A Long Look Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Today’s episode is all about relaxing, taking a little break after a long year and before the holidays hit. So I offer you a quiet beach at the Jersey Shore in this serene painting by William Trost Richards. 

We’ll find out how this Philadelphia-born artist embraced the idea of nature and art as keys to a better life and his connection to the Corcoran Gallery in Washington D.C.

Thomas Cole and the Corcoran are key parts of the story, so here are previous episodes about them:  “A Pastoral Visit” tells the story of the founding of this influential museum and “The Voyage of Life: Childhood” is one of Cole’s dramatic allegorical paintings.

SHOW NOTES

“A Long Look” themes are "Easy" by Ron Gelinas https://youtu.be/2QGe6skVzSs and “At the Cafe with You” by Onion All Stars https://pixabay.com/users/onion_all_stars-33331904/

Episode Music
"Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

“Database Of Problems, Rolodex Of Lies” by Doctor Turtle
https://doctorturtle.bandcamp.com/album/free-turtle-archive-everything-cc-by-by-turtle

Artwork information 
https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.195170.html

William Trost Richards information
https://chrysler.org/exhibition/seascapes-by-william-trost-richards/

https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.2710.html

New York Times article on Richards
https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/16/arts/design/william-trost-richards-at-national-academy-museum.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

“William Trost Richards: American Landscape & Marine Painter” by Linda S. Ferber
https://archive.org/embed/williamtrostrich0000ferb (archive.org)

“Niagara” by Frederic Edwin Church
https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.166436.html

Episode on the Corcoran Gallery 
“A Pastoral Visit”

Episode on Thomas Cole
“The Voyage of Life: Childhood”

Transcript is available at https://alonglookpodcast.com/coast-new-jersey

Welcome back! I hope you all had a great summer. We’ll be spending the rest of 2024 at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, starting off with a stunning portrait of a red-headed Irish beauty that shocked London society. We’ll find out who she is and how she was much more than a pretty face. 

Then we’ll learn about the very mercurial artist she had to put up with, James McNeill Whistler and the chaos he caused in his own life and others! 

 SHOW NOTES
“A Long Look” opening and closing themes are by Ron Gelinas: 
“Ascension” https://youtu.be/jGEdNSNkZoo and “Easy” https://youtu.be/2QGe6skVzSs

Episode music
“Chopin Waltz in A Minor, B. 150.” Performed by Aya Higuchi

String Quartet no. 2 in B minor - II. Minuetto moderato.” Composed by Joseph Miroslav Weber, Performed by Steves Bedroom Band. Courtesy of musopen.org

Artwork information
https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.12198.html

https://www.nga.gov/features/joanna-hiffernan-the-white-girl.html

https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.12198.html#relatedpages

https://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/2022/woman-in-white.html

https://www.nga.gov/collection/highlights/whistler-symphony-in-white-no-1-the-white-girl.html

https://www.nga.gov/blog/how-whistler-painted-white-in-full-color.html

James McNeill Whistler info
https://www.theartstory.org/artist/whistler-james-abbott-mcneill

Joanna Hiffernan Bio
https://www.dib.ie/biography/hiffernan-joanna-jo-a9605

The Peacock Room
https://asia.si.edu/explore-art-culture/interactives/peacock-room/making-the-peacock-room/

Transcript available at https://alonglookpodcast.com/symphony-in-white/

Just in time for Thanksgiving, we take a look at this sumptuous feast by one of the stars of still-life painting, Pieter Claesz. We'll find out three hints that tell us who might have owned this fabulous artwork and the amazing connection between the Dutch and one of your favorite ballpark treats!  

If you want to follow along, you can find it here on the Gallery's site.

