it’s polite to stare
When we look closely at a work of art, we carry with us something we didn’t have before. We take with us the artist’s view of the world. Why is this valuable? Because it widens our awareness of the beauty and diversity found in nature and history. Thank you for reading The Shy Museumgoer — named one of the “20 best art history blogs and websites to follow in 2023.” I promise to keep adding new stories….
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Who cancelled Berthe Morisot?
Berthe Morisot’s brushwork was audacious, even for a French Impressionist, and yet contemporary critics reviewed her work favorably. Today she is the least-known member of this beloved group of avant-garde painters. The lady (almost) vanished. Where did she go?
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George Bellows: Last stop, 59th Street
The scale of the lone tenement building under the new Queensboro Bridge seems odd. Is it real? Or is it a ghost, urging us to remember all the homes that were bulldozed in the name of urban expansion and the meaningful interactions that once took place inside them?
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Leonardo’s brazenly feminist portrait
During the Italian Renaissance, women were portrayed as ideals, symbols, and allegories — even in their own portraits. Then one day Leonardo da Vinci and Lisa Gherardini said goodbye to all that.
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St Jerome’s home office is fit for a genius
For centuries, people had their portrait painted to reinforce their position in society. It had little to do with our modern, lonely desire to feel seen for who we really are. Do we still believe a person can be described from a single viewpoint? Or is multimedia replacing the official painted portrait?
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Alexandra Exter: One night in Kyiv
In her day, Ukrainian artist Alexandra Exter was one of the brightest stars in the European avant-garde. Her friends and colleagues included Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, and Fernand Léger. We know so much about them. Why do we know so little about her?
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Titian paints lust with eloquence
The Roman goddess Venus is depicted nude in works of art because she represents the lofty ideals of spiritual love and divine beauty. But not Titian’s Venus. She represents something more carnal.
The Shy Museumgoer 