Episode 56: Romanesque Architecture

Romanesque architecture developed after the Roman's and before Gothic style after 1000 AD.

Some of the characteristics of Romanesque architecture are rounded arches, heavy masonry, small windows, and barrel and groin vaults. The rounded arches centered the heavy weight of the masonry and made it possible for stone roofs to be built, although they weren't quite strong enough. Windows had to be kept small and buttresses were added to the design to keep the walls from buckling under the weight.

Decoration was very minimal in Romanesque architecture which was very popular with some monastic orders, but the strength of the fortification was popular with warring Kings. Because of this you will see fortresses, like the White Tower at the Tower of London and churches, like the Chapter House Abbey de Fontenay in Burgundy, France.

Chapter House, Abbaye (Abbey) de Fontenay (Interior)

Chapter House, Abbaye (Abbey) de Fontenay (Exterior)

St. Michael’s Church Hildesheim, Germany
built between 1010 and 1020

St. Michael’s Church Hildesheim, Germany (Interior)

White Tower, Tower of London, ca. 1066-1078

Episode 55: Johannes Vermeer

Julia and Jo talk about Johannes Vermeer, the Dutch Baroque painter who is famous for his domestic interiors of the middle class and in particular his painting called,  Girl with a Pearl Earring , painted in 1665. 

Vermeer was an art dealer, an inn keeper, the head of the guild of St. Luke, the father of fifteen children and a well respected painter. He was by all accounts a very busy man and so perhaps it is not altogether surprising that there are only thirty-four works that are attributed to him today.

Listen to the podcast to learn more about this fascinating man.

The Love Letter, ca. 1668

The Art of Painting or Allegory of Painting, 1668

Girl with a Pearl Earring, ca. 1665

The Kitchen Maid, 1657-58

Next week Julia and Megan will be talking about Romanesque Architecture! Should be an interesting podcast.

Also, we would like to apologize for not having our new Sort but Sweet episodes up yet. We've run into some issues and will be postponing those for some time.

If you have any topics in art history you are interested in hearing more about, please email us at uvu.artsandfacts@gmail.com. Thank you.

Episode 54: Romanticism

Happy Valentines Day! (Or 'Single Awareness Day' if you prefer)

Put the dozen red roses in a vase, pull out the heart shaped box of chocolates, cuddle up with your significant other....or your cat, and enjoy the most unromantic art movement there ever was, romanticism.

Don't say we didn't warn you!

Turner, Slavers throwing overboard the Dead and Dying- Typhoon coming on “The Slave Ship”, 1840

Casper David Friedrich, Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, 1818

Gericault, Raft of the Medusa, 1818-19  

Fuseli, The Nightmare, 1790

Fuseli, The Nightmare, 1781-82

Don't forget to leave a comment and make our day!

Next week Jo and Julia will be talking about Vermeer!

Episode 53: Art Restoration

Join Julia and our newest cast member Lauren as they discuss the scandalous world of art restoration! In this episode you will encounter wonderful artworks and architectural structures such as the Palace of Knossos on Crete, Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel frescoes, the Elgin marbles, and da Vinci’s Last Supper! Learn about the process of restoration and what differentiates it from preservation, and decide for yourself where the line needs to be drawn on this controversial topic.

The Toreador Fresco, Minoan, found at Knossos, ca. 1550 BCE

Eligin Marbles, British Museum

Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel Ceiling, 1508-12

da Vinci, The Last Supper, 1495-98

Michelangelo,  foot of the figure the Prophet Jonah, Sistine Chapel Ceiling, High Renaissance/Mannerism, 1508-1512.