8, 2023

May 18, 2020

Frescoed interiors of Villa Lante's garden palazzine

May 18, 2020

May 18, 2020

Jan 2, 2020

Stunning ceilings of Ferrara

Jan 2, 2020

Jan 2, 2020

Aug 14, 2019

Palazzo Leoni Montanari, Vicenza, Part 3

Aug 14, 2019

Aug 14, 2019

Aug 7, 2019

Palazzo Leoni Montanari, Vicenza, Part 2

Aug 7, 2019

Aug 7, 2019

Jul 31, 2019

Palazzo Leoni Montanari, Vicenza, Part 1

Jul 31, 2019

Jul 31, 2019

May 1, 2019

Small objects from the Treasury of the Grand Dukes, Palazzo Pitti

May 1, 2019

May 1, 2019

Apr 17, 2019

Still looking up in Florence

Apr 17, 2019

Apr 17, 2019

Apr 3, 2019

Looking up in Florence

Apr 3, 2019

Apr 3, 2019

Oct 31, 2018

Human anatomical collections of Bologna

Oct 31, 2018

Oct 31, 2018

Oct 24, 2018

The Anatomical Venus of Palazzo Poggi

Oct 24, 2018

Oct 24, 2018

Barbaro, eye contact woman.jpg

Oct 10, 2018

Silent, unchanging household: Veronese's figures at Villa Barbaro

Oct 10, 2018

Oct 10, 2018

Oct 3, 2018

Villa Lante, Bagnaia, Viterbo

Oct 3, 2018

Oct 3, 2018

Jul 16, 2018

Ceilings of Palazzo Chiericati, Vicenza

Jul 16, 2018

Jul 16, 2018

Art in Museums

more>>

Mar 5, 2023

Nubian treasures at the Saint Louis Art Museum

Mar 5, 2023

Mar 5, 2023

Feb 12, 2023

Mannerism and the Northern Renaissance at the Art Institute of Chicago

Feb 12, 2023

Feb 12, 2023

Feb 5, 2023

19th century-ish European art at the Art Institute of Chicago

Feb 5, 2023

Feb 5, 2023

Jan 29, 2023

Modern and contemporary highlights from the Art Institute of Chicago

Jan 29, 2023

Jan 29, 2023

Jan 15, 2023

In shades of blue and gold: highlights from the American and European collections of the Grand Rapids Art Museum

Jan 15, 2023

Jan 15, 2023

Nov 27, 2022

Nick Cave: Forothermore at the MCA Chicago

Nov 27, 2022

Nov 27, 2022

Nov 13, 2022

Yinka Shonibare at the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park

Nov 13, 2022

Nov 13, 2022

Apr 4, 2020

The good hang: revisiting the spaces of the Milwaukee Art Museum

Apr 4, 2020

Apr 4, 2020

Dec 7, 2019

Greek pottery from Etruscan tombs at Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Ferrara

Dec 7, 2019

Dec 7, 2019

Oct 9, 2019

Salvaging otherwise terrible photos from the Capital Museum, Beijing

Oct 9, 2019

Oct 9, 2019

Sep 18, 2019

Whitney Museum of American Art, summer 2019

Sep 18, 2019

Sep 18, 2019

Sep 4, 2019

Pre-Columbian objects from the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Sep 4, 2019

Sep 4, 2019

Jun 19, 2019

Shang and Zhou bronzes

Jun 19, 2019

Jun 19, 2019

May 22, 2019

Baroque pearls of Palazzo Pitti

May 22, 2019

May 22, 2019

May 1, 2019

Small objects from the Treasury of the Grand Dukes, Palazzo Pitti

May 1, 2019

May 1, 2019

Anatomies

More>>

Sep 12, 2019

Death masks from Brooklyn's House of Wax

Sep 12, 2019

Sep 12, 2019

May 29, 2019

Anatomical Theater, Bologna

May 29, 2019

May 29, 2019

Nov 21, 2018

Collection of Zoology, Sistema Museale di Ateneo, University of Bologna

Nov 21, 2018

Nov 21, 2018

Oct 31, 2018

Human anatomical collections of Bologna

Oct 31, 2018

Oct 31, 2018

Oct 24, 2018

The Anatomical Venus of Palazzo Poggi

Oct 24, 2018

Oct 24, 2018

Oct 17, 2018

Anatomical models of La Specola

Oct 17, 2018

Oct 17, 2018

In focus

MORE>>

Feb 26, 2023

The Frog Man of Jean-Joseph Carriès

Feb 26, 2023

Feb 26, 2023

Dec 4, 2022

Pomodoro's Disk in the Form of a Desert Rose

Dec 4, 2022

Dec 4, 2022

Nov 20, 2022

El Anatsui at the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park

Nov 20, 2022

Nov 20, 2022

Oct 30, 2022

Views of Utopia at the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park

Oct 30, 2022

Oct 30, 2022

Oct 16, 2022

Archipenko's silvered "White Torso"

