Art of History
Amanda Matta
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Episodes from history, viewed through great works of art. No pre-reqs required! New episodes every month. Hosted by Amanda Matta, art historian and TikTok's favorite royal commentator.
Available episodes
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Oct 31, 2023
Art History Horror Story: The Nightmare
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.
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Sep 28, 2023
Eighth Wonder, Vanished: The Amber Room
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.
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Aug 31, 2023
Cities of Women: Christine de Pizan with Dr. Kathleen B. Jones
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.
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Jul 27, 2023
Art Bite: Thomas Cromwell's Book of Hours
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.
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Jul 20, 2023
Art Bite: Anne of Cleves' House
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.
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Jun 30, 2023
Just Another American Fable: Grant Wood
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.
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Jun 13, 2023
Art Bite: A New Portrait of Henry VIII's Final Queen
I’m so excited to be bringing you the first of a NEW offering on the Art of History podcast! 🎉
These “Art Bites,” as I’m calling them, will be a casual place to discuss pieces of news that pertain to topics we’ve either discussed on the show, or which activate my art history brain.
Our first Art Bite is centered on an upcoming auction at Sotheby's, where a privately-owned portrait of Katherine Parr will go up for sale in July. Tune in to hear me geek out about the power display going on in this representation of Henry VIII’s sixth and final queen. (We also chat about royal jewelry).
See more on the Old Masters auction and the Coronation auction here.
Today's artwork: Katherine Parr, attributed to “Master John” and dated to the mid-1540s
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May 25, 2023
Silence is So Accurate: Mark Rothko & Abstract Expressionism
Mark Rothko (1903-1970) was at the forefront of a generation of American artists who revolutionized the scene, right down to the way we understand the very essence of the artistic process.
Even as he rejected both the label of Abstract Expressionism and even the idea that his paintings were technical masterpieces, he is nonetheless a “key protagonist” of the Abstract Expressionist movement and a fierce advocate for the artist’s freedom of expression.
Today's Image: Mark Rothko, ‘Untitled (Red over Dark Blue on Dark Gray)’ (1961). Oil on canvas. Berkeley Art Museum, University of California.
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Apr 27, 2023
Romantic Getaway: Gèricault's Raft of the Medusa
Despite his short life, French painter Thèodore Gèricault (1791-1824) is remembered of one of the giants of art history. In his evocative masterpiece The Raft of the Medusa, Gèricault laid the groundwork for the Romantic era in the visual arts.
It's easy to get swept up in the vast spectrum of human emotion on display in the canvas. But how much of this painting was drawn from real life events?
Today's image: Théodore Géricault, The Raft of the Medusa. (1818-19). Oil on Canvas. Musée du Louvre, Paris.
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Mar 30, 2023
Genius Has No Sex: Rosa Bonheur
Marie-Rosalie, or Rosa, Bonheur (1822-1899) has been lauded as the most celebrated woman artist of her time. Her breathtaking animal paintings showcase not only her technical skill, but also her so-called “radical” ideals. But just how “radical” was Rosa—who has been lauded as a feminist art historical figure—actually setting out to be?
Today's Image: Rosa Bonheur, The Horse Fair (1852–55). Oil on canvas; 96 1/4 x 199 1/2 in. (244.5 x 506.7 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Wayne Thiebaud on The Horse Fair
Linda Nochlin: Why have there been no great women artists?
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Feb 28, 2023
The Baroque Bearded Lady: Magdalena Ventura
Today, gender is largely understood as a fluid concept. And while an increasingly loud minority insist that "men are men and women are women," and that’s simply the way it’s always been…a look through the lens of art history is just one way to quickly realize how flawed that worldview just might be.
Jusepe de Ribera (1591-1652) provides that lens in his 1631 portrait of Magdalena Ventura, subtitled 'The Bearded Woman.' Is this a depiction of a woman boldly defying gender norms? Or simply a person existing with the hand they were dealt by nature?
Today's Image: Jusepe de Ribera, Magdalena Ventura with Her Husband and Son (La Mujer Barbuda) (1631). Museo Fondación Duque de Lerma, Toledo, Spain.
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Jan 26, 2023
Death of Cleopatra - Edmonia Lewis, Pt. 2
Part II of Edmonia Lewis' story takes us for a closer look at her masterpiece: the 1876 sculpture, 'Death of Cleopatra.'
In an echo of Edmonia’s approach to her own biography, the work shows Egypt’s last queen “sealing her fate and having the last word on how she’ll be recorded in history.”
