Christine Coulson's Metropolitan Stories: A Novel is a set of vignettes about life at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It's a beautiful, whimsical poetic ode to one of the world's most significant art museums.
Author: A Scholarly Skater
What’s So Special About the Book of Kells?
I got a lot of confused questions yesterday while unboxing my deluxe The Book of Kells by Bernard Meehan. I thought that everybody was familiar with the Book of Kells, but I see that's not true, so let me explain what the Book of Kells is and why it's so special.
Much Ado About a New Cimabue
Here's a fun piece of news to make things interesting in the art world. A painting attributed to early Italian Renaissance artist Cimabue was recently found in an elderly French woman's kitchen. Learn about Cimabue and why this new discovery is both significant and controversial.
Miss Florence’s Painted Dining Room
Some of the paintings in the dining room at the Florence Griswold House in Old Lyme, CT. Photo by A Scholarly Skater. I recently visited the Florence Griswold Museum - the Connecticut boardinghouse where American Impressionists of the Old Lyme Art Colony stayed and worked during summers in the early-20th century. And I saw the… Continue reading Miss Florence’s Painted Dining Room
The Grumpy Angel
In this tempera painting by 14th-century Italian artist Niccolo di ser Sozzo, the angel looks impatient and irritated. This is something you don't see very often, so why does it look like this?
The Hyde Collection – Masterpieces in the Adirondacks
The Hyde Collection is a world-class art collection in the unassuming Adirondack town of Glens Falls, New York. It really was the most delightful little surprise, and I had a wonderful visit.
Seven Reasons to Study Art History
I decided to take my first art history class because I had met many campus tour guides who majored in it. Here are seven much better reasons to study art history.
The Church at Gloucester by Childe Hassam
Sometimes, I just walk past random paintings in museums and fall in love with them. I went back to enjoy this painting several more times during my most recent visit to the Met. It's The Church at Gloucester, 1918, by American Impressionist Childe Hassam.
The Joys of the Dutch Golden Age
In Praise of Painting: Dutch Masterpieces at the Met is an ongoing exhibition of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's paintings from the Dutch Golden Age. It provided the chance to view the works up close at my leisure, which gave me a new appreciation for this type of artwork.
The Art of Fireworks
During Independence Day weekend here in the U.S., I enjoyed a nice display of fireworks. During the show, I found myself wondering how fireworks are designed and made. Then, I started thinking that a really spectacular fireworks show is actually an art form.
