Re-Opening the Renwick and the Morning After
The quiet child of the Smithsonian family of museums re-opened this November with a surprisingly bold statement. The aptly named Wonder exhibit is well worth a visit for its truly impressive...
View ArticleThe Scrovegni Chapel: My Moment with Giotto’s Masterpiece
To enter the Scrovegni Chapel, you have to spend 15 minutes in a “environmental equilibration” chamber and video introduction before passing through two air locks into the chapel. Shockingly, visitors...
View ArticleThe Life of A Painting: Leonardo da Vinci’s St. Jerome in the Wilderness
We take it for granted that paintings should be shown behind glass, watched by security, and protected in museums. However, for centuries a piece of art was just another personal possession. Someone...
View ArticleMosaic Treasures at Sepphoris, Israel
You may never have heard of Sepphoris but this former Roman city has some fantastic mosaics. Also known as Tzippori or Zippori , this archaeological site in the Western Galilee has been excavated over...
View ArticleScience & Sfumato – Technical Analysis to Aid Art Historians
This post is part of a larger on-line symposium to honor the late Hasan Niyazi, the self-taught art historian behind Three Pipe Problem. Hasan championed art history, critical analysis, valuable...
View ArticleEl Greco and the Painting Process
El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) – “Saint Martin and the Beggar”, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC (Photo) This last Saturday, the National Gallery of Art, along with SPAIN art & culture...
View ArticleWhy Every Trip Should Include Museums
This Sculpture Garden inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is a beautiful and peaceful space – perfect for any traveler. I’ve been meaning to write for some time about why every trip...
View ArticleWhy you can’t take photos in museums
I take a lot of pictures when I travel – architecture, market stalls, natural vistas, local life. As much as I like to soak in the experience, I always like having an image to take home as a souvenir....
View ArticleA Fun Evening at the Cincinnati Art Museum
When the first thing you see inside a museum is a Chihuly hanging over a classical male statue, you know that you’re in for something good! I wandered into the the Cincinnati Art Museum with no...
View ArticleGuest the Artist – Old Church Edition
I liked playing “Guess the Artist” last month so I have another good one for you. old church painting This is an early work of a famous painter. To make it difficult, I’m not going to give you any...
View ArticleThe Washington Monument, Reconstruction and Timing
Washington DC had a very unusual earthquake about 2 years ago. It destroyed some of the statuary at the National Cathedral and cracked the Washington Monument, an iconic obelisk-shaped landmark in the...
View ArticleArdfert Cathedral and Abbey, County Kerry
Every day in Ireland seemed to bring another beautiful ruin. Each one a massive stone structure clearly whittled down by time and the encroaching flora. King Henry VIII’s anti-Catholic purge of...
View ArticleGuess the Artist – French Addition
In honor of Bastille Day, I have a little French Art History trivia for you. I found the following painting in Rouen and want to see if you can correctly guess the artist who painted it. (No cheating...
View ArticleThe Healing Ascelpium of Pergamon, Turkey
The sacred way to the Ascelpium, just outside Pergamon, Turkey. Even without the advantage of modern MRI’s and antibiotics, the Ancient Greeks understood something about health. Just outside many of...
View ArticleBernini’s Rejected French Sculpture
Bernini created the interior marble facade, canopy and high altar of St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City (Photo: rachel_titiriga, flickr) Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598 – 1680) should be familiar to...
View ArticleMt. Auburn Cemetery in Bloom
When the first Spring blossoms have arrived and the trees start to turn green with immature shoots, then it’s time for me to visit the Mt. Auburn Cemetery. Founded in the 1830′s, many elite...
View ArticleArtSmart Roundtable – Millasis’s Pre-Raphaelite Ophelia Up Close
The monthly ArtSmart Roundtable brings together some of the best art-focused travel blogs who all post on a common theme. This month we are discussing great paintings! Below are links to the rest of...
View ArticleMichelangelo in Bruges
In recent years, my travels have focused on the Mediterranean with trips to Greece, Turkey and Italy. I love ancient Roman art and the Italian Renaissance, but I thought it was time to diversify a...
View ArticleThe Ghent Altarpiece in Person
Some people travel to new countries to expand the percentage of the world they’ve seen. Some less adventurous but equally ambitious travelers try to visit all 50 US States, all the Major League...
View ArticleBrunch in Boston with a Side of History
The restaurant I’m recommending for “Best Brunch in Boston” actually has only average to above average food. The dim sum at Empire Garden is good and certainly satisfying, but I really want you to go...
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