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 “25 best art history blogs and websites to follow in 2026.” You keep reading, I’ll keep writing.
-
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.”
-
Giotto reads the room
Step inside a 700-year-old masterpiece where blue skies and human emotions changed Western art forever. Giotto’s Arena Chapel frescoes inspired the Renaissance by breaking with Byzantine Art.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Cupid in art: He’s not that innocent
In Ancient Rome, sexual desire was regarded as a normal yet volatile part of daily life. See how Cupid embodies this natural tension in classical mythology and Old Master paintings.
-
Why look at paintings of Saint Joseph
Today many young men 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.
-
Artist Betye Saar tells ghost stories
Saar creates hauntingly beautiful works of art that seduce us into thinking deeply about race. She is one of the first artists to address the chasm between the colonizer and the colonized.
-
Art history’s marvelous moon dance
From MirĂł to Warhol, see how the moon inspired paintings of wonder and adventure. Plus, learn the true story of the tiny art museum allegedly smuggled onto the lunar surface.
-
The dog stays in the picture
Is a dog ever more than “just a dog” in an Old Master painting? The ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes said dogs provide an honest bark of truth — and I think he may be onto something.