Beautiful, bold, and vibrant, the treasures from the Sutton Hoo ship burial have fascinated me ever since I first studied them in freshman art history. A new movie called The Dig, based on a novel of the same name, tells a fictionalized tale of their discovery.
Category: British
Art in TV and Film: Turner’s Reichenbach Falls
Turner's large watercolor The Great Falls of the Reichenbach appeared in a 2012 episode of BBC's television series Sherlock. Learn why this choice was so incredibly fitting.
Meet the Gainsborough Family
This time last year, I wrote an article for DailyArt Magazine about Thomas Gainsborough's portraits of his daughters. I was really excited when I found out that most of those paintings are currently on display in Gainsborough's Family Album at the Princeton University Art Museum. I rushed over to see them, and I'm so glad that I did!
King of the Confessors – a Crazy Story About the Cloisters Cross
I just finished reading Thomas Hoving's King of the Confessors, which is about Hoving's adventures in acquiring what's now called The Cloisters Cross. Thanks to him, this English Romanesque carved ivory cross is one of the highlights of the Met Cloisters. The story is wild, and I couldn't put it down.
Turner: The Life Behind the Paintings
If you enjoy the works of J.M.W. Turner (as I do) and want to know more about him, I suggest reading Franny Moyle's Turner: The Extraordinary Life & Momentous Times of J.M.W. Turner (New York: Penguin Press, 2016). It's a detailed and comprehensive book about Turner's life, art, personality, and career. This post is about some of the things I learned from the book.
Turner and His Disappearing Colors
Before synthetic colors, it was important to choose your paints wisely. Some artists, like J.M.W. Turner, didn't always do this, and their paintings discolored quickly.
A Guide to Pre-Raphaelite Painting
Learn about Pre-Raphaelite painting. Who were the major artists, what were their ideas, and how can you identify the works? How did the Pre-Raphaelites relate to the industrial revolution and movements like Arts & Crafts?
A Review of the Yale Center for British Art
The Yale Center for British Art is an entire museum dedicated to the history of British art from 1550 to the present. It's housed in an unusual, Louis I. Kahn-designed building on Yale University's campus. Learn about my experience and the museum's cool arrangement of galleries.
A Guide to Romanesque Architecture
How to recognize, understand, and appreciate Romanesque architecture. What are its main forms? How is it different than Gothic?
A Guide to Gothic Architecture
Gothic (and Gothic-style) abound in church architecture around the world. But what exactly are its characteristics? Learn the stylistic attributes and historical context of Gothic architecture, as well as how to distinguish it from Romanesque and Gothic Revival architecture.
A Scholarly Skater 