SHOW NOTES 
“A Long Look” themes are "Easy" by Ron Gelinas https://youtu.be/2QGe6skVzSs and “At the Cafe with You” by Onion All Stars https://pixabay.com/users/onion_all_stars-33331904/

Episode music
“Violin Concerto in F major, RV 293 'Autumn' - III Allegro” composed by Antonio Vivaldi. Performed by John Harrison. Courtesy of musopen.org https://musopen.org/music/14910-the-four-seasons-op-8/

“Meadow Waltz” by Keys of Moon Music
https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon/meadow-waltz-classical-piano-orchestra-free-download

“Take Me Out to the Ballgame” performed by Kevin MacLeod
https://www.incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100313

Artwork information
https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.132271.html

Artist information
https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.18426.html

“Pieter Claesz : Master of Haarlem Still Life” by P. Biesboer, Zwolle: Waanders Publishers, 2004.

History of still life
https://mymodernmet.com/what-is-still-life-painting-definition/

“The Dutch Gamepiece” by Scott A. Sullivan 

Dutch cuisine
“The Sensible Cook : Dutch Foodways in the Old and the New World” by Peter G. Rose. 1st ed. Syracuse, N.Y: Syracuse University Press, 1989.

For a transcript, visit https://alonglookpodcast.com/?p=2825

In today’s episode we’re looking at “Childhood” by Thomas Cole. It’s the first of a series of enormous paintings he did called “The Voyage of Life.” 

We’ll find out how Cole used this series to push the boundaries of landscape painting from just pretty pictures to something much more meaningful. And we’ll learn why the Gallery’s version isn’t the original! 

SHOW NOTES 

“A Long Look” themes are "Easy" by Ron Gelinas https://youtu.be/2QGe6skVzSs and “At the Cafe with You” by Onion All Stars https://pixabay.com/users/onion_all_stars-33331904/

Episode music: 
“Scenes from Childhood,” Op. 15, Robert Schumman https://musopen.org/music/2326-scenes-from-childhood-op-15/

“His Last Share of the Stars” by Doctor Turtle https://doctorturtle.bandcamp.com/album/free-turtle-archive-everything-cc-by-by-turtle

Artwork information 
https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.52450.html

https://www.nga.gov/collection/highlights/cole-the-voyage-of-life-childhood.html

https://www.nga.gov/content/dam/ngaweb/research/publications/pdfs/american-paintings-19th-century-part-1.pdf

Thomas Cole information
https://thomascole.org/biography-of-thomas-cole/

https://thomascole.org/wp-content/uploads/FINAL-PDF-for-Website-2022.pdf

Thomas Cole National Historic Site 
https://thomascole.org/

For a transcript visit https://alonglookpodcast.com/?p=2804

Autumn is a season of change, so it seemed like the perfect time to announce a few changes happening with the show! 

First, I've got new music! The current theme did the job when I started way back in 2017, but it’s time for a refresh so I went with a couple tunes that are welcoming and relaxed, but a little funky. I hope you like it!

I'm also moving to a monthly release schedule. These changes will start with the next episode, which drops soon.  Listen below for more details!

I hope you enjoy the new sound and if you do, it would mean so much if you spread the word! Personal recommendations are one of the top ways people discover podcasts. Just send folks here or tell them to search for “A Long Look” wherever they get their podcasts.

SHOW NOTES 

“A Long Look” themes are "Easy" by Ron Gelinas https://youtu.be/2QGe6skVzSs and “At the Cafe with You” by Onion All Stars https://pixabay.com/users/onion_all_stars-33331904/

For a transcript visit https://alonglookpodcast.com/?p=2772

This work by Edouard Vuillard reminds me of the old Magic Eye images that ran in the Sunday comics back in the ’90s. You’d be presented with a dense, colorful pattern and have to figure out what the hidden image was. I could never do it. 

In today’s episode we’ll find out how he and a group of young artists called the Nabis threw out the rules of traditional painting to create something more personal that made the viewer have to do some of the work of figuring out what’s going on.

If you want to follow along, you can find it here on the Gallery’s site.

