In one of my graduate classes, Research Techniques in Renaissance Studies, I studied the history of scholarship and manuscripts. One of the things I found most interesting was the palimpsest. Since books were made from expensive parchment (animal skin), corrections were not easy to make. Images couldn't simply be erased with a rubber eraser, nor … Continue reading Palimpsest
A colleague and friend of mine, Christa, Irwin, was recently interviewed by The Wood Word, "Marywood University's Online News Source," about a work of art that helped to get her interested in art history. She chose the Nike of Samothrace, which also really got the wheels turning for me during my introduction to art history. … Continue reading Nike of Samothrace
Bless me Internet, for I have sinned. It has been four months since my last blog post . . . To be honest, I've had some trouble writing new posts lately. Since my blog is supposed to be art historical, I've struggled a bit. I feel like I should be writing about current events: art … Continue reading A Moment of Perfection
I think that classical radio hosts should give trigger warnings before playing things like Schubert's Ave Maria during the morning commute. No sooner had a buckled my seat belt after dropping my son off at school this morning, than out came the first bars of said song. The music hit me like a sock to … Continue reading Hail Mary, Full of Grace
Those of us living in Seattle just endured one of the worst winters on record for the area. We had day after dreary day of gray mist and low clouds. I think there were a couple of sunny days scattered in there, but I can't remember them. All I remember is endless damp and cold. … Continue reading Dappled Things
In yesterday's satirical post, I referenced Linda Nochlin's acclaimed 1971 essay, "Why Have There Been no Great Women Artsts?" In honor of National Women's Day, I reread it and got to thinking about women artists and the many, many artists who have been left out. I am not striking today, though I support those women … Continue reading What Women?
All good leaders appreciate the grave importance of protecting their citizens from the threats of invading barbarians, be they Eurasian nomads, Visigoths, Huns, or . . . Mexicans. Donald Trump knows his history and looks to that history with concern and anticipation. He will protect his people from the Great Mexican Horde, just as the … Continue reading The Great Trumpian Wall of Southern America
Today would have been my mother's seventieth birthday. Were she alive today, I would have sent her a bouquet of pale pink roses. She once told me that she thought the two most perfect things in the world were cats and roses. Since she already had a beloved feline in her life, I tried to … Continue reading A Rose
Caspar David Friedrich might be my art history soul mate. On a surface level, I think his paintings are perfection to look at. Their austere, northern landscapes speak to me. The gnarled, bare trees suggest weathering and time and realistically imperfect stories. Friedrich captures the fleeting, eerie quality of transitional light. The sky can only … Continue reading Decay or Rebirth?
I was reminded of Edvard Munch today, and something seemed to click into place. Munch's most famous painting, The Scream, is one of those art history icons that has become so familiar that its original intensity has faded. I don't think I fully appreciated The Scream until last Friday's Inauguration. I am feeling a serious … Continue reading I am Edvard Munch’s The Scream
Ellen A. Hurst 