Who Arted: Weekly Art History for All Ages

Andy Warhol's Marilyn Diptych is a commentary on the nature of fame, celebrity, and mass media. Warhol appropriated a well-known image of Monroe, using repetition and contrasting colors to create a work that is both iconic and unsettling. The diptych format, traditionally used for religious works, elevates Monroe to a figure of almost religious significance, while also highlighting the manufactured nature of her celebrity persona. Through this work, Warhol explores the tension between the public image and the private individual, and the way in which mass media can distort and commodify our understanding of reality. The Diptych serves as a powerful critique of the cult of celebrity and the dehumanizing effects of mass media. This is an encore presentation. Every January/February, I release daily episodes to refresh everyone's memory on the 64 artists and artworks that will be included in my Arts Madness Tournament held in March. While most of these daily episodes will be reruns, I will continue publishing new episodes on Mondays.  Check out my other podcasts  Fun Facts Daily | Art Smart | Rainbow Puppy Science Lab Who 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

Born in 1941 in Tacoma, Washington, Dale Chihuly is a pioneering figure who transformed glass from a functional, industrial material into a celebrated medium for fine art. Influenced by the rugged landscapes of the Pacific Northwest and early experiences in interior design, Chihuly’s artistic journey began with an experimental weaving project in 1963 where he first fused glass shards into a tapestry. After studying at the University of Wisconsin and the Rhode Island School of Design, Chihuly became the first American glassblower to work at the prestigious Venini Glass Factory in Venice. There, he adopted the collaborative team-based approach to glassblowing that would later define his career and allow him to produce increasingly complex, large-scale installations. The Seaform series, initiated in the early 1980s, stands as one of Chihuly’s most iconic contributions to contemporary art, showcasing a mastery of organic, fluid forms. These sculptures are characterized by their diafananous, shell-like textures created using optical molds and the deliberate use of gravity and centrifugal force to achieve asymmetrical, "slumped" aesthetics. By allowing the molten glass to find its own shape rather than enforcing perfect symmetry, Chihuly evokes the natural growth patterns and light-catching qualities of the ocean. Today, his work is featured in over 200 museum collections worldwide, ranging from the canals of Venice to massive public gardens, solidifying his legacy as an artist who bridged the gap between craft and high art. Check out my other podcasts  Fun Facts Daily | Art Smart | Rainbow Puppy Science Lab Who 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

China's Longmen Caves or Longmen Grottoes are a UNESCO world heritage site. Starting in the 5th century CE, artists chiseled away at the limestone carving out around 2300 caves and 110,000 statues. Because they were constructed over such a long period, the sculptures in the Longmen Caves not only reflect the religious tradition, but they track changes in artistic style over the centuries. Related episode: ⁠Sand Mandalas This is an encore presentation. Every January/February, I release daily episodes to refresh everyone's memory on the 64 artists and artworks that will be included in my Arts Madness Tournament held in March. While most of these daily episodes will be reruns, I will continue publishing new episodes on Mondays.  Check out my other podcasts  Fun Facts Daily | Art Smart | Rainbow Puppy Science Lab Who 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

Keith Haring, renowned for his iconic pop art and graffiti, rose to fame in the 1980s New York art scene. His signature style, characterized by bold lines, vibrant colors, and symbols like the radiant baby and barking dog, often conveyed social messages. Haring's art wasn't confined to galleries; it flourished in public spaces, notably subway stations, making it accessible to everyone. Despite his untimely death due to AIDS in 1990, his legacy lives on through his art and the Keith Haring Foundation, which supports children and AIDS/HIV organizations. Haring's work continues to inspire and resonate, bridging the gap between high art and popular culture. This is an encore presentation. Every January/February, I release daily episodes to refresh everyone's memory on the 64 artists and artworks that will be included in my Arts Madness Tournament held in March. While most of these daily episodes will be reruns, I will continue publishing new episodes on Mondays.  Check out my other podcasts  Fun Facts Daily | Art Smart | Rainbow Puppy Science Lab Who 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

Jan van Eyck was a remarkable painter. He worked in oils during the Renaissance, and created stunning photorealistic portraits centuries before photography was developmed. In the Arnolfini portrait, he captures not only the subjects standing before him, but also a reflection of the room in a convex mirror showing the full scene and accurately rendering the distortions caused by the curved glass. This is an encore presentation. Every January/February, I release daily episodes to refresh everyone's memory on the 64 artists and artworks that will be included in my Arts Madness Tournament held in March. While most of these daily episodes will be reruns, I will continue publishing new episodes on Mondays.  Check out my other podcasts  Fun Facts Daily | Art Smart | Rainbow Puppy Science Lab Who 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

