Episode #29: The Monuments Men (Season 2, Episode 9)

Episode #29: The Monuments Men (Season 2, Episode 9)

Jennifer Dasal
SEASON 2: Eps. 21-31

Ah, Hollywood. Nothing goes further than a big celebrity-studded movie to grab your pop-culture attention and to inspire countless articles and think-pieces about a particular topic. A really solid blockbuster can raise a niche book to bestseller status or inspire hopeful imitators. And it can lead to a renewed interest in a certain time period or subject matter. In the case of the 2014 film, The Monuments Men, all of this was certainly true. With superstar George Clooney directing and acting alongside Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett and American treasure Bill Murray, among others, The Monuments Men was almost a guaranteed hit when it was released in February 2014. But if your knowledge of the incredible individuals known as The Monuments Men stems only from this movie--well, then, I’m sorry. And I say that with no disrespect to Mr. Clooney and his team, but honestly? This cinematic take is a well-meaning but saccharine mess. The real story of the men--and women--who risked their own lives to save thousands of works of art is far more fascinating, dangerous, and important, even today.

Episode #28: The Ghost Army (Season 2, Episode 8)

Episode #28: The Ghost Army (Season 2, Episode 8)

Jennifer Dasal
SEASON 2: Eps. 21-31

In a time where the arts are ever-undervalued, it is increasingly important for us not just to support the arts in our communities, but to look back through periods of history where artists were applauded for making a significant difference. And in the case of one very special American troop in the midst of World War Two, artists and creative types were tasked specifically with using their skills to preserve people. Art here became a life-saving force- literally. A force for good, even through multiple means of deception.

Episode #27: CURIOUS CALLBACK: What Happened to the Amber Room? (UPDATED Episode #8)

Episode #27: CURIOUS CALLBACK: What Happened to the Amber Room? (UPDATED Episode #8)

Jennifer Dasal
SEASON 2: Eps. 21-31

One of the most awe-inspiring sights in and around St. Petersburg, Russia, is the Catherine Palace, a rococo summer residence for the imperial family of yore. Up until World War II, The Catherine Palace housed something so incredible, so coveted, and so gorgeous that for hundreds of years, travelers fro all over the world flocked to admire it, referred to as the "Eighth Wonder of the World." And then, in the early 1940s with the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, this priceless creation was stolen. And to this day, it has still never been found.

What happened to the Amber Room?

Episode #26: Hitler's Führermuseum (Season 2, Episode 6)

Episode #26: Hitler's Führermuseum (Season 2, Episode 6)

Jennifer Dasal
SEASON 2: Eps. 21-31

One of the reasons that I decided to center this second season of the ArtCurious Podcast around art and World War Two is that there are so many different stories that we can tell about how art and war intersect-- especially and most critically during this war to end all wars. As I discussed in episode #21, the first of the season, it may seem on the surface that there aren’t many direct correlations between World War Two and the arts, but in fact, there were many very tangible connections-- and you can even say that there were physical connections between the two as well. Because while the lives of millions were in the balance during the run of the war, so were those of the visual arts as well. Thousands of paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints, once safely ensconced in homes or collections, were suddenly uprooted at the whim of one man, with one very particular museum in mind for them. Today, we’re digging into the story behind one of the most significant museums never built-- Hitler’s Führermuseum-- and was it really going to be as great as it purported to be?

Episode #25: The Draft, Doctrine, and The Duck (Season 2, Episode 5)

Episode #25: The Draft, Doctrine, and The Duck (Season 2, Episode 5)

Jennifer Dasal
SEASON 2: Eps. 21-31

When I was a kid growing up in the 1980s, one of my favorite things to do was watch old Mickey Mouse cartoons-- I loved seeing Mickey interact with Pluto and Goofy, and could probably have watched hours of these cartoons, if you let me. But one character especially stood out for me, and quickly became my favorite-- I loved the scrappy and grumpy Donald Duck. I still do. And while some of my best-loved episodes revolved around Donald’s skirmishes with Chip and Dale, or around the exploits of his nephews, Huey, Dewey and Louie, I still remember seeing numerous cartoons featuring Donald as a soldier during World War Two. Looking back on my childhood, it seems funny and bizarre to me now that I was exposed to American World War Two propaganda. But it’s true-- and it happened with somewhat regularity for someone like me, who had consistent access to the Disney Channel. Of course, as a child, I didn’t really think much of it- it just seemed like yet another Donald Duck cartoon to me. But now, I look back and find myself really curious. How did the Walt Disney and his team, especially a blustery cartoon duck, get involved so specifically in wartime propaganda?

