Art of History – Details, episodes & analysis

The story behind John Singer Sargent’s iconic painting, Portrait of Madame X, rarely focuses on on the life of its subject, Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau. A prominent Parisian socialite known for her striking beauty, Amélie's story before and after Sargent's portrait speaks volumes about attitudes towards women in the elite circles of Belle Époque Paris. Today's artwork: John Singer Sargent, Portrait of Madame X (1884). Oil on Canvas. Metropolitan Museum of Art. ____________ This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/ARTHISTORY and take a step toward a more fulfilled, more curious you. ____________ New episodes every month. Let's keep in touch! Subscribe to my newsletter, The Fascinator. Email: artofhistorypod@gmail.com Instagram: @artofhistorypodcast

George Washington was many things: general, president, family man, and slaveholder. This giant of American history had a complex relationship with the enslaved—and often invisible—laborers who made his achievements possible. But through the art historical record, we can catch glimpses of these individuals and discover how they impacted Washington's life...and legacy. Today's image: John Trumbull, George Washington (1780). Oil on Canvas. Metropolitan Museum of Art. ______ This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/ARTHISTORY and get on your way to being your best self. ______ New episodes every month. Let's keep in touch! Email: artofhistorypod@gmail.com Instagram: @artofhistorypodcast TikTok: @artofhistorypod | @matta_of_fact

At age 42, a nun named Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179) decided to heed the command—which she believed came from God—to write down that which she saw and heard. It just so happened that what she saw and heard were visions from Heaven, containing extraordinary sights and sounds that would capture the attention of Popes and Emperors alike for centuries to come. Today's artwork: Hildegard von Bingen, Self-Portrait frontispiece from Scivias (1142-1152). Ink on parchment. Wiesbaden State Library. ______ New episodes every month. Let's keep in touch! Listen to me on Lady Audaci-TEA: Spotify | Apple Podcasts Subscribe to my newsletter, The Fascinator. Email: artofhistorypod@gmail.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/matta_of_fact Instagram: @artofhistorypodcast TikTok: @artofhistorypod | @matta_of_fact

It may have been easy for Joséphine de Beauharnais (1763-1814) to scoff at the “extraordinary destiny” once promised to her by a fortune-teller. From the Island of Martinique, where she spent her girlhood, to the shadow of the guillotine, where she became a single mother, Josephine likely never would have predicted her remarkable rise to become “more than a queen”—until, that is, she met one Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821). Today's Image: Sir David Wilkie, Joséphine and the Fortune-teller (1837). Oil on Canvas. National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh. ______ New episodes every month. Let's keep in touch! Listen to me on Lady Audaci-TEA: Spotify | Apple Podcasts Subscribe to my newsletter, The Fascinator. Email: artofhistorypod@gmail.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/matta_of_fact Instagram: @artofhistorypodcast TikTok: @artofhistorypod | @matta_of_fact

Swiss painter Henry Fuseli (1741-1825) was the man behind one of art history’s most famous spooky paintings: ‘The Nightmare.’ But how much do you actually know about this dream-fuelled Gothic image? Henry Fuseli, The Nightmare (1781). Oil on Canvas. Detroit Institute of Arts, Michigan. ______ New episodes every month. Let's keep in touch! Email: artofhistorypod@gmail.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/matta_of_fact Instagram: @artofhistorypodcast TikTok: @artofhistorypod // @matta_of_fact

Last seen in 1945, the Amber Room is the world’s most valuable missing piece of art, valued as highly as $500 million. Looted by the Nazis after Operation Barbarossa, this “Eighth Wonder of the World” once symbolized peace and unity. Today, it instead represents one of art history’s greatest mysteries. Today's Artwork: The Amber Room. Catherine Palace/Tsarskoye Selo State Museum and Heritage Site. ______ New episodes every month. Let's keep in touch! Email: artofhistorypod@gmail.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/matta_of_fact Instagram: @artofhistorypodcast TikTok: @artofhistorypod // @matta_of_fact

Dr. Kathleen B. Jones joins us on the podcast to discuss not only her new book, CITIES OF WOMEN, but also to dive into the life of literary and artistic icon Christine de Pizan (1364/65-1431). Listen to our conversation to hear how Christine became not only the first professional female writer in Europe, but also the first person in France to earn a living as a writer, period. Plus, we discuss the ins and outs of medieval manuscript-making, and the parallels between the obstacles faced by professional women in Christine's day and our own. ‘Cities of Women’ is out on September 5, 2023 - get your copy here! Today's Work: Christine de Pizan, ‘The Book of the Queen’ (Harley MS 4431) (c. 1410-1414). Parchment manuscript. 36.5 x 28.5 cm. British Library, London. ______ Thanks HelloFresh! Go to HelloFresh.com/50arthistory and use code 50arthistory for 50% off plus free shipping! ______ New episodes every month. Let's keep in touch! Email: artofhistorypod@gmail.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/matta_of_fact Instagram: @artofhistorypodcast TikTok: @artofhistorypod // @matta_of_fact

When historians first made the link between a book of hours at Trinity College, Cambridge and two others belonging to Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, they weren't just identifying who owned it. Yes, yes - the book was owned by Henry VIII's right-hand-man (for a time, at least): Thomas Cromwell. But this remarkable book has now become the only object from any 16th-century portrait to survive to this day. What can such an item tell us about the man who owned it, his times, and what he wanted everyone who saw his portrait to know? Today's artwork(s): Hans Holbein the Younger, Portrait of Thomas Cromwell, Earl of Essex (1532-33). Oil on panel, 30.7 in × 25.2 in. Frick Collection, New York. AND the 1527 Book of Hours, on display at Hever Castle through November 2023. __________ New episodes every month. Let's keep in touch! Email: artofhistorypod@gmail.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/matta_of_fact Instagram: @artofhistorypodcast Twitter: @ArtHistoricPod TikTok: @artofhistorypod // @matta_of_fact __________

Divorced, beheaded, died... divorced... A house connected to Anne of Cleves (1515-1557), Henry VIII's fourth wife, is currently on the market! Let's discuss the Grade I listed property and a tidbit of Anne's story in this Art Bite. _________ Thanks HelloFresh! Go to HelloFresh.com/arthistory50 and use code arthistory50 for 50% off plus free shipping! _________ New episodes every month. Let's keep in touch! Email: artofhistorypod@gmail.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/matta_of_fact Instagram: @artofhistorypodcast TikTok: @artofhistorypod // @matta_of_fact

Grant Wood (1891-1942) is probably best known for his double portrait depicting a man and woman on a farmstead - that icon of American painting, American Gothic. But his career encompassed so much more, and was marked by an uncanny ability to weave and deconstruct "American values"—whatever those are. In The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, Wood builds us a dreamscape in which we can confront the fables and myths of our national identity head-on. And I'm bringing it to you just in time for Independence Day! Today's artwork: Grant Wood, The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere (1931). Oil on Masonite. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. ______ New episodes every month. Let's keep in touch! Email: artofhistorypod@gmail.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/matta_of_fact Instagram: @artofhistorypodcast TikTok: @artofhistorypod // @matta_of_fact