Victor Vasarely was a Hungarian-French artist known for his innovative style and contributions to the Op Art movement. One of Vasarely's most famous works is "Zebra," created in 1937. This painting showcases his ability to create optical illusions through the use of black and white stripes. When viewed from a distance, the stripes appear to vibrate and create a sense of movement. This technique, known as the "Vasarely effect," became a hallmark of his style. The Zebra painting is considered to be the first Op Art painting. This is an encore presentation. Every January/February, I release daily episodes to refresh everyone's memory on the 64 artists and artworks that will be included in my Arts Madness Tournament held in March. While most of these daily episodes will be reruns, I will continue publishing new episodes on Mondays.  Check out my other podcasts  Fun Facts Daily | Art Smart | Rainbow Puppy Science Lab Who 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

Bridget Riley, born in London in 1931, is a prominent figure in the Op Art movement. Early life experiences, including wartime evacuation to Cornwall and exposure to nature's patterns, influenced her artistic sensibilities. Her style evolved with influences from Seurat, Pollock, and Balla. Riley's breakthrough came in the 1960s with black and white geometric paintings like "Fall" and "Current," which created illusions of movement and depth. Her work gained international recognition through exhibitions like "The Responsive Eye" at MoMA. Riley's exploration of color and form continues to challenge viewers' perceptions and solidify her place in art history. A key work, "Movement in Squares" (1961), exemplifies her innovative use of simple elements to produce dynamic optical effects, marking a pivotal moment in Op Art and influencing various fields beyond fine art. This is an encore presentation. Every January/February, I release daily episodes to refresh everyone's memory on the 64 artists and artworks that will be included in my Arts Madness Tournament held in March. While most of these daily episodes will be reruns, I will continue publishing new episodes on Mondays.  Check out my other podcasts  Fun Facts Daily | Art Smart | Rainbow Puppy Science Lab Who 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

Modernists said, “form follows function” focusing on how people will use a space, but Gehry focuses on how people will react to the space. His goal is to inspire, to make them feel. He talks about the challenge of creating feeling with inert materials. He says it is the movement that brings out a feeling. With his design in Bilbao, Spain, rather than simply designing a building to house a collection of some of the world’s most beautiful and inspiring art, Gehry made the building itself a work of art that inspires awe and wonder. The Guggenheim Bilbao 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 is an encore presentation. Every January/February, I release daily episodes to refresh everyone's memory on the 64 artists and artworks that will be included in my Arts Madness Tournament held in March. While most of these daily episodes will be reruns, I will continue publishing new episodes on Mondays.  Check out my other podcasts  Fun Facts Daily | Art Smart | Rainbow Puppy Science Lab Who 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

The Deesis mosaic, located in the South Gallery of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, is a monumental work of Byzantine art dating back to approximately 1261 CE. Created during the Palaeologan Renaissance, a period of cultural and artistic rebirth following the Byzantine recapture of Constantinople, the mosaic represents a departure from the rigid, stylized forms typical of earlier Byzantine art. The term "Deesis" translates to "prayer" or "supplication," reflecting the composition's theme: Jesus Christ is flanked by the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist, both of whom are depicted in poses of intercession, pleading for mercy on behalf of humanity. The mosaic is a marvel of optical engineering. Byzantine mosaicists used thousands of tiny glass and stone cubes, known as tesserae, many as small as a grain of rice for delicate features like skin tones. These tiles were often angled to catch and reflect light from nearby windows and candles, creating a shimmering effect that gave the figures a sense of life and movement. The artist's use of complementary colors for shading, such as greens and olives mixed with pinks, achieved a vibrant, lifelike flesh tone that anticipated techniques used by Renaissance artists centuries later. Although the bottom half of the mosaic was lost to time and water damage, the surviving upper portion remains a profound testament to the emotional depth and technical sophistication of 13th-century Byzantine craftsmanship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Frank Lloyd Wright was one of America's most famous and influential architects. He famously said, "No house should ever be on a hill or on anything. It should be of the hill. Belonging to it. Hill and house should live together each the happier for the other." It was this emphasis on unity between the construction and the surrounding landscape that made Falling Water such a breathtaking design. Related Episodes: ⁠Frank Lloyd Wright | Falling Water (full episode)⁠ This is an encore presentation. Every January/February, I release daily episodes to refresh everyone's memory on the 64 artists and artworks that will be included in my Arts Madness Tournament held in March. While most of these daily episodes will be reruns, I will continue publishing new episodes on Mondays.  Check out my other podcasts  Fun Facts Daily | Art Smart | Rainbow Puppy Science Lab Who 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