Today's Image: Edmonia Lewis, Death of Cleopatra (1876). Marble. Smithsonian American Art Museum.
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Jan 7, 2023
History Daily: The Accident that Changed King Henry VIII & The Death of Queen Elizabeth I
Today on Art of History, I am beyond thrilled to bring you two episodes of a show that has quickly become a staple in my daily podcast listening: History Daily.
Every weekday, host Lindsay Graham (American Scandal, American History Tellers) takes you back in time to explore a momentous event that happened ‘on this day’ in history. Whether it’s to remember the tragedy of December 7th, 1941, the day “that will live in infamy,” or to celebrate that 20th day in July, 1969, when mankind reached the moon, History Daily is there to tell you the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world—one day at a time.
So if you’re stuck in traffic, bored at work—wherever you are, listen to History Daily to remind yourself that something incredible happened to make that day historic. A co-production from award-winning podcasters Airship and Noiser.
Episodes: The Accident that Changed King Henry VIII and The Death of Queen Elizabeth I
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Dec 29, 2022
Forever Free - Edmonia Lewis, Pt. 1
Edmonia Lewis (1844-1907) was history’s first internationally recognized sculptor of African American and Native American descent, and (as you might expect!) a woman with a multifaceted life story.
Today's Image: Edmonia Lewis, Forever Free (The Morning of Liberty) (1867). Marble, 41.25 x 22 x 17 in. Howard University Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
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Nov 23, 2022
Family Matters: Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan
Ilya Repin (1844-1930) was one of Russia’s leading realist painters, known for his evocative portrayals of 19th-century working conditions. He was also known for his charged depictions of episodes from Russia’s past - such as an 1885 canvas showing Ivan the Terrible moments after striking his son and heir with a deadly blow.
We’ll dive deep into this…unique father-son bond, and explore the motivations that led Repin to put this controversial image on display 300 years after the event in question took place.
Today's Image: Ilya Repin, Ivan the Terrible and his Son Ivan (1883-1885). Oil on Canvas, 78.5” x 100”. Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
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Nov 10, 2022
Ghosts at the Palace
Two things are true of history podcasts: Everyone loves a bit of Tudor History, and everyone loves a good ghost story. Today, we explore a bit of both!
When visiting Henry VIII’s magnificent Hampton Court Palace, it’s often the darker episodes from its past that get the best reactions. Using Tudor portraiture as our guide, let’s explore the origin of some of the Palace’s ghostly tales and the lives at the center of them.
Today's images:
Jane Seymour (unfinished), after Hans Holbein the Younger (1537). Oil on panel. National Portrait Gallery, London.
Jane Seymour, by Hans Holbein the Younger (1536/37). Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.
Portrait of a Lady, perhaps Katherine Howard, by Hans Holbein the Younger. (ca. 1540). Watercolor on vellum laid on playing card (the 4 of Diamonds). Royal Collection Trust.
Effigy of Dame Sybil Penn, from Hampton Church
British School, The Family of Henry VIII (c.1545). Oil on canvas. Hampton Court Palace, Royal Collection Trust.
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Oct 27, 2022
Who ARTed: Han van Meegeren
This episode comes to you courtesy of Kyle Wood, host of an art podcast that fans of Art of History NEED to have on their radar.
Who ARTed brings you weekly art history for all ages. Whether you are cramming for your art history exam, trying to learn a few facts so you can sound smart at fashionable dinner parties, or just looking to hear something with a more positive tone, Kyle's got you covered.
Be sure to subscribe to both Who ARTed and Art Smart, both Airwave Media Podcasts, for a weekly art history fix.
Thank you for letting me feature this episode on Han van Meegeren, Kyle. Art of History will return in its regular format, with TWO new episodes next month.
The late 1930s were a rough time in Europe. Nazis were on the rise, and museums began hiding their most treasured works or even shipping them off to safe locations. As all of these works were floating around in the art world and many pieces being hidden, Hans van Meegeren emerged as an art dealer with some lost Vermeers. As…
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Sep 29, 2022
Art is Political: The “Degenerate” Art Exhibition
85 years ago, a groundbreaking art exhibition was held in Munich. It showcased the work of 120 artists, many of these internationally renowned modernists. The show was attended by one million people in its first six weeks.
But this landmark show, while one-of-a-kind, is not something to be celebrated. Entartete Kunst (‘Degenerate Art’) was organized at the behest of Adolf Hitler, under Joseph Goebbels' Ministry of Propaganda, to showcase works of art that “undermined” the ideals of the Nazi regime.