SHOW NOTES (TRANSCRIPT BELOW)

“A Long Look” opening and closing themes are by Ron Gelinas
“Ascension” https://youtu.be/jGEdNSNkZoo and “Easy” https://youtu.be/2QGe6skVzSs

Episode theme is “Gnossienne” composed by Erik Satie. Performed by Edward Rosser. Courtesy of musopen.org 

Artwork information
https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.52238.html

Vuillard self-portrait
https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.93000.html

Vuillard info
https://www.theartstory.org/artist/vuillard-edouard/

https://artuk.org/discover/stories/douard-vuillard-nabi-and-intimist

“Bonnard to Vuillard: Intimate Poetry: The Nabi Collection of Vicki and Roger Sant” by Elsa Smithgall, et al. New York, New York: Rizzoli Electa, 2019.

“Vuillard, the Inexhaustible Glance : Critical Catalogue of Paintings and Pastels.”  Salomon, Antoine., Guy. Cogeval, and Mathias. Chivot. Vol. 1, Milano: Skira, 2003.

Nabis info
https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/dcpt/hd_dcpt.htm

https://smarthistory.org/nabis-decorative-art/

Negative space trick
https://mymodernmet.com/negative-space-definition/

For a transcript visit https://alonglookpodcast.com/?p=2728

Today's episode takes us back to the reign of the Sun King, Louis XIV, whose court was every bit as frothy as the clouds the harvest goddess Ceres is lounging on. We find out crabs are sometimes lobsters and how a penniless young man from the outskirts of Paris named Antoine Watteau ended up scoring a big commission from one of the most powerful men in the court. And why this painting is now so rare!

If you want to follow along, find it here on the Gallery’s site

SHOW NOTES (TRANSCRIPT BELOW)

“A Long Look” opening and closing themes are by Ron Gelinas:
“Ascension” https://youtu.be/jGEdNSNkZoo and “Easy” https://youtu.be/2QGe6skVzSs

Episode theme is “Violin Concerto no. 3 in G major, K. 216” composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Performed by the NOVA Community Chorus, courtesy of musopen.org 
https://musopen.org/music/2863-violin-concerto-no-3-in-g-major-k-216/

Artwork information
https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.46149.html

Watteau info
https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.1967.html#biography

https://www.nga.gov/features/slideshows/18th-century-france-the-rococo-and-watteau.html#slide_1

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Antoine-Watteau/Watteaus-Cythera#ref35071

Cancer crab info
https://www.britannica.com/place/Cancer-constellation

https://ima.princeton.edu/2016/06/21/junes-zodiac-sign-lobster-like-crabs/

For a transcript visit alonglookpodcast.com

Meet St. Francis, who’s in the middle of receiving a…um…complicated divine visitation. This wealthy young party lover and man about town gave it all up to live a more meaningful life and lead others to embrace self-sacrifice, love nature, and encourage peace. 

In today’s episode we find out how his spiritual devotion led to this rather mixed blessing and why he’s one of the most popular saints. 

If you want to follow along, you can find it at here on the Frick Collection’s site.

Photo of St. Francis in gallery https://www.frick.org/blogs/middle_ground_bellini_breuer

SHOW NOTES 

“A Long Look” opening and closing themes are by Ron Gelinas:
“Ascension” https://youtu.be/jGEdNSNkZoo and “Easy” https://youtu.be/2QGe6skVzSs

Episode music:  
“Byrd O Magnum Mysterium” by William Byrd. Performed by Ensemble Morales
https://musopen.org/music/10537-o-magnum-mysterium/

“Ale and Anecdotes” by Darren Curtis | https://www.darrencurtismusic.com/
Music promoted on https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Artwork information 
https://collections.frick.org/objects/39/st-francis-in-the-desert

https://www.frick.org/interact/miniseries/cocktails_curator/bellinis_st_francis_desert

St. Francis info
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_of_Assisi#Character_and_legacy

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Francis-of-Assisi#ref2420

In a New Light : Giovanni Bellini’s “St. Francis in the Desert.” Rutherglen, Susannah et al. New York: The Frick Collection in association with D Giles Limited, London, 2014.

