Who Arted: Weekly Art History for All Ages

The transformation mask is a carved and painted sculpture, a status symbol, a costume element and a simple machine all at once. Pulling the strings on the mask allows the wearer to move parts that effectively animate the mask and bring it to life in front of the gathered crowd. Kwakwaka’wakw artists created a number of different masks representing different figures.Check out my other podcasts  Art Smart | Rainbow Puppy Science LabWho ARTed is an Airwave Media Podcast. If you are interested in advertising on this or any other Airwave Media show, email: advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Constantin Brâncuși was a Romanian sculptor who made a significant impact on modern art through his abstract sculptures. His passion and dedication to art is legendary. In the autumn of 1903, he began a months-long walk from Bucharest to Paris, where he sought to immerse himself in the avant-garde art scene. Brâncuși's work, characterized by simplified forms and a focus on the essence of his subjects, often sparked controversy, as seen with his Bird in Space sculpture, which was challenged by U.S. customs officials who didn't recognize it as art. This led to a landmark court case that ultimately recognized abstract art as a legitimate form. Brâncuși's dedication to his unique artistic vision and his exploration of fundamental forms left a lasting legacy on the world of modern sculpture.Related episodes:Auguste RodinAmedeo ModiglianiHenri MatisseMarcel DuchampThe Kiss is one of the 250 artworks required for AP Art History. For those students across the US trying to prep for the test, check out my AP Art History Cram Session playlist on Spotify.Check out my other podcasts Art Smart | Rainbow Puppy Science LabWho ARTed is an Airwave Media Podcast. If you are interested in advertising on this or any other Airwave Media show, email: advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss" is an iconic Art Nouveau painting, renowned for its use of gold leaf and intricate patterns. The painting depicts a couple embracing in a passionate kiss, their bodies adorned with abstract designs that symbolize interconnectedness and the natural world. While the identities of the figures are unclear, the painting has been interpreted as representing mythological figures, Klimt and his companion Emilie Floge, or a more allegorical representation of love. The painting's symbolism, including floral motifs and the gold halo effect, contribute to its spiritual dimension. The Kiss sold immediately after Klimt painted it. In 1908, the Austrian Government bought it for their Moderne Galerie. They paid 25,000 crowns which would be the equivalent of about $240,000 today. That was 5 times higher than the price paid for any painting in Vienna up until that time. It quickly became one of Klimt's most celebrated works extremely popular beyond the fine art world. "The Kiss" has permeated popular culture, appearing in countless reproductions, adaptations, and homages. Its iconic image has been used in advertising, fashion, and even movies.Check out my other podcasts Art Smart | Rainbow Puppy Science LabWho ARTed is an Airwave Media Podcast. If you are interested in advertising on this or any other Airwave Media show, email: advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous works is not housed in a museum. It is in the Convent of Santa Maria in Milan Italy. It seems totally fitting for a depiction of the last supper was painted on the wall in the convent’s dining hall. Visitors today are often surprised by how enormous the work it. The People are life sized on this massive 15 by 29 foot painting. Another surprising fact is that while people flock to see Leonardo’s work on the wall of the convent, very little if any of what we see there today was actually painted by Leonardo.Check out my other podcasts Art Smart | Rainbow Puppy Science LabWho ARTed is an Airwave Media Podcast. If you are interested in advertising on this or any other Airwave Media show, email: advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Around 1040 CE Bi Sheng invented the first known moveable type system. Skipping ahead a few hundred years, the artist Xu Bing created Book from the Sky as a monumental print. It is probably among the most ambitious, labor-intensive, and useless books ever to be printed in China or anywhere else. He created 4,000 unique characters on wood blocks to print this massive "book" but while those characters look like Chinese writing, they are actually completely meaningless.A Book from the Sky is one of the required artworks for AP Art History. Check out my Spotify playlist, AP Art History Cram Session to learn about other artists and artworks from that curriculum.This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. If you are thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It is online, flexible and convenient to meet your needs on your schedule. Visit BetterHelp.com/WhoARTed today and get 10% off your first month.Check out my other podcast Art Smart | Rainbow Puppy Science LabWho ARTed is an Airwave Media Podcast. If you are interested in advertising on this or any other Airwave Media show, email: advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Weller is a painter based out of the UK known for his quiet and subtle paintings. He focuses on the shifts in color as he observes his subject in natural light. He often works on several paintings simultaneously