Who Arted: Weekly Art History for All Ages

Introducing Art Smart. This is a preview of Art Smart, a podcast focusing on the Elements of Art and Principles of Design. You can find Art Smart on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is part 2 of my discussion about Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, the French Post Impressionist painter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is about Erased de Kooning by Robert Rauschenberg Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is part 1 of my discussion of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. We covered a bit of his background and in this episode the discussion focused on one of his lithographs of his friend, the dancer Jane Avril. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is about Rembrandt’s painting The Night Watch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode covers a bit about Any Warhol’s life and his artistic development, then we discuss a print from his endangered species series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a little bit of art history about The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a bonus show introducing Art Smart, the new podcast series focusing on the Elements of Art and the Principles of design. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a re-broadcast of last year’s episode on Grant Wood. We discussed his biography as well as his most famous painting, American Gothic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a fun fact mini-episode about the Eiffel Tower. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is about Pablo Picasso and his work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is about At the Moulin Rouge by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode explores the life and work of Alexander Calder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn about Fair Isle designs, the traditional patterned knitwear that is often lumped in with the modern ”ugly Christmas sweater.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wassily Kandinsky was a Russian artist and art theorist. He is known as one of the early pioneers of abstract art. Learn a bit about Kandinsky‘s background, his personal journey from a teacher of Law and Economics to one of the most influential artists of the 20th century as we discussed his biography and his painting Yellow Red Blue from 1925. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is about Diego Rivera and one of his most iconic works, The Detroit Industry Murals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is about the life and the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a mini-episode about China‘s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, and his famous terra cotta army. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode covers a bit of the biography of Barbara Kruger, the contemporary artist best known for her works combining text and images. We looked at and discussed the piece, Don‘t Be a Jerk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is about Norman Rockwell and his painting, Freedom from Want. This image of an idealized family gathering has come to define Thanksgiving for many American households. Learn a little bit more about the piece, how and why it was created as well as how it seeped into the American consciousness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Walt Disney was one of the most influential artists in Western history. He not only excelled and pushed boundaries in his art form, but created new categories of art that shaped popular culture around the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During World War I and a little after, the British and Americans used a surprising tactic to camouflage their ships. Rather than trying to hide the ships, they painted bold, contrasting patterns to disorient the enemy. Dazzle Camouflage was very conspicuous but made it difficult to determine the range, speed, and direction of a ship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is about Auguste Rodin, the founder of modern sculpture. We discussed the development of Rodin as an artist as well as the historical event that inspired his piece, The Burghers of Calais. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is about the cave art discovered in Lascaux, France in 1940. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is all about Rene Magritte. We discussed his life and in the second segment, we focused specifically on his piece, The False Mirror from 1929. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This mini-episode is about rangoli. Since it is the start of Diwali, I thought it would be a great time to share a little information about the beautiful, colorful designs often seen in people‘s entryways during the festival. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is about Keith Haring. It is a re-edited encore presentation of one of the first episodes I recorded and one of the most special to me because it focused so much on the potential of artists to create positive change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is about the idea of a mummy‘s curse associated with Howard Carter and his exhibition to explore and loot Tutankhamen‘s burial chamber. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is about Jim Davis, the creator of Garfield. We discuss his life and his work particularly looking at how Garfield evolved and the features that make him such a beloved character. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is all about The Scream by Edvard Munch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Special Announcement - Who ARTed is featured in the media library of the new Art Explora Academy. The Art Explora Foundation created their online academy as a completely free learning platform for anyone interested in art history. Check it out at academy.artexplora.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is about the popular illustrator and author, Dan Santat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is about a debated discovery of the oldest known work of art. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, I continued my discussion with Chuck Hoff about Vincent van Gogh. We covered the later part of his life and career after he moved to France. The painting we specifically focused our attention on was The Starry Night from 1889. During the episode, we also briefly discussed The Night Cafe and Starry Night Over the Rhone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is about how DayGlo colors work and how they were developed by a pair of brothers in the 1930s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a two part episode about Vincent Van Gogh.Part 1 focuses on his early life and development up to his first masterpiece,The Potato Eaters from 1885. Next week we will discuss the mature phase of his career and how his style shifted upon moving to France. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this fun fact Friday mini episode, learn about the controversial conceptual art piece, ”Take the Money and Run.” The artist, Jens Haaning was loaned $84,000 for use in re-creating two of his previous works, but Haansing thought it would be better to give them 2 blank canvases and keep the money. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Salvador Dali was among the oddest artists of the 20th century. He was known not only for his surrealist paintings, but also his surreal life. From his waxed mustache that is said to have outlived the artist, to antics like driving a Rolls Royce filled with cauliflower, Salvador Dali knew how to command people‘s attention. In this episode we discuss a bit about the man, the myth and his work, The Persistence of Memory from 1931. As always you can find more information at www.whoartedpodcast.com Please follow, like, leave a review and tell your friends. If you have a connection, correction or suggestion you would like to share, please email [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this week‘s Fun Fact Friday mini episode, learn a little bit about the smiley face. The iconic image of a yellow circle with two dots and a smile actually has a surprising history. The design was commissioned to boost morale around the office at an insurance company and almost instantly became a sensation. While the image is world famous, Harvey Ball, the graphic designer who created it was largely forgotten. While one might expect he would have made millions of dollars off of his popular design, he actually only made $45 for the commissioned piece. He did go on to create World Smile Day which is dedicated to spreading positivity, smiles and acts of kindness. His foundation licenses his Smiley design to raise money for worthwhile charities. If you are looking for a way to celebrate World Smile Day on October 1, 2021, try making your own smiley or emoji. Art teachers can find a video lesson based on Harvey Ball on the teacher resources page of www.WhoARTedPodcast.com Reach out or follow Kyle Wood on social media. Instagram: Wood.Art.Ed Twitter: @WoodArtEd Email: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Takashi Murakami is one of the most prominent contemporary Japanese painters. I spoke with Toki from the podcast Japan Explained to get some insights into Murakami and how his work is a reflection of modern and traditional Japanese culture. Takashi Murakami is well known for his Superflat artwork. The Superflat movement was named for an exhibition of Murakami‘s work in the year 2000. Murakami‘s paintings often utilize outlines and flat colors that give the work the visually flat sense similar to traditional woodcut prints. Simultaneously the Superflat movement represents a flattening of society as barriers between cultures are broken down. In this episode, we discussed Murakami‘s background as well as his paintings of Mr. Dobs, a recurring figure in many of his works that serves as a sort of alter ego for the artist. As always you can find pictures of the work discussed along with other resources on website www.WhoARTedPodcast.com Keep in touch by emailing [email protected] and if you like the podcast, please tell your friends, rate and review it wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jackson Pollock grew up in a family that struggled financially. He was expelled from two different high schools and bounced around doing odd jobs early in his adulthood. When Peggy Guggenheim started to collect his work, it was like Jackson Pollock won the lottery. With success in the fine art world, came financial success and one of the most interesting legacies of Jackson Pollock is his ability to pay it forward. In the 1990s, a woman bought a painting at a thrift store for $5. She was actually going to sell it at a garage sale later when it was identified as a Pollock original leading to a raise in the price from $5 to $50,000,000. This type of thing has actually happened more than once, so be sure to keep an eye out for hidden treasures in thrift stores and garage sales. If you like Who ARTed, please subscribe, leave a review and tell your friends. You can find more information, images and other resources at www.whoartedpodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the season opener, I was joined by Garret McCorkle of the podcast No Country for History. His podcast focuses on obscure bits of American history so we focused on an awesome, but largely forgotten American painter. Janet Sobel may not be a household name, but her work was amazing, innovative and influential. While Jackson Pollock is credited with inventing the drip painting method and pioneering the approach of all over painting, Sobel did it first. Not only did Sobel employ these methods about a year before Pollock, he was aware of her work. He saw Sobel‘s work in a gallery and commented about how she influenced him. Sadly, Janet Sobel moved away from New York and her rise in the art world was quickly halted. Hear all about her life and career as well as our discussion of her painting Milky Way. As always, you can find a picture of the work at www.whoartedpodcast.com You can follow Kyle Wood on Instagram (Wood.Art.Ed) and Twitter (@WoodArtEd). You can email [email protected] to share your connections, corrections, suggest topics for future episodes etc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I am wrapping up this season with the conclusion to my Arts Madness Tournament. Over the last 6 weeks, voters have narrowed the field from 64 down to 1 ultimate artist. I really appreciated everyone who took the time to participate. Hopefully you have learned more about some of your favorite artists and discovered some new ones. This episode is rebroadcasting the episode on the tournament's winner. Look for new episodes in your podcast feed when season 3 starts in the fall and as always you can find more at www.whoartedpodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Louvre is one of the most famous museums in the world with an expansive collection of some of the greatest masterpieces ever created. Interestingly, it did not start out that way. The building actually started as a medieval fortress. It had a moat, walls and a fortified tower in the center. Of course as Paris expanded, the fortifications moved to the exterior of the city and the Louvre was converted to a royal residence in the 14th century. The fortress was mostly demolished and extensive renovations were underway but people got distracted with the whole hundred years war going on and the Louvre basically was dormant for some time. In 1527, King Francois changed all that. He was a poet, a patron of the arts and he built up quite the collection. He acquired the Mona Lisa among other works and he is said to have hung the iconic masterpiece in his bathroom. Of course his bathroom was a little nicer than the average outhouse. His sprawling residence housed numerous works of art and eventually he started to display these works making them accessible to the public. This will be the final new episode for this season of Who ARTed. I will rebroadcast either the Georgia O'Keeffe, or Yayoi Kusama episode on Monday depending on who wins the Arts Madness tournament, but then I will be taking a break for a while. I may do a run of a few mini episodes if I have time over the summer, but otherwise look for new episodes in your podcast feed when Season 3 starts in the fall. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are entering the final round of this year's Arts Madness Tournament. For those listeners outside the United States, every spring, there is a giant basketball tournament called, March Madness, as 64 different college teams compete. The Arts Madness Tournament is a shameless attempt to ride the coattails of the immensely popular NCAA basketball tournament, but with 64 diverse artists. For the last five weeks, listeners have voted for their favorites narrowing the field from 64 down to just two finalists: Georgia O'Keeffe and Yayoi Kusama. One thing that I find particularly interesting in this matchup is that O'Keeffe and Kusama actually had a connection. While she was living in Japan thinking of becoming an artist, she was inspired by Georgia O'Keeffe and wrote to her. O'Keeffe responded offering her advice and encouragement. When Kusama was in New York, Georgia O'Keeffe actually came to her studio and offered her support even offering to provide Kusama a place to live. Kusama politely declined the invitation because while O'Keeffe was an established artist and could afford to stay in her beloved New Mexico desert home, Kusama was just starting out and needed to be in New York to be immersed in the art scene, make connections and establish her own career. This episode replays the background information from each artist's full episodes recorded earlier this season. You can vote for your favorite at www.WhoArtEdPodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2019, Maurizio Cattelan displayed a piece at Art Basel Miami, and it grabbed headlines around the world. The artwork titled Comedian consisted of simply a banana duct taped to a wall. Cattelan was offering 3 editions of this work and actually sold two for $120,000 each. If that weren‘t enough, another artist at the show took the banana off the wall and ate it. David Datuna, a performance artist, performed an intervention he dubbed Hungry Artist consuming the banana that caused such a stir. Cattelan appears to have had a good sense of humor about the incident. Nobody pressed charges for vandalism or anything along those lines because the banana was not the point. Comedian was a conceptual piece, so patrons were not really buying a banana tapes to a wall. They bought a certificate of authenticity for the idea of taping a banana to a wall, so basically they paid $120,000 for an artwork made of a banana bought from a local grocery store for $0.30 and in the end, they may or may not actually get the banana. As always you can find more at www.WhoArtEdPodcast.com and if you enjoy the podcast, please follow Who Arted on Spotify, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Georgia O‘Keeffe is considered the mother of American modernism. Her influence actually reached beyond American borders. Yayoi Kusama was not only inspired by O‘Keeffe, but Georgia O‘Keeffe was generous enough to give her advice and even offer to allow her a place to stay and financial support early in Kusama‘s career. Georgia O‘Keeffe appears to have not only been a great artist, but also a great person. O‘Keeffe‘s greatest legacy is probably her unique perspective on nature. She painted around 200 pictures of flowers using a close cropped composition that made them appear as abstractions. While these paintings are often viewed in symbolic terms, O‘Keeffe always insisted her work was simply based on observation. For this episode we discussed her painting Blue Morning Glories from 1935. As always you can see the image and find more at www.whoartedpodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this week's Fun Fact Friday mini episode, I am sharing an interesting little tidbit I found about Georgia O'Keeffe. While she is best known for her paintings of nature specifically, her most popular works are close cropped images of flowers or images inspired by the desert landscapes she encountered while living in New Mexico. While her work was all about nature, she painted those vast, open desert landscapes from the confines of a cramped Ford Model A car. She apparently developed a habit of transforming her car into a makeshift studio. She would remove the driver's seat, flip the passenger seat backwards so it would face the backseat. The back bench would serve as an easel as she sat in the rear facing passenger seat to paint. She did this in order to protect herself from the harsh sun, although I would imagine the interior of that car would also get quite hot baking out in the New Mexico desert. If you are interested in learning more about Georgia O'Keeffe, she will be the subject of the next full episode coming out on Monday. As always there is more fun art history to explore at www.whoartedpodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Felix Gonzalez-Torres was a Cuban American artist who rose to prominence in the late 1980s and early 1990s with his poignant minimalist installations. His stack pieces of unlimited edition prints make the fine art gallery space more democratic. Patrons are not only able to touch and take a piece from the artist, but the viewer becomes a collaborator as every person who takes one of the prints changes the dimensions of the sculpture. Throughout his career, Felix Gonzalez-Torres was focused on art and community as well as cultural connections. In this episode, we discussed "Untitled" (Portrait of Ross in L.A.) from 1991. The first time, I saw this piece, I was walking through a gallery and saw just a giant pile of candy. At first, I dismissed the work as a sign of everything wrong with contemporary art. I simply walked past thinking how ridiculous it was that simply pouring bags of candy on the floor would be considered worthy of a museum. Of course, as with most things I initially dismissed, I found upon further research that it was actually quite thoughtful and deliberately created. Felix Gonzalez-Torres's work was actually a big influence on my development as an artist and a teacher in getting me to think of art as not simply a static object created by an artist for others to look at, but rather something for all to participate in. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Andy Warhol was an odd dude with an expansive and extremely odd collection. He basically hoarded all he could with boxes of stuff that could fill warehouses. His collection ranged from the ordinary objects that were the subjects of his iconic pop art, to curious artifacts from history such as the mummified foot he kept in his studio. It is unclear where he got the foot, but a popular story is that he bought it from a flea market. While acquiring ancient Egyptian remains at a flea market may seem incredible today, there is actually a long history of mummies being used as decorations, party games, paper and they have even been ground up to be consumed as medicine or as pigment for paints. As always you can find more at www.whoartedpodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices