Art History at Canisius University

We marvel at his work and insight into the processes taken by artists to record their lives and world.

The Yorkshire-born maestro had been a cultural star to reckon with, and a pioneer of new figurative formats, since making headlines at the New Contemporaries exhibition in London in 1961

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2026/06/12/david-hockney-an-artist-of-brio-and-versatility-with-global-recognition-beyond-the-art-world-has-died-aged-88

Wow!! That will be a mighty undertaking! Challenge Accepted!

Lego has unveiled its biggest set yet— a 12,060-piece Sagrada Familia model that stands two feet tall and is designed to let light pass through it like real stained-glass windows: http://www.wgrz.com/article/news/nation-world/lego-biggest-set-sagrada-familia-12000-pieces/507-374c8a44-e239-46ec-9871-d38d8c8825fa?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_WGRZ_-_Channel_2,_Buffalo

So excited to see this happen. The cathedral is spectacular!! What a vision Gaudí had!!

Antoni Gaudí’s Sagrada Família is finally shedding the cranes that have clustered around its towers for well over a century. Probably the world’s most famous unfinished building, the basilica has been under construction for 144 years. On 10 June, the centennial of Gaudí’s death, Pope Leo XIV is due to bless the Tower of Jesus Christ, completed in February, at a mass. Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sanchez will be among those in attendance. The inauguration marks the symbolic completion of the church, though work is expected to continue for another decade.

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2026/06/04/gaudis-sagrada-familia-finally-shakes-off-its-incompletable-tag-as-pope-prepares-to-inaugurate-tallest-and-final-tower

Happy Pride Month!! We are very proud to be a part of an institution that celebrates and lifts up everyone!

As we step into June, Canisius proudly recognizes and celebrates the start of Pride Month. The university stands tall in support of its LGBTQIA+ community, and champions diversity in all forms so everyone feels seen, heard and valued. This month and always, we're committed to creating spaces where everyone belongs, exactly as they are. 💙

It’s official! Vermeer’s stunning portrait has a Miffy toy.

A Miffy toy posed as Vermeer's 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' has become an internet celebrity after an appearance at a Tokyo press conference.

Read more in the comments.

A lovely article about one of my favorite selfies to discuss!!!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1D7RW72KZN/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Happy birthday, Albrecht Dürer!

Dürer was born in Nürnberg 555 years ago today — but back in 1500, he was just about to turn 29 when he painted one of the first self-portraits.

Dürer wasn’t simply vain. As an artist in Renaissance Italy, he’d grown accustomed to being treated like a prince — and home now, he wanted to impress his fellow Germans with his sophistication.

Here, Dürer stares out intensely — you can’t avoid his gaze. He’s decked out in a fancy fur-lined coat and perfectly permed hair. He marks this snapshot with an exact place and time. To the left of his face is the year — “1500.” To the right is a Latin inscription saying “I, Albrecht Dürer from Nürnberg, painted myself with indelible colors at XXVIII years” (age 28).

Though still a young man, Dürer was now the most famous artist in Europe. His woodcut prints and engravings had been shared with thousands, thanks to the newly invented mass medium of the printing press. This painting has an engraver’s attention to detail. The hair is intricately coiled into cascading ringlets. The skin texture is shaded just right. His well-cropped beard and finely curved lips are those of a handsome man. In the fur collar, you can see every individual hair. Dürer’s eyes radiate intelligence. It’s a very personal portrait of a real flesh-and-blood human being.

Portraits of real people were just coming into their own. During medieval times, only Christ and the saints were worth painting. Oh, a few kings and dukes got portraits, but these were usually photoshopped to show them in the best light. Artists never painted themselves. They were low on the societal totem pole, anonymous, and considered blue-collar craftsmen who worked with messy paints.

But Dürer had visited Renaissance Italy, where he saw a revolution underway. Ordinary citizens were now deemed worthy to be depicted in all their everyday glory, warts and all. And artists like Botticelli and Michelangelo were rock stars.

Dürer returned to Germany and created Europe’s first true selfies. This is a life-size, stand-alone portrait of himself, as rich and monumental and serious as any saint or king. In fact, look closely at Dürer’s intense, full-frontal gaze and raised hand. He looks exactly like a Christ from a medieval altarpiece, raising his hand in solemn blessing. This was the ultimate humanist statement. It focused on a man, not a saint, portraying him almost like Christ on earth — the artist as an instrument of God, carrying on his creation.

After Dürer, self-portraits became a thing. Raphael photobombed his own masterpiece, “The School of Athens.” Michelangelo painted his twisted self-portrait in “The Last Judgment.” Rembrandt’s self-portraits show the artist’s evolution — from unsure young man to confident careerist to brooding old man. Van Gogh added even more psychological intensity, and Picasso gave a backstage peek at his work process. Each artist’s self-portrait shows his emotional state, a glimpse at how beauty is born.

But ultimately, Dürer’s self-portrait is not a statement or a symbol, but just what it appears to be — a photorealistic snapshot of a very remarkable man. To hammer home his personal imprint, the artist signed the work with his distinct signature — a letter A arching over a D: Albrecht Dürer.

On this day 125 years ago, distinguished guests gathered at the Pan-American Exposition for Dedication Day ceremonies on May 20, 1901. This remarkable view captures the procession entering the Temple of Music, led by Vice-President Theodore Roosevelt, as thousands of spectators lined the grounds to witness the occasion.

The grand architecture seen here — including the Temple of Music and surrounding exhibition buildings — reflected Buffalo’s emergence onto the international stage at the dawn of the twentieth century.

📸 Preferred Citation: Collection of The Buffalo History Museum. Pan-American photograph collection, Picture .P36, Box 4, PA II A8-1.