Dear Reader,
September arrives with a gentle change of pace, as summer slowly gives way to the rich colours and quieter rhythms of early autumn. It is a month of fresh beginnings, renewed curiosity, and the pleasure of returning to thoughtful discovery. In this month’s selection, each work offers a different perspective, inviting us to explore stories, craftsmanship, and moments of beauty that reward a closer look. May September inspire you to embrace the season with curiosity, reflection, and a renewed appreciation for the art that surrounds us.
Featured Posts:
🌼 Tuesday, September 1: Flower & Artwork of the Month, Chrysanthemums and Asters – As summer fades into autumn, this elegant Japanese inrō captures the quiet beauty of the changing season. Delicately decorated with flowering Chrysanthemums and Asters, two blossoms deeply associated with autumn in Japan, it celebrates nature’s fleeting splendour through exquisite lacquer craftsmanship. Small enough to fit in the palm of a hand, yet rich in symbolism and artistry, this refined object reminds us that even everyday possessions can become extraordinary works of art.
🌿 Friday, September 4: Linger with the Quiet Beauty of Ciriaca’s Mosaic Portraits – Discover two extraordinary mosaic portraits from the Musei Vaticani, once adorning the wall of a cubiculum dedicated to Simplicia Rustica by her husband Flavius Iulius Iulianus.
🏛️ Tuesday, September 8: A mysterious beauty:A Sphinx Statue from the Acropolis Museum in Athens, Greece – Carved from luminous Parian marble around 540–530 BC, this graceful sphinx from the Acropolis Museum reveals the elegance and imagination of Archaic Greek sculpture. What stories of protection, power, and mythology might this enigmatic creature have whispered to those who encountered it more than 2,500 years ago?
🏫 Friday, September 11: In Saint Louis Art Museum, Winslow Homer’s art reminds us of 19th century one-room schoolhouses – When Winslow Homer painted this country school in 1871, Massachusetts had already led the way by introducing compulsory education nearly twenty years earlier. The painting captures not only a rural classroom but also a society embracing the importance of learning for every child.
🐾 Wednesday, September 16: When Pierre Bonnard investigates a plunging viewpoint and a lowered perspective – In The Street: A Man Struggling with Two Dogs, painted in 1895, the artist creates a scene full of movement and visual tension. The two dogs are rendered with flowing, calligraphic lines inspired by Japanese art, their energetic forms contrasting sharply with the rigid posture of the man, who appears unsteady as he confronts them.
🍂 Tuesday, September 22: How does Van Valckenborch transform a moment of aristocratic leisure into a celebration of nature’s abundance and the timeless beauty of the season? – As the season turns and nature prepares for harvest, this richly detailed painting captures the rhythms of autumn through vineyards, festivities, and the changing landscape.
🌞 Tuesday, September 25: How does Lytras transform a simple rooftop terrace into a timeless celebration of colour, atmosphere, and the beauty of island life? – Painted on the island of Tinos in the 1920s, this luminous scene captures the quiet poetry of everyday life, where sunlight, architecture, and human presence merge into a harmonious Mediterranean vision.
📝 Friday, September 29: Newsletter for October 2026
👉 Click https://www.teachercurator.com/ to explore all full stories, PowerPoints and Student Activities that make Art History feel alive!
💐 May your September be filled with inspiration, curiosity, and moments of discovery,
Amalia Spiliakou / Teacher Curator