Episode #24: American Propaganda Posters of WWII (Season 2, Episode 4)

Episode #24: American Propaganda Posters of WWII (Season 2, Episode 4)

Jennifer Dasal
SEASON 2: Eps. 21-31

If I was to choose the single most recognizable figure from World War Two for an average American to identify, I would ask you to picture a brunette with an arched eyebrow, her hair tied up neatly in a red-and-white polka-dot kerchief, flexing her right arm, baring her bicep, and fiercely making eye contact with the viewer. The words “We can do it!” blare in a dark blue word bubble over her head to confirm her determination. Yep. You know her. You love her. She’s colloquially referred to as “Rosie the Riveter,” even though the term is a misnomer here, and her image was created by illustrator J. Howard Miller in 1943 for the Westinghouse Electric corporation as a design to boost morale internally. Today, it is one of the most widely recognizable and widely disseminated images of the 20th century.

The funny thing about the “We Can Do It” poster is that its current ubiquity is in contrast with its actual usage back in the 1940s. It was only one of the posters printed for Westinghouse Electric’s morale-boosting campaign, each poster-- about 40 in all-- were only on display in the Westinghouse factories in Pittsburgh and in midwestern Cities for two weeks. Two weeks- that’s not a very long time to have a motivational poster up on display. This makes it almost an oddity, compared to other propaganda posters in the United States during the Second World War. And that’s not all-- it’s also one of the calmer and more positive, both in terms of message and in gender politics, than most-- because as we’re about to see, others were more graphic, more manipulative...and sometimes, far more terrifying.

On this episode, we're going to take on American World War Two propaganda posters: what they were, who created them, and how America was fighting the war via words and pictures, as well as manpower.

Episode #23: Combat Artists of WWII (Season 2, Episode 3)

Episode #23: Combat Artists of WWII (Season 2, Episode 3)

Jennifer Dasal
SEASON 2: Eps. 21-31

In the winter of 1945, a World War II infantryman for the United States would be supplied with gear that was to be carried and trekked from location to location, regardless of weather, ailment, or occurrence. All of this gear alone could easily weigh a good 50 to 60 pounds. Add on a rifle or pistol, bullets and any appropriate add-ons needed to maintain, clean, and restock a weapon, and you are talking a serious load to haul around. To a handful of these men, however, it wasn’t their guns, their helmets, or their first aid kits that were the most significant pieces of equipment that they transported to the battlefield. No- there was a more specialized tool of utter importance. As one soldier, Edward Reep, noted, quote, “I fought the war more furiously perhaps with my paintbrush than with my weapons.”

Today, we're discussing a group of dedicated and talented artists who threw themselves in the middle of war in order to capture the experience and create art about it.

Episode #22: Hitler the (Failed) Artist (Season 2, Episode 2)

Episode #22: Hitler the (Failed) Artist (Season 2, Episode 2)

Jennifer Dasal
SEASON 2: Eps. 21-31

In June 2015, an auction house in Nuremberg, Germany, made headlines for a group of 14 small works sold for a sum of around $450,000. But when it comes to art and art auctions, we have to face a truth: a grand total of four hundred and fifty thousand dollars, spread out over the sale of fourteen separate pieces of mediocre quality, at a small auction house in Europe? Really, that isn't a fantastic haul, and shouldn't have garnered too much media interest. And yet it was a big deal. Why? What was so great about them? Well, it actually wasn't about quality or greatness at all. It was more about notoriety, because the artist was one of the most abhorrent human beings in all of history. The artist was Adolf Hitler.

