How to Read a Movie

The Wandering Art Historian YouTube channel has been a bit quiet since October 2020, but all that changed last month. My newest web series – How to Read a Movie – debuted in February and the response has been astounding! If that title sounds at all familiar, it’s because it is a direct callback to […]

“Andrei Rublev”

I feel the need to be upfront with all of you before you get too far into this review of Andrei Tarkovsky’s film Andrei Rublev… I just can’t with this guy. I consider myself rather openminded, especially when it comes to art and that includes cinema. I love movies that don’t tell the viewer exactly […]

Prop Culture

As someone who used to work in a scenic and fabrication shop, I was intrigued by a new show on Disney+ titled “Prop Culture.” The premise centers around a man who collects movie props and hunts down props that may be missing or tucked away in odd locations. When I realized that one of the […]

“Birds of Prey”

While I prefer the Marvel Cinematic Universe to the DCEU (DC Extended Universe), I finally got around to watching 2019’s “Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn.” Besides being the most enjoyable film of the DC franchise thus far, I was pleasantly surprised by a couple of art historical references. For […]

Art Inspired Movie List

Now that we all have an abundance of time on our hands, let’s use that time to get caught up on some great art inspired movies! This list is compiled from past blog posts, so if you want more information on the individual films, check the blog or visit imdb.com. With each film on this […]

Art in the Time of a Pandemic

Hello friends and followers! In light of the current global heath crisis and the need for social distancing, most of us will not be able to travel, let alone visit art museums, for the foreseeable future. Here in Central Florida, most of our art institutions have closed as a precaution and multiple art-related events have […]

“Weathering With You”

“Weathering With You” is the sophomore effort of director Makoto Shinkai that is currently taking the world of animation by storm. This film will not only appeal to fans of the Studio Ghibli films produced by the esteemed living legend Hayao Miyazaki, but to anyone who appreciates animated film-making, whether hand-drawn or computer generated. Without […]

Velvet Buzzsaw

“Velvet Buzzsaw” is the newest film from the writer and director of “Nightcrawler,” Dan Gilroy. It debuted on Netflix on February 1st and it centers around a group of art world colleagues as they discover the work of a recently deceased outsider artist. That is the very brief, no spoilers description of a film that […]

Xenomorph

“Xenomorph” is a recent painting of mine that made its debut at the 9th Annual Dia de los Muertos & Monster Factory art show at City Arts Factory in Downtown Orlando, FL last week. For long-time readers of this blog, you know that I have set for myself a few parameters for creating art in […]

Amadeus

Director Milos Forman passed away on Friday, April 13th and I am still mourning this great loss. “Amadeus” is easily one of my Top 10 favorite films of all time and for me it resonates on both a creative and human level. “Amadeus” is really a study in paradox and the contradictions between absolutes. Talent […]