The term ‘degenerate’ is making a comeback in contemporary discussions of non-traditional art and culture. The sinister undertones associated with the term could easily be missed by this generation, but to label subversive art forms ‘degenerate’ is a dangerous act. Today on Art of History, we unpack how the term was weaponized, sometimes literally, against avant-garde artists in Hitler’s Reich.
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Aug 25, 2022
Flower Power: Tulipmania and Those who Painted It
Tulipmania has stuck in our collective memory as one of the biggest economic calamities to ever strike the western world. The popular narrative holds that in 17th century Holland, homes were mortgaged, reputations were ruined, and livelihoods were lost—all so that tulip bulbs could be bought at higher and higher prices. And when the “bubble” burst, chaos ensued.
In fact, the truth was far less sensational. But contemporary 17th-century artworks can shed some light on the real Tulip Fever, and perhaps give us some clues as to why Tulipmania continues to hold such power over our notions of the Dutch Golden Age.
Today's Images: Jan Breughel the Elder, Still Life with Tulips, Chrysanthemums, Narcissi, Roses, Irises and other Flowers in a Glass Vase (1608-1610). Oil on copper. The National Gallery, London.
and
Jan Brueghel the Younger, A Satire of Tulip Mania (c. 1640-1650). Oil on Panel. Frans Hals Museum, Netherlands.
Jan Brueghel the Younger, Allegory of Tulipomania (c. 1640…
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Jul 28, 2022
HRH The Duchess of Baltimore
Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte (1785-1879) was one of America’s first international celebrities and self-made women. But how did this Baltimore girl come to count royalty among her in-laws—a century or two before the likes of Wallis Simpson and Meghan Markle snagged their princes? The answer may lie in her unique triple-view portrait by Gilbert Stuart…or is that only part of Elizabeth’s story?
Today's Image: Gilbert Stuart, Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte (1804). Oil on canvas. Private collection.
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Jun 27, 2022
The Man and His Muse
Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009) is considered one of American’s greatest modern artists. His works combine a regionalist simplicity with a surrealist view of the inner world. But without the people and places that inspired him and allowed him to channel his emotions onto the canvas, we might never have seen that inner world at all.
Let’s take a walk through the life of Andrew Wyeth, encountering the several muses that played an integral part in his creative process, as we endeavor to answer, “What is a muse?”
Today’s artwork: Andrew Wyeth, Christina’s World (1948). Tempera on Panel. Museum of Modern Art, New York.
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May 25, 2022
Spring in Her Step
Sandro Botticelli (c.1455-1510) is credited as the man behind some of the greatest mythological paintings in Western art history—a great feat, especially considering that we still don’t fully know the meaning behind his most ambitious work.
Primavera, or Spring (c. 1480) is brimming with allegorical puzzle pieces. Rather than using the Primavera to tell a story from the past, this week we’ll take a step into the painting itself in an effort to demystify what was once a prized possession of Florence’s Medici dynasty.
Today's Image: Sandro Botticelli, Primavera (Spring) (c. 1480). Tempera grassa on wood. Uffizi Gallery, Florence.
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Apr 21, 2022
Elizabeth: The Early Years
In this episode, I put my art history degree to good use (finally) as we discuss a lesser-known portrait of Elizabeth I as she appeared late in the reign of her sister, Mary I, or early in her own reign. Painted in the image of her father, Henry VIII, Elizabeth is trying to communicate many things to many people all at once in this image. How can a single portrait represent her desire to overcome the struggles of her youth and be taken seriously as a pious, powerful female monarch?
Today's Image: English School, Queen Elizabeth I (“The Hever Portrait” or “The Chawton Portrait”) (1558). Oil on Panel. Hever Castle.
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Jan 26, 2022
A Call to Arms
This episode has everything: snakes, missing limbs, a true crime case, and sculptor Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni being annoyed.
Today’s artwork: Agesander of Rhodes, Athenodoros, and Polydorus (attr.), Laocoön and His Sons (Hellenistic Period?). Marble. Vatican Museums, Vatican City.