In this episode, we contemplate the way that fine art inspired, affected, and ultimately molded the man who would become the biggest architect of terror in the 20th century.

Episode #21: Season Prologue- The Relationship Between Art and War (Season 2, Episode 1)

Episode #21: Season Prologue- The Relationship Between Art and War (Season 2, Episode 1)

Jennifer Dasal
SEASON 2: Eps. 21-31

It was the most widespread war in history, involving the participation of more than one hundred million people from around the world, including the greatest powers across the globe: the United States, Great Britain, France, Germany, China, Japan, Italy, and the Soviet Union. It affected life in myriad ways: economically, politically, industrially, scientifically, ideologically. And its reach was one of the most horrible. Between the deaths on the battlefield and the mass killings of civilians, an estimated 50 to 85 million fatalities occurred, making it the deadliest conflict in all of recorded human history. And yet, at the same time, it spurred on glimpses of positivity in the midst of this darkness: giving rise to the so-called Greatest Generation, and leading to advances in medicine and aviation, in information technology, and many other sectors.

This was World War Two. But what did the war have to do with art? And how are the effects of the war still being felt today?

CURIOUS CALLBACK: Episode #5: Death and Disaster, Warhol and Weegee

CURIOUS CALLBACK: Episode #5: Death and Disaster, Warhol and Weegee

Jennifer Dasal
SEASON 1: Eps. 1-20

Death has always been a part of art history. That's one of the beautiful things about art-- it can detail and document and celebrate every facet of our existence. And so much of the great art that we know and love today works in the capacity to stave off one of the terrible side effects death-- being forgotten. Portraits, stone monuments, ancient coins-- they all aim to ensure that the subjects depicted will be remembered and revered for all eternity.

But Andy Warhol’s take on mortality wasn't about memorializing. He instead focused on the direct causes of death, or the aftermath of a terrible accident. His series, Death and Disaster, is one of the most well-known and polarizing of his career. But Warhol wasn't the first artist to focus on the everyday tragedy of death as a subject to quite this revealing and exploitative extent. No, that honor might very well belong to someone else-- an immigrant photographer working in Manhattan in the 1930s and 1940s.

In this episode, we discover the subject matter and motivations behind Andy Warhol's Death and Disaster series, and relate them to the work of the greatest crime scene photographer in history, Weegee.

CURIOUS CALLBACK: Episode #3: The Semi-Charmed Life of Elisabeth Vigeé Le Brun

CURIOUS CALLBACK: Episode #3: The Semi-Charmed Life of Elisabeth Vigeé Le Brun

Jennifer Dasal
SEASON 1: Eps. 1-20

Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, had an image problem: she was seen as frivolous, silly, and out-of-touch. In order to combat her poor press, the royal court commissioned a series of portraits of the queen to make her more relatable and sympathetic. Such images act as excellent propaganda machines, giving Marie Antoinette a much-needed positive spin. But what is even more marvelous is the backstory of the artist who created these portraits-- because the painter who was chosen to portray the highest woman in the land was… another woman.

Talk about a revolution.

In the third episode of the ArtCurious Podcast, we'll look at the lucky and semi-charmed life of Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun, one of the most popular painters of 18th-century France and the official court painter of Marie Antoinette.

Episode #20: Sofonisba Anguissola: Great (Woman) Artist

Episode #20: Sofonisba Anguissola: Great (Woman) Artist

Jennifer Dasal
SEASON 1: Eps. 1-20

Today’s special episode of ArtCurious is the end result of a collaboration with art historian Ellen Oreddson and her excellent blog, How to Talk About Art History. Ellen has her own contribution to this topic on her site, where she lists five artists, inspired by the five women artists hashtag, and briefly discusses why each has been left out of the traditional art historical canon. Don't miss this insightful and fascinating post!

