Skeptics of the American Dream likely will consider Emanuel Leutze’s masterpiece depicting George Washington crossing the Delaware River to be a propagandistic romanticizing of America, a work unworthy of praise in the twenty-first-century.
Interviews & Essays
Devastating consequences within the context of science and medicine are unfortunately nothing new to members of the Black population in colonial spaces. This is particularly evident in the Western art history of medical illustrations that feature Black people.
Western art history is filled with colorful characters, whose statuses as heroes or villains can change based on the mores of our current society. The "Reframed" column is not a politically leaning publication. Yet it would be naive not to recognize that we exist in politically charged times.
This year's Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, an annual contest showcasing the funniest snapshots in nature photography, has provided the comedy relief we all need. This year’s winners include bald eagles, an otter parent and child, some bear cubs, and many other animals.
Each month, Art & Object is highlighting Sekka's best art stories. Here are the best stories from Sekka Magazine from November 2021.
The PBS documentary series Secrets of the Dead is set to release an episode entitled The Caravaggio Heist on November 24. While proves to be an unusual installment for a series that typically investigates historical mysteries—the episode delivers a fascinating story of a 1984 art theft and a priest who risked his life to recover a painting.
Easily the most famous depiction of famine in art history is Vincent van Gogh’s 1885 oil painting, The Potato Eaters. At the time of its creation, the phrase "potato eater" was considered pejorative in both Dutch and German.
Midway through October, tech experts Anthony Bourached and George Cann were prepared to unveil their AI-generated recreation of a lost Picasso at London’s Deeep AI Art Fair, when they received a letter from the U.K. side of Picasso’s estate demanding they cease and threatening legal action.
On December 12, the Baltimore Museum of Art will invite the public in to two new study centers—The Ruth R. Marder Center for Matisse Studies and The Nancy Dorman and Stanley Mazaroff Center for the Study of Prints, Drawings and Photographs. Both have been designed to increase access to and engagement with two very special collections held by the museum.
Johannes Vermeer, born in October 1632, grew up and spent most of his life in the Netherlandish city of Delft. Though his name faded after his death in 1675, his work was ‘rediscovered’ in the nineteenth century and has remained popular ever since. His uncanny ability to capture light—from the glow of sunshine behind a curtain to the sharp glimmer of precious stones—remains particularly striking nearly 500 years after the artist’s life. So too has the artist's masterful use of composition, contrast, and allegory continued to inspire.