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Jan 12, 2022
The Real Queen Charlotte
The depiction of Queen Charlotte (1744-1818) as a woman of color in the Netflix series Bridgerton brought her to the forefront of a conversation about non-white historical figures. There’s been much debate over this Georgian queen’s character as a result. Was Queen Charlotte that formidable? And was she really mixed race? Much of the speculation over Charlotte’s ancestry comes from interpretations of Sir Allan Ramsay’s portraits of her, in which her features are, in one historian’s words, “conspicuously African.” We’ll examine the actual historical evidence that addresses Queen Charlotte’s background, but we’ll also try and get to know the woman behind all the spectacle and rhetoric. So, will the real Queen Charlotte please stand up?
Today’s artwork: Sir Allan Ramsay, Queen Charlotte (1762). Oil on canvas. Royal Collection Trust, U.K.
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Nov 11, 2021
A Swing Called Love
Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s (1732-1806) painting The Swing is an icon of the Rococo era and a widely-celebrated depiction of innocent, carefree leisure. Or...is it? We’re unpacking some of the, er, erotically charged symbols that you might have missed when you first saw this painting in Disney’s Frozen. Listener discretion is advised for this episode, unless you’re a parent who is prepared to get really cool about some adult themes very quickly.
Today's Image: Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Les hasards heureux de l'escarpolette (The Happy Hazards of the Swing) (1767). Oil on Canvas, 81 x 64.2 cm. Wallace Collection, London.
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Oct 25, 2021
Mr. Lincoln, I Presume?
In 1872, Mary Todd Lincoln (1818-1882) visited the photography studio of one William H. Mumler (1832-1884), who claimed to be able to capture images of deceased loved ones on film. A byproduct of Mrs. Lincoln's spiritualist beliefs, the photograph on which today's episode centers offers us a glimpse at the strange practices which Civil War-era Americans would resort to in their efforts to find comfort and solace in the wake of death and tragedy.
Today's Image: William H. Mumler, “Mary Todd Lincoln,” (1872). Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection, Allen County Public Library. Fort Wayne, Indiana.
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Oct 8, 2021
Becoming Joan
Jules Bastien-Lepage's life-size depiction of Joan of Arc (1412-1431) shows her at the very beginning of her journey to sainthood. But a lot happened between her spiritual awakening in 1425 and her canonization as the patron saint of France in 1920. So, how did she get there? And how was her image molded by the national and spiritual needs of a nation?
Today's image: Jules Bastien-Lepage, Joan of Arc (1879). Oil on canvas. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
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Sep 24, 2021
The Life of Dido
In the mid-1770s, the Earl of Mansfield (1705-1793) commissioned a portrait of his two great-nieces, Elizabeth Murray (1760-1825) and Dido Belle (1761-1804). But it was Elizabeth's name that would be remembered through history, and Dido's would only be rediscovered in the 1990s. In this episode, we discuss her origins, her position in her great-uncles stately home, and how she is portrayed in the only known Neoclassical portrait depicting a black woman and a white woman as equals.
Today's image: David Martin, Portrait of Dido Elizabeth Belle and Lady Elizabeth Murray (ca. 1778). Oil on canvas. Scone Palace, Scotland.
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Sep 10, 2021
Who Tells Your Story?
Jean-Paul Marat (1743-1793) was a giant of the French Revolution. I guess you could say that one thing led to another, though, and he ended up dead in a bathtub. His friend, artist Jacques-Louis David (1748-1845), memorialized that gruesome event in today's artwork and in the process, spun the narrative to better serve their shared political aims.
Today's image: Jacques-Louis David, The Death of Marat (1793). Oil on canvas. Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Belgium.
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Email: artofhistorypod@gmail.com
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Instagram: @artofhistorypodcast
Twitter: @ArtHistoricPod
TikTok: @matta_of_fact
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Aug 27, 2021
(Queen) Victoria's Secret
Our popular image of Queen Victoria (1819-1901) paints her as a monarch, a mother, a wife, and a widow. But today we are looking at a portrait of Victoria that shows us the woman, not her roles. Join me for a bit of historically sanctioned snooping into the hidden side of Victoria, her relationship with her hubby, and their love language of choice.
Today's image: Franz Xaver Winterhalter, Queen Victoria (1843). Oil on canvas. Royal Collection Trust, United Kingdom.
New episodes every month. Let's keep in touch!
Email: artofhistorypod@gmail.com
Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/matta_of_fact
Instagram: @artofhistorypodcast
Twitter: @ArtHistoricPod
TikTok: @artofhistorypod // @matta_of_fact
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Aug 22, 2021
Introducing the Art of History Podcast!
Join me for episodes from history, viewed through great works of art. No pre-reqs required!
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Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/amanda-matta/support
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