Episode #19: Conservation and Controversy

Episode #19: Conservation and Controversy

Jennifer Dasal
SEASON 1: Eps. 1-20

Conservators are art heroes: they transform damaged or dirty works of art into beautiful, fresh works for public consumption. Then why is it that conservation has been at the center of some of the biggest art historical controversies of the last fifty years? What does a conservator really do, and what happens when conservation goes too far?

BONUS EPISODE: What is Art? (With A Thousand Things to Talk About)

BONUS EPISODE: What is Art? (With A Thousand Things to Talk About)

Jennifer Dasal
SEASON 1: Eps. 1-20

We are incredibly thrilled to release a bonus episode with our friend, Andrea Parrish, at A Thousand Things to Talk About! This daily podcast is the perfect start to your morning, with a brief 2-3 minute episode with thought-provoking questions and research. A Thousand Things to Talk About also offers the occasional "deep dive," and we're so excited to be a part of this one-- What is Art? It's a question that seems simple, but in reality, is it?

Episode #18: Diagnosis: Art History

Episode #18: Diagnosis: Art History

Jennifer Dasal
SEASON 1: Eps. 1-20

Over the centuries, there have been numerous examples of fine artists creating works of art that deliberately work with and within contemporaneous medical thought, portraying people with particular ailments or diseases. But what about if we turn that concept around a little bit? What happens when those in the medical field turn to paintings or sculptures from the past and retroactively investigate the health of the individuals depicted therein? What happens when art history turns into a diagnosis?

Episode #17: The Casino of the Spirits

Episode #17: The Casino of the Spirits

Jennifer Dasal
SEASON 1: Eps. 1-20

Venice-- it's the most serene and beautiful city in Italy, and possibly the whole world. But Venice at night-- all darkened and quiet-- takes up the most space in my imagination. I seriously love the depictions of Venice as enigmatic, shadowy, and even dangerous. Without cars or streetlights or other modern comforts, you might feel like you’ve stepped back in time and that around any given corner, you could find… anything. All of this lends Venice this air of inscrutability and mystery. And over time, locals and visitors alike have reveled in this sensation as fodder for myth-making and storytelling. Some stories really stick, lasting for centuries and becoming embedded into the city itself, through its buildings, monuments, and specific locations. And there’s one building that has had plenty of legends built around it. This particular elegant structure had an illustrious past, having once been a meeting place where Italian Renaissance artists discussed their craft, caroused, and gambled. But it’s also the location where relationships soured, crimes were committed, and death inevitably followed. Today, some people won’t even enter this particular building because it is feared to be haunted, cursed… or both.

Episode #16: The Muse

Episode #16: The Muse

Jennifer Dasal
SEASON 1: Eps. 1-20

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.

Episode #15: Hans-Joachim Bohlmann and Serial Art Vandalism

Episode #15: Hans-Joachim Bohlmann and Serial Art Vandalism

Jennifer Dasal
SEASON 1: Eps. 1-20

A few months ago, I began looking into occurrences of art vandalism-- the purposeful destruction or harm of works of art that have occurred consistently, especially throughout the 20th century. As I read up, I saw that most of these events were one-offs: single moments where one person made a rash and ridiculous choice to lash out at a particular work of art. But then, I began to notice one name popping up over and over again- a German man who, over his lifetime, damaged over fifty works of art, creating a name for himself and a lasting impression on the art world. This episode, in a continuation of our Bigger Picture series, digs deeper into art attacks and examine the life and legacy of the vandal Hans-Joachim Bohlmann.

Episode #14: Samuel F. B. Morse's Gallery of the Louvre (Season 1, Episode 14)

Episode #14: Samuel F. B. Morse's Gallery of the Louvre (Season 1, Episode 14)

Jennifer Dasal
SEASON 1: Eps. 1-20

How many know that the inventor of the telegraph and co-creator of Morse code--Samuel F. B. Morse-- was a successful artist, too? And crazily enough, one of his paintings in particular, foreshadowed his interest in communication tools, providing the impetus for revolutionizing communication--and, indeed, the world as we know it. Listen in for details on Morse's masterpiece, Gallery of the Louvre.

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