Oct 16, 2022

Oct 16, 2022

Jan 16, 2020

One pic post: chastity belt

Jan 16, 2020

Jan 16, 2020

Nov 20, 2019

One pic post: mermaid

Nov 20, 2019

Nov 20, 2019

Oct 24, 2018

The Anatomical Venus of Palazzo Poggi

Oct 24, 2018

Oct 24, 2018

Sep 6, 2018

The British Museum's crystal skull and the joy of fakes

Sep 6, 2018

Sep 6, 2018

aztec death whistle from mexicolore.co.uk.jpg

Jul 17, 2018

Aztec death whistles

Jul 17, 2018

Jul 17, 2018

Photo Essays

More>>

Jan 15, 2023

In shades of blue and gold: highlights from the American and European collections of the Grand Rapids Art Museum

Jan 15, 2023

Jan 15, 2023

Sep 3, 2020

Chinese dragons

Sep 3, 2020

Sep 3, 2020

Aug 21, 2020

Minerals at the Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna, part 3

Aug 21, 2020

Aug 21, 2020

Aug 11, 2020

Minerals at the Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna, part 2

Aug 11, 2020

Aug 11, 2020

Jul 30, 2020

Minerals from the Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna

Jul 30, 2020

Jul 30, 2020

Mar 28, 2020

Up close in Ravenna

Mar 28, 2020

Mar 28, 2020

Mar 14, 2020

Balena Bianca and Fosso Bianco, Bagni San Filippo, Tuscany

Mar 14, 2020

Mar 14, 2020

Feb 16, 2020

Close-up: Cave 3, Yungang Grottoes, Datong, China

Feb 16, 2020

Feb 16, 2020

Dec 19, 2019

Sculpture in Ferrara, part 2

Dec 19, 2019

Dec 19, 2019

Dec 12, 2019

Sculpture in Ferrara, part 1

Dec 12, 2019

Dec 12, 2019

Nov 27, 2019

Shame masks

Nov 27, 2019

Nov 27, 2019

Nov 13, 2019

Witches at San Gimignano's Museums of Torture and Death Penalty

Nov 13, 2019

Nov 13, 2019

Sep 25, 2019

Figures of Ravenna

Sep 25, 2019

Sep 25, 2019

Aug 28, 2019

Faces of Ravenna

Aug 28, 2019

Aug 28, 2019

Aug 21, 2019

Through Ravenna

Aug 21, 2019

Aug 21, 2019

Jul 24, 2019

Ravenna exteriors

Jul 24, 2019

Jul 24, 2019

Jul 10, 2019

Walls of Tulum

Jul 10, 2019

Jul 10, 2019

Jun 12, 2019

Fantastic creatures of Chinese roof tiles

Jun 12, 2019

Jun 12, 2019

Apr 17, 2019

Still looking up in Florence

Apr 17, 2019

Apr 17, 2019

Mar 27, 2019

Seeking even more inspiration in Siena

Mar 27, 2019

Mar 27, 2019

Mar 20, 2019

Seeking more inspiration in Siena

Mar 20, 2019

Mar 20, 2019

Mar 13, 2019

Seeking inspiration in Siena

Mar 13, 2019

Mar 13, 2019

Dec 26, 2018

Past and present side-by-side in Vienna

Dec 26, 2018

Dec 26, 2018

Dec 12, 2018

Faces of Vienna, part 2

Dec 12, 2018

Dec 12, 2018

Nov 21, 2018

Collection of Zoology, Sistema Museale di Ateneo, University of Bologna

Nov 21, 2018

Nov 21, 2018

Sep 26, 2018

Beneath the Maya world: cenotes and caves of the Yucatán

Sep 26, 2018

Sep 26, 2018

Sep 19, 2018

Death and Vienna

Sep 19, 2018

Sep 19, 2018

Aug 6, 2018

Kuniyoshi's ghosts

Aug 6, 2018

Aug 6, 2018

default (1).jpg

Aug 3, 2018

Hokusai's Ghosts

Aug 3, 2018

Aug 3, 2018

Jul 26, 2018

Drama, humor, and naturalism in Maya sculptures of the human form

Jul 26, 2018

Jul 26, 2018

Archive