For students of the humanities…
Science and art can come together in surprising ways. This article from the Metropolitan Museum of Art showcases how scientific analyses can tell us more about art that has captivated the world. In this case, the art being examined is The Great Wave/Under the Wave off Kanagawa. Also included in this article is a discussion… Continue reading Article: The Great Wave: Anatomy of an Icon
Are sea monsters real? Can someone "release the Kraken"? History and literature are filled with a myriad of stories about deadly beasts that sink ships and eat people. This article presents a theory that may explain as least some of the (less deadly and dangerous) stories. link to The Kraken: when myth encounters science
There have been two Elizabethan Ages in British history. The first took place in the 16th Century, and the second ended with the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on September 19, 2022. In this article, Sky News tries to put the most recent Elizabethan age into some kind of context as a great portion of… Continue reading Article: Queen’s own words perhaps best sum up the legacy of her Elizabethan age
Queen Elizabeth II reigned for more than 70 years until her death in 2022. This (the longest reign of any British monarch) gave artists more than enough time to depict her in a number of different ways. Some of the images are official (on things like coinage) and some are less so. Thi article from… Continue reading Article: Picturing the Queen: How artists portrayed Queen Elizabeth II through her reign
Time can be unkind to art, and this was particularly apparent during World War II. Many amazing (and culturally significant) works of art were destroyed in a conflict that leveled cities and destroyed countless lives. Additionally, beyond horrific human cost, World War II was the largest art heist the world has ever seen. Although it… Continue reading Article: The True Story of the Monuments Men
There are many paintings that have been lost to time. Sometimes the art world is lucky enough to get one of them back--or at least to find out what happened to it. This article discusses the case of a painting (this one by English avant-guard artist Helen Saunders) that was found underneath another painting during… Continue reading Article: Lost Vorticist Masterpiece Found Hidden Beneath Another Painting
Color is an essential part of art, and blue is a color that is both commonly used and important. In this article from Smithsonian Magazine, they discuss the discovery of the source of Cobalt Blue, as well as the creation of Prussian Blue. The development of these colors for artistic uses increased the variety of… Continue reading Article: Creating a Full Palette of Blues
Sculptress Edmonia Lewis created amazing works despite the racism and sexism prevalent in the art world of the 19th Century. This article from Smithsonian Magazine details the challenges she faced in getting her college degree, and her college is now trying to at least partially right a wrong that was made more than 150 years… Continue reading Article: After More Than 150 Years, Sculptor Edmonia Lewis Finally Gets Her Degree
The place of women in art expanded through the Early Modern Period. In this article from MOMA magazine, these changes are discussed through the lens of the art of Käthe Kollwitz. link to Käthe Kollwitz’s Self-Portrait en face
Painted portraits aren't as popular as they used to be, but they can still excite interest and comments. This article from Hyperallergic discusses the controversy over a new royal portrait. link to Critics Roast Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Official Portrait
Rosa Bonheur was a remarkable 19th Century French artist. She specialized in realistic depictions of animals, and her art was celebrated around the world. Unfortunately, her art has been largely forgotten in her home of France. This article from Smithsonian Magazine discusses efforts to rediscover her art and career. link to The Redemption of Rosa… Continue reading Article: The Redemption of Rosa Bonheur
What did the past smell like? This is a question that this article from Smithsonian Magazine tries to address. While it focusses on the attempts to recreate Cleopatra's perfume, it also talks about the importance of scent to culture and ways that we might recapture the scents of the past. link to Scientists Recreate Cleopatra's… Continue reading Article: Scientists Recreate Cleopatra’s Favorite Perfume
Unfortunately, the degree to which women were involved in Medieval art and bookbinding has been lost to history. This article from ScienceAdvances details a discovery in the teeth of the remains of a Medieval nun that suggests women may have been more involved in the medieval arts than had previously been thought. Link to Medieval… Continue reading Article: Medieval women’s early involvement in manuscript production suggested by lapis lazuli identification in dental calculus
This article from Smithsonian Magazine showcases the breadth of the influence of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. After saving an carved stone panel from looters, archeologists uncovered evidence that the Neo-Assyrian culture interacted with the Arameans in what is today Turkey. link to Ancient Rock Art Depicting Divine Procession...
Art can be lost to the world in many different ways. War, natural disasters, deliberate destruction, and theft are just a few of those ways. One of the most brazen examples of art theft in history is the Gardner Museum Theft. Early on a March day in 1990, thirteen works of art (mostly paintings) were… Continue reading Article: Gardner Museum Theft: an active and ongoing investigation
Humanities Scholars 