Episode 100: Our Favorite and Least Favorite Pieces of Art

This is our 100th episode!  It is an exciting milestone for us and we want to thank all of our listeners for sharing this journey with us!  We also want to thank all of our alumni whose work in the podcast over the years we treasure!  We have included messages from some of them in this episode.  We miss you Marie, Kenna, Mary, Megan, Chloe, Zach, and Lauren!

In this episode we each chose an example of our most favorite and our least favorite artists or pieces of art and had a bit of a smackdown!   As we discuss art together, we often find that we have such differing opinions.  Yet none of them are wrong because there is no universally agreed upon example of "best" or "worst" art. What we gain from our debates is a better understanding and greater appreciation for artists and their creations. 



Alisha's Picks
Love:  Winged Victory, or Nike of Samothrace, Unknown Greek artist, c.200-190 BCE
Hate:  Russian Suprematism-- ie:  Red Square by Kazimir Malevich, 1913

Carolyne's Picks
Love:  Apollo & Daphne by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, 1622-1625
Hate:  Mona Lisa (La Gioconda) by Leonardo da Vinci, 1503-1517

Jo's Picks
Love:  The Slave Ship by J.M.W. Turner, 1840
Hate:  Dada-- ie: Fountain by Marcel Duchamp, 1917

Carrie's Picks:
Love:  Antoni Gaudi-- ie: Casa Batllo, 1877
Hate:  Willem de Kooning-- ie: Woman V, 1952-1953

Julia's Picks
Love:  Red Room by Henri Matisse, 1908
Hate:  Street, Dresden by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, 1908

Thank you for listening today, we hope you enjoyed our 100th Episode! Next week we have a special guest host, Assistant Professor Courtney Davis talking with Julia about the famous French Neoclassical painter David.

Have a great week!

Episode 79: Top 10 Apocalypse Art

Hello hello dearest listeners and blog-goers! Today we present to you our special: Top 10 Apocalypse Art pieces. For those of you who haven't had their Ancient Greek lesson, here's a quick look at what our word comes from:

From Latin apocalypsis, from Ancient Greek ἀποκάλυψις (apokalupsis, “revelation”), from ἀπό (apo, “away”) and καλύπτω (kaluptō, “I cover”).

Alrighty, with that done, let's move to Contestant Number 1:

Kris Kuksi, An Opera for the Apocalypse, 2009

 A piece rife with political, spiritual, and material conflict, this is a beautiful and haunting commentary on our view of the apocalypse.  http://kuksi.com/

Aaaaaaand Number 2:

Michelangelo, Last Judgement, 1537-1541

Alright, if you didn't see this coming, we'd be dissapointed. What strife and expression in this piece, but  espeically lovely is the artist's self-portrait in the skinned figure of St. Bartholomew.

Number 3:

Attrib. to Gislebertus, Last Judgement Tympanum at Autun Cathedrale, France, 1130 CE

Who doesn't like a little judgement now and then? Well certainly not this lot. Take special care to look at this convenient close up we have provided for you, where you can see the Mick Jagger demon on the right.

Mick Jagger look-a-like demon!

 Number 4:

Benjamin West, Death on a Pale Horse, 1817

This man rides on a horse with no name. We'd suggest Gilbert. This was chosen for its delicious violence and mayhem. Look at those gesticulating arms!

Number 5:

Hieronymus Bosch, Last Judgement Triptych, 1482

Was there anyone quite as odd as Bosch? We didn't think so either. This piece was selected for its nightmare inducing demons, and the wonderful progression from light to dark across the painting.

Number 6:

John Martin, The Great Day of His Wrath, 1851-1853

Showing the destruction of Babylon under the wrath of God, this painting will make you a god-fearing soul. This piece was chosen for its wonderful wreckage of a landscape, and the bodies hurtling into the great maw below. Reminds you of Transformers or Star Trek, right?

Number 7:

Joseph M. W. Turner, The Fifth Plague of Egypt, 1800

Although this piece doesn't actually depict the fifth plague of Egypt (it's really seventh, how embarrassing!), it does a great service in its rendering of a destroyed land. We particularly like the fallen corpses in the foreground, it's giving us the spooks as we write this.

http://www.imamuseum.org/collections/artwork/fifth-plague-egypt-joseph-mallord-william-turner

Number 8:

Dragons of the Apocalypse, 1377-1382

AREN'T. THEY. CUTE? This has to be the most adorable apocalypse image up to date. Aside from its innate charming factor, we chose this because it has simply lasted so long. It survived being cut up, frost, and, worst of all, horse stables.

Number 9:

John Hendrix, Doomsday from Disasters

Chosen for its awesome combination of text and illustrative technique. And who doesn't love the bird? http://drawnhendrix.tumblr.com/

Number 10:

Tibor Kovacs, Riders of the Apocalypse

Haunting, and yet also something endearing, this piece marks our final selection! http://www.kovacsart.hu/#p=main

Leave your thoughts and comments! Do you know of any better apocalytic images? Leave them in your comments below! Muchas gracias!

Tune in next week when Chloe and Carrie discuss French Baroque!

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 008: What you'll find at the Tate Britain

In this week's podcast, we give you a taste of what you might see if you go to the Tate in London, England.

The building of the Tate Britain as well as the beginnings of the museum's collections were donated by Sir Henry Tate.

Ophelia by Millais

Lady of Shalott by Waterhouse

The above two images come from a group known as the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. While short-lived, these images were looking to more medieval works as inspiration.

Annunciation by Rosetti

Daydream  by Rosetti

The Golden Bough by Turner

Haywain by Constable

Nebuchadnezzar by Blake

While most of these pieces come from more permanent exhibits, there are several exhibits that come and go at the Tate, including a 20th Century walk. To experience an online tour, check out the virtual tour with the Google Arts Project. If you happen to be in the area, make sure you don't miss out on the Tate!