capturing the arrangement from different angles. Each piece is the product of long and careful study and yet the finished work has a sense of calm and ease to it.Find more from Michael Weller:Website: michaelweller.co.ukInstagram: @MichaelWellerTregony GalleryTeaching at the Winslow Art CenterCasa Rosa ArtThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. If you are thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It is online, flexible and convenient to meet your needs on your schedule. Visit BetterHelp.com/WhoARTed today and get 10% off your first month.Check out my other podcasts Art Smart | Rainbow Puppy Science LabWho ARTed is an Airwave Media Podcast. If you are interested in advertising on this or any other Airwave Media show, email: advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Raku bowls are humble. They are hand formed starting from a flat, circular base and coils built up around the sides. The process results in each piece being unique with evidence of the artist’s hand in the creative process.This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. If you are thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It is online, flexible and convenient to meet your needs on your schedule. Visit BetterHelp.com/WhoARTed today and get 10% off your first month.Check out my other podcast Art Smart | Rainbow Puppy Science LabWho ARTed is an Airwave Media Podcast. If you are interested in advertising on this or any other Airwave Media show, email: advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff Koons, born in 1955, displayed an early interest in art. As a teenager, he called Salvador Dali's hotel and arranged to meet the artist. He was inspired by Dali and went on to study art in college. Koons supported himself with various jobs, including working at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, working the information desk at MoMA and as a commodities broker in New York. He gained recognition in the 1980s with his "The New" and "Equilibrium" series, and achieved international fame with his "Banality" series, which challenged notions of art and taste. Koons's work often explores themes of consumer culture, mass production, and the relationship between art and commerce. He is known for his meticulous approach, often employing skilled artisans to create his sculptures. Koons's "Pink Panther" (1988) exemplifies his exploration of popular culture and kitsch, challenging traditional notions of art and value.Related episodes:Salvador Dali | The Persistence of MemoryAndy WarholRoy Lichtenstein | Look MickeyAP Art History Cram Session playlist on SpotifyThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. If you are thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It is online, flexible and convenient to meet your needs on your schedule. Visit BetterHelp.com/WhoARTed today and get 10% off your first month.Check out my other podcasts Art Smart | Rainbow Puppy Science LabWho ARTed is an Airwave Media Podcast. If you are interested in advertising on this or any other Airwave Media show, email: advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For today's mini episode, I thought it might be nice to change things up a little bit and cover the history of a medium rather than a specific artwork. Learn a little bit about pencils, what the numbers and letters mean, what is in the core of a pencil and how colored pencils differ from regular pencils.This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. If you are thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It is online, flexible and convenient to meet your needs on your schedule. Visit BetterHelp.com/WhoARTed today and get 10% off your first month.Check out my other podcast Art Smart | Rainbow Puppy Science LabWho ARTed is an Airwave Media Podcast. If you are interested in advertising on this or any other Airwave Media show, email: advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I have always been interested in "fine art" that makes the leap from museum walls to popular culture. I also think there is a lot of brilliant design happening in spaces and on things that we see so frequently we become blind to them. People rarely consider the work and the artistry behind the things we interact with the most. Julie Averbach is the author of the new book, The Art of Trader Joe's. She talks about her book and the experience of recognizing and appreciating the extraordinary art in ordinary places. She talked about some of her favorite parodies created by Trader Joe's artists including parodies of Georges Seurat's Sunday Afternoon on La Grande Jatte and Grant Wood's American Gothic. Please note that Who ARTed, the host, Kyle Wood, and this week's guest, Julie Averbach have no affiliation with Trader Joe's. Buy The Art of Trader Joe's on AmazonLearn more at the website www.theartoftraderjoes.com and follow The Art of Trader Joe's on InstagramCheck out Julie's free virtual museum tours at smARTee.bizThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. If you are thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It is online, flexible and convenient to meet your needs on your schedule. Visit BetterHelp.com/WhoARTed today and get 10% off your first month.Check out my other podcasts Art Smart | Rainbow Puppy Science LabWho ARTed is an Airwave Media Podcast. If you are interested in advertising on this or any other Airwave Media show, email: advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices