Art Class Podcast

Yoshitomo Nara is a Japanese artist who is part of the Superflat movement. His characters just speak to our inner child and our innermost thoughts and hopes. Learn about the Superflat movement, a bit of Japanese block printing, and why Prussian Blue is a color that connects us all.

Paul Cezanne was a Post-Impressionist painter with an eye for color and a bit of a grumpy attitude. Abandoning a long standing tradition of chiaroscuro, explore the world of color that Cezanne brought to life in this podcast and learn how the roots of a plant can make your favorite pinks.

This podcast talks about a color that shaped America and that's indigo. No, it may not really be a color in the rainbow, but it is a plant and a coveted, labor intensive pigment used in the blue denim jeans you're probably wearing right now. Originally from India, it made its way to the United States while it was still a colony. Learn about the amazing artist that is Faith Ringgold, her quilting inspired works and indigo, the color the shaped the world.

Kathe Kollwitz is my idol, my VIP, the person who shaped me into the artist I am today. She witnessed two world wars, poverty, economic collapse, social inequality, and she was a champion for her people. Explore the heart-wrenching, inspiring, beautiful and tragic work of German Artist Kathe Kollwitz and the history of an important black that saved lives in WWI.

How could you not love an artist named Bacon who has an obsession with meat and paints with juicy brushstrokes. This podcast practically writes itself! Learn about the man, the myth and the haunting legend of Francis Bacon the artist!

In this podcast we get serious. No puns or jokes today. Edvard Munch paints themes of sickness and death or fear, and uses a color just as deadly. Settle in with your favorite happy snack to listen to the tale of Edvard Munch.

FINALLY. An American Artist. Jackson Pollock helps the United States bust onto the scene with.... splatter painting. That's right, Abstract Expressionism with barns, attitude, and the "artist's mystique." We're going to talk about house paint in this episode... and why you shouldn't drink and drive.

My favorite phrase from this podcast? "Poppable lice-like insects." Learn about how so many things you eat are made of bug juice, real bug juice, not just that sugar filled drink at BoyScout Camp. Oaxaca, Mexico makes another appearance in today's lesson on the color red!

There is a whole town in Italy dedicated to a single musical instrument that sells for millions of dollars. Listen to the bloody history of the color orange and the beautiful violins of Cremona.

We've talked about color, but what about paint? What is the paint stuff made of anyway? Why do we want to crush up things and smear it on other things? What do we smear it with? Let's dive into the history and recipe of our favorite art medium: Paint.

How long have we had art teachers? How long have we had art history? How long have we had people making paintings, talking about paintings and looking at paintings? Probably a long time. Learn about Altamira, Spain and Lascaux, France and why you should never go into a cave alone.

Why do so many tiny things have to die to dye? Here's the story of Tyrian Purple and why it's okay to divorce someone if they make purple for a living.

It's the lesson you've all been waiting for ever since you first peered your peepers at Color: A History of the Palette by Victoria Finlay and said "Wait... dead people?" Here is the story of Mummy Brown and how it was really made out of mummies.

This podcast basically amounts to, "Hey, don't forge paintings and pretend they are priceless Vemeers, but if you do, make sure you're doing it to trick Nazis." Also, Cobalt Blue is a pretty rad color.

Vincent Van Gogh led a troubled life, but it probably didn't help that he was using toxic, insanity and cancer causing paints. Here is the story of one of my favorite artists, told through the lens of yellow.

Remember that scene in Disney's Ratatouille, where Remy the rat eats combinations of food and he begins to hear smooth jazz and see bright colors? That's totally what you experience if you have synesthesia! Come on a journey of music, color and senses getting crossed in your brain in this Art Class Podcast.

Victoria Finlay: The Brilliant History of Color in Art