All tagged muse

Episode #53: Shock Art: Courbet's The Origin of the World (Season 5, Episode 7)

Works that we take for granted today as masterpieces, or as epitomes of the finest of fine art, could also have been considered ugly, of poor quality, or just bad when they were first made. With the passage of time comes a calm and an acceptance. But that doesn’t change the fact that there are many works peppered throughout art history that were straight-up shocking to the public when they were first presented decades, or even hundreds of years ago.

Today's work of "shock art:" Courbet’s The Origin of the World.

Introducing: A Little Curious #1: Michelangelo and Vittoria Colonna

Welcome to A Little Curious, a series of special episodes that will provide you will short and sweet bonus content about the unexpected, the slightly odd, and the strangely wonderful in art history. A Little Curious will publish in our season's "off" weeks. Enjoy!

This week’s topic: the deep relationship between Michelangelo Buonarotti, and a sweet arts patron and poet, Vittoria Colonna.

Episode #16: The Muse

Sometimes when I am looking at a particularly fascinating work of art, I find myself overwhelmed with awe-- for the creative act itself and the technical prowess that was needed to bring it to fruition. I’ve often had those moments where I have thought to myself, “Wow. How did this all come about? What is the inspiration behind this piece?” And any conversation about inspiration in the arts inevitably brings up a discussion about muses. This episode looks at the relationship--and occasional romance-- between artists and their muses, with a particular emphasis on one woman whose connection to two brothers illustrates this exchange in a compelling way.