Category: British

  • The Dig: a Book and Movie About Sutton Hoo

    The Dig: a Book and Movie About Sutton Hoo

    A new movie called The Dig, based on a novel of the same name, tells a fictionalized version of the Sutton Hoo treasures’ discovery.

  • Art in TV and Film: Turner’s Reichenbach Falls

    Art in TV and Film: Turner’s Reichenbach Falls

    Turner’s watercolor The Great Falls of the Reichenbach appeared in a 2012 episode of the BBC series Sherlock. Learn why this choice was so very fitting.

  • Meet the Gainsborough Family

    Most of Thomas Gainsborough’s compelling portraits of his daughters were displayed together in Gainsborough’s Family Album at the Princeton U. Art Museum.

  • King of the Confessors: a Crazy Story About the Cloisters Cross

    King of the Confessors: a Crazy Story About the Cloisters Cross

    Thomas Hoving’s King of the Confessors is about his adventures in acquiring the so-called Cloisters Cross. The story is wild, and I couldn’t put it down.

  • Turner: The Life Behind the Paintings

    Turner: The Life Behind the Paintings

    If you enjoy the works of J.M.W. Turner and want to know more about him, I suggest reading Franny Moyle’s comprehensive book about his life and art.

  • Turner and His Disappearing Colors

    Turner and His Disappearing Colors

    Before synthetic colors, it was important to choose your paints wisely. Artists like Turner didn’t always do this, and their paintings discolored quickly.

  • A Guide to Pre-Raphaelite Painting

    A Guide to Pre-Raphaelite Painting

    Learn about Pre-Raphaelite painting – major artists, their ideas, and how you can identify the works? Find out how it relates to the industrial revolution.

  • A Review of the Yale Center for British Art

    A Review of the Yale Center for British Art

    The Yale Center for British Art is an entire museum dedicated to historical British art. Learn about my experience and the Louis I. Kahn-designed building.

  • Gargoyles and Grotesques of Wells Cathedral, Somerset, UK

    Two weeks ago, I talked about the mouth puller grotesque and how common he can be in Gothic architecture. The grotesque above belongs to a related type – the thorn puller, who struggles to pull a thorn or some other painful irritant out of his foot. The thorn puller appears in many different churches and may…

  • Gargoyles and Grotesques of Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland, England

    This rather distressed-looking grotesque lives on Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland, England. He sticks out his tongue and pokes at something inside his mouth, as though he’s having some dental problems. I can’t help but feel a little sorry for this odd little dude. He belongs to a subset of gargoyles and grotesques known as “mouth pullers”…

  • A Young Girl Dressed Up for Christmas (December 22nd)

    A Young Girl Dressed Up for Christmas (December 22nd)

    For a fine art Advent calendar, a charming illustration of a well-dressed little girl by Kate Greenaway.

  • Gargoyles and Grotesques of the Tower of London

    This weirdly-misshapen face is one of several gargoyles or grotesques located on the infamous Tower of London. Considering the many horrifying things that have happened inside that castle-turned-prison, I would say that his somewhat-twisted appearance is appropriate, though I’m sure this wasn’t intentional. Interestingly, the other Tower of London gargoyles I found, though all still disembodied…

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The mission of A Scholarly Skater Art History is to make historical art and architecture accessible to everyone.
I’m Alexandra, an art historian who believes that looking at art can enrich everyone’s life. Welcome to my website!
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Art history is an inherently subjective field, and my perspective isn’t the only one. I encourage all my readers to seek out differing opinions and read multiple sources to get a broader and more complete view of this complex and fascinating field of study. Read my disclaimers for more information.

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