I finished The Art Thief by Michael Finkel. It documents the crimes of one prolific art-loving thief who robbed out-of-the-way castle museums and other convenient locations within a seven-country radius from his home base in Alsace.
I find art heist stories compelling even as they are disconcerting. Probably because I like reading about the art and art crime units as well as the people whose work it is to care for art. In this genre is also art restitution stories, which are also compelling.
Unfortunately (no spoilers), as interesting as it was reading about the stolen art and even the way it was stolen (the audacity -- and no romanticization of the thief here), the book's ending is a letdown.
However, it's a quick little read that's entertaining and also a study in one person's psychology.
A reminder that archive.org has a ton of documentaries contributed by Libraries around the globe, and they are all completely free, and available to download, or view online
I was looking for a documentary or discussion on Frida Kahlo and found a few and was reminded of how much I love the videos section on archive.org
Can someone recommend a good conceptual/theoretical article on #Annotation in the #Humanities/#DigitalHumanities, particularly #ArtHistory/#DigitalArtHistory? So not about specific tools, vocabularies etc., but on the very act of annotation, its purpose and its status as an intellectual activity?
If Sheila Hale's massive biography of Titian seems to much, you will find Bruce Cole's smaller & more tightly focussed Titian & Venetian Painting 1450-1590 (1999) an easier read. Cole focussed much more on the painting & deploys some good sources to explore Titian's career, method & influence. Full of concise insights this is good mainstream art history, ideal if you're interested in Titian & want a quick introduction.
Der Thementeil, hg. v. Hanno Balz, widmet sich der Macht der #Farben in rassistischen & vergeschlechtlichten Diskursen. Die Autor*innen untersuchen, wie #Farben materiell & symbolisch wahrgenommen & genutzt wurden, um Bedeutung zu generieren, soziale Beziehungen zu prägen oder Differenz zu markieren:
Den Thementeil-Beitrag von Ramona Sammern (Salzburg) über die Konstruktion von #Whiteness in den Schriften venezianischer und römischer #Kunsttheoretiker des 16. Jahrhunderts gibt es übrigens als Leseprobe beim #transcript Verlag schon jetzt zum freien download:
Dominique Grisard (@unibasel) spürt dem Ursprung von #Rosa als "#Mädchenfarbe" nach. In #Märchen & #Kunst seit dem 16. Jh. stößt sie auf Topoi floraler #Weiblichkeit: Junge Frauen als blühende #Rosen und ihre rosigen, errötenden oder mit div. Rottönen geschminkten Wangen stehen dabei für Lebendigkeit, Empfänglichkeit, Verführung & Täuschung:
Art historians!
I’m running at panel at #SECAC2024. If you work on modernism (broadly defined) and it’s intersection with race (any location), you should apply. Apps due May 1st! #ArtHistory
The History of Art: A Global View: Prehistory to the Present by Jean Robertson et al, 2021
The History of Art: A Global View is the first major art history survey textbook -- written by a team of expert authors -- with a global narrative in mind. A chronological organization and “Seeing Connections” features help readers make cross-cultural comparisons.