I missed “At Eternity’s Gate” when it was in theaters last fall, but it was just released on Blu-ray and I am completely in awe. It is a work of art. It is a film by a painter (Julian Schnabel), about a painter (Vincent van Gogh) and it is unbelievable to me that it has […]
Read more "At Eternity’s Gate"I am pleased to share my most recent article for ArtScene Press! The Cornell Fine Arts Museum on the campus of Rollins College has a number of art exhibits concurrently on view in different galleries throughout the museum. I chose to focus on a small, but powerful exhibition – Body Snatchers: Death in Culture – […]
Read more "Body Snatchers"A recent scientific discovery proves that some Medieval manuscript illuminators were women. Last month, a German woman’s body dated ca. 1100 AD was exhumed and inspected. Blue particles were found in the mouth of the corpse and those particles were determined to be lapis lazuli. Lapis lazuli came from what is now Afghanistan which was […]
Read more "Women Manuscript Illuminators"I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino is a young adult novel about the artist Diego Velazquez (of “Las Meninas” fame) told from the point of view of his assistant, Juan de Pareja. Honestly, the book is more Juan’s story than it is Velazquez’ story because it provides an intimate look at slavery […]
Read more "I, Juan de Pareja"It is a fascinating study to see the types of artwork that are produced during times of extreme trauma or stress. While that sounds very obtuse and insensitive, art history always asks “why?” an artwork is created. Asking difficult questions about art can provide a better understanding of an artwork, an artist and the intentions […]
Read more "Art as Comfort"While visiting the Windy City, we took a boat tour of the Chicago River dedicated to showcasing the city’s rich architectural history. The tours were provided by Chicago’s First Lady and the guides were volunteers from the Chicago Architecture Foundation. This was easily one of the best tours I have ever experienced and since I […]
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The Wandering Art Historian 