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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Thiebaud’s love affair with paint
Wayne Thiebaud painted cakes and freeways — two risky subjects because the art world takes itself very seriously. “There’s room for wit,” he said. “Humor gives us a sense of perspective.”
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Giotto reads the room
Enter a 700-year-old masterpiece where blue skies and human emotions changed Western art forever. Giotto’s frescoes in the Arena Chapel broke with Byzantine Art, sparking the Renaissance.
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Jean Dubuffet’s stranger things
Following WWII, 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 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 regarded as a normal yet dangerous part of daily life. Explore how Cupid embodies this paradox in classical mythology and Old Master paintings.
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Why look at paintings of Saint Joseph
Many young men today feel detached from traditional male role models. Could a father figure from the 1st century click 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. She was one of the first artists to focus on the chasm between the colonizer and the colonized.
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Art history’s marvelous moon dance
From painting to poetry, the moon has long inspired works of romance, myth, and mystery. What’s more, the moon might be holding onto one of the art world’s best kept secrets.
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The dog stays in the picture
In Old Master paintings, 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’s onto something.