African Realism: Yoruba
During the 1800s, when European invaders were exploiting the riches of the African continent, art historians were “astounded” at the richness and variety of African art. They had no knowle ...
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Curator's Corner
The Intriguing Peter Blume
One super-prime example of why it is often unwise to stick with labels for artists’ styles is the term “Painters of the American Scene,” or “American Scene Painting.” Thi ...
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Curator's Corner
Old Styles, New Techniques: Furniture Revival
The history of furniture design has always been one of my favorite areas of study. Such study is even more rewarding when I learn about a “first” in regards to American furniture, which wa ...
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Curator's Corner
How Old Is This? Edo and Jutta Sika Ceramics
Lately, I can’t seem to get away from seeing “abstraction” in all sorts of places. I came across this wonderful Japanese bowl from the mid-1700s to mid-1800s, during the Edo period ( ...
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Curator's Corner
Recognize This Artist? Louise Nevelson
When I was teaching art history, I guess I was a student’s worst nightmare, because on tests I would not show them images of the works that they had seen in the book and in class. Instead, I wou ...
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Curator's Corner
Some Thoughts About Stools
Does furniture have a soul? I sort of think it does. We sit on, lean on, and lie down on furniture for most of our lives. It’s hard to believe that something of our souls does not get infused in ...
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Curator's Corner
Abstraction is Nothing New: Ancient Egypt
I’m making a declaration: artists were inspired to create abstract art thousands of years ago. When one (and by “one” I mean a person reading an art history text) reads about any art ...
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Curator's Corner
Revisiting Gandhara
Believe it or not, this is a Buddhist bodhisattva (saint). My very first posting for this blog was about the Greek invasion of northern India and how it affected some of the earliest images of the Bud ...
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Curator's Corner
Patriots Day Week: Joseph Badger
Since Monday was Patriots Day, as well as the running of the Boston Marathon, I’m celebrating this week—in an art historical way, of course—with one of my favorite colonial portrait ...
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Curator's Corner
National Ocean Awareness Week: William Trost Richards
With the arctic ice flows melting and the oceans rising because of climate change, we should call April 4th thorugh 10th Hey, Wake Up and Pay Attention to the Ocean Week. Needless to say, the oceans a ...
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