ART + HISTORY
Here it’s polite to stare
When we look intently at a work of art, we take with us something we didn’t have before. We bring with us the artist’s way of looking at the world. Why is this valuable? Because it expands our appreciation for the beauty and diversity of human experience. I hope you enjoy The Shy Museumgoer – named one of the “20 best art history blogs and websites to follow in 2026.” You keep reading, I’ll keep writing.
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Giotto reads the room
Giotto looked at the people around him and saw a story worth telling. His frescoes in the Arena Chapel break away from the non-naturalistic tradition of Byzantine art to portray what it means to be human.
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Jean Dubuffet’s stranger things
Immediately after World War II, French artist Jean Dubuffet began mixing paint with whatever he could scrounge up: string, tar, gravel, shards of glass. “Art should make us laugh a little and fear a little,” he said.
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How Caillebotte saved Impressionism
The French Impressionists were struggling. Their paintings weren’t selling, and Pissarro was becoming exasperated with Monet and Renoir. He was ready to quit the group when a mysterious letter arrived.
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Cupid in art: He’s not that innocent
In Ancient Rome, sexual desire was viewed as a normal but potentially dangerous part of daily life. See how Cupid embodies this natural tension in classical mythology and Old Master paintings.
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Why look at paintings of Saint Joseph
Young men today feel increasingly detached from traditional role models. Could a father figure from the 1st century actually resonate with Gen Z? Joseph of Nazareth just might surprise you.
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Artist Betye Saar tells ghost stories
Saar creates hauntingly beautiful works of art that seduce us into thinking deeply about racism. Notably, she is one of the first American artists to focus on the chasm between the colonizer and the colonized.
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Art history’s marvelous moon dance
Throughout history, the moon has served as a muse for artists, inspiring feelings of mystery, melancholy, wonder, and hope. Could the moon also be hiding one of the art world’s best-kept secrets?
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The dog stays in the picture
In an Old Master narrative painting, is a dog ever more than “just a dog”? The ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes said dogs provide an honest bark of truth, and I think he may be onto something.
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The Tōkaidō Road through her eyes
Move over, men of the legendary Tōkaidō Road. I’m shining a spotlight on the often overlooked women in Hiroshige’s iconic prints—from tea house hostesses and traveling musicians to ill-fated courtesans.