Art Stories April 2022

These stories cover the latest in art technology to art in the early 20th century. We learned a couple of things and we hope you will too.

Artistic success in NFTs explained

Several line graphs evaluating the NFT art market
Graph from “Quantifying NFT-Driven Networks in Crypto-Art.”

What determines success in the NFT art market? After much research, Albert-László Barabási has determined that the NFT market is very analogous to the traditional art market, with networks of prestige determining success.

We really appreciated this explanation of the NFT art market backed by data and easy-to-understand explanations. If you’re looking to understand more about the crypto-art space, don’t miss this article.

See J.R.R. Tolkien’s artistic work

Illustration done by Tolkien of the scene conversation with Smaug
J.R.R. Tolkien, Conversation With Smaug, July 1937 Courtesy of the Tolkien Estate / © The Tolkien Estate Limited

Did you know that in addition to being a writer, J.R.R. Tolkien was also an artist? In fact, he produced some wonderful illustrations and maps of his imagined worlds. You can now find many of his unpublished art on the Tolkien Estate‘s website.

We hope you’ll enjoy exploring through his paintings, illustrations, and maps, whether you’re a Middle Earth fan or not.

London Underground was designed to help illiterate passengers

Russell Square subway tiles
The black, white and green tile pattern on the platform wall at Russell Square, which was one of many Piccadilly line stations designed by famed London architect Leslie Green which then opened in the early 20th century

In the early 20th century, one in five Britons was illiterate. To help them with wayfinding, the London Underground had each platform on the Piccadilly Line designed in a unique way.

We love the use of design to help improve lives. It’s wonderful that some of these original designs can still be seen.


If you have some favorite articles and stories about art, let us know! We’d love to feature them on our blog and newsletter.

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