“Cocktails with A Curator” St. Francis in the Desert
https://www.frick.org/interact/miniseries/cocktails_curator/bellinis_st_francis_desert

“Canticle of the Creatures”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canticle_of_the_Sun

Meaning of stigmata
https://www.franciscantradition.org/blog/78-feast-of-the-stigmata-of-saint-francis

Transcript available at alonglookpodcast.com

In today’s episode, we get to picture ourselves in a dreamy landscape on a sunny afternoon courtesy of Annibale Carracci and the National Gallery of Art in DC. Annibale was a painter in Bologna, Italy from the 1580s to early 1600s and one of his big innovations was making landscapes like this a thing in Italian art. 

We’ll also find out how Annibale is connected to celebrity artist Lavinia Fontana who we met in a previous episode and what happened to the poor guy when he took on a project with the client from hell! 

SHOW NOTES (TRANSCRIPT BELOW)

“A Long Look” opening and closing themes are by Ron Gelinas:
“Ascension” https://youtu.be/jGEdNSNkZoo and “Easy” https://youtu.be/2QGe6skVzSs

Episode music:
“Classical Piano and Cello” by Danielyan Ashot Makichevich.
https://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-classical-piano-and-cello-short-version-112721

“The Well Tempered Clavier, Book I, BWV 846-869 - Fugue No. 21 in B-flat major, BWV 866” by Johann Sebastian Bach. Performed by Kimiko Ishizaka.
https://musopen.org/music/performer/kimiko-ishizaka/composer/johann-sebastian-bach/

Artwork information
https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.41673.html

Carracci information
“The Lives of Annibale & Agostino Carracci,” by Giovanni Pietro Bellori. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1968.

"Annibale Carracci Artist Overview and Analysis". [Internet]. 2023. TheArtStory.org
Content compiled and written by Libby Festorazzi
Edited and revised, with Summary and Accomplishments added by Antony Todd
Available from: https://www.theartstory.org/artist/carracci-annibale/
First published on 27 Mar 2020. Updated and modified regularly
[Accessed 04 May 2023]

Comments or questions are welcome at alonglookpodcast.com

In honor of Women’s History Month, we find out about trailblazer Lavinia Fontana, a celebrity artist in Renaissance Italy. Her portraits were all the rage among the nobility of Bologna and with the help of a supportive (and broad-minded) husband/business manager, she became the first professional woman artist. 

SHOW NOTES

“A Long Look” opening and closing themes are by Ron Gelinas:
“Ascension” https://youtu.be/jGEdNSNkZoo and “Easy” https://youtu.be/2QGe6skVzSs

Episode music:
“Rondeau” and “My Mistress is as Fine as Faire ” performed by John Sayles

“Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 - 13 - Variatio 12 Canone alla Quarta” composed by Johann Sebastian Bach, performed by Kimiko Ishizaka. 

http://www.jsayles.com/familypages/earlymusic.htm

https://musopen.org/music/4107-goldberg-variations-bwv-988/

Artwork information 

https://nmwa.org/art/collection/portrait-noblewoman/

Self-portrait 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15883827

Lavinia Fontana information

https://www.nga.gov/press/acquisitions/2022/lavinia-fontana.html
https://www.nga.gov/stories/lavinia-fontana-and-lucia-bonasoni-garzoni-two-professional-women.html
https://www.theartstory.org/artist/fontana-lavinia/

National Museum for Women in the Arts
https://nmwa.org/

https://nmwa.org/nmwa-at-home/

Lavinia Fontana: Pioneering Painter of the 16th Century (Getty)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgeDGtF11KY

Lavinia Fontana of Bologna, 1552-1614

Catalog for exhibition of the same name, National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1998

Comments or questions are welcome at alonglookpodcast.com