4 important articles of January
6 Greek Myths You Should Know to Understand Art History
https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-6-greek-myths-understand-art-history
Greek myths have captivated the imaginations of artists since ancient sculptors created gods and goddesses out of marble. The trials of ancient Greek heroes and monsters have served as inspiration for Renaissance masters, Surrealists, and conceptual artists alike. Although no unified telling of Greek mythology exists, sources like Homer’s Iliad and Ovid’s Metamorphoses provide an alternate history of humanity, from the creation of the first woman to the downfall of Troy. Here you can find information about six myths essential to understanding the Greek mythology that has been woven into art history.
These Museums Are Fighting to Bring More Inclusivity to Art
https://gen.medium.com/these-museums-are-fighting-to-bring-more-inclusivity-to-art-4e24ad5a5d39
If museums aren’t showcasing art in which visitors can see themselves, are they failing their audiences? Perhaps this question can be answered in Baltimore, where two museums are upgrading the art museum experience to serve the needs of a community and nation through representation.
Why We Don’t See More Pregnant Women in Art History
https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-pregnant-women-art-history
While women have always experienced the challenges of pregnancy (until the 20th century, women would often spend most of their fertile years pregnant and giving birth), in art history, the topic is largely absent. According to Karen Hearn, an art historian who specializes in 16th- and 17th-century British art, it’s only in the last 20 years, as women have begun to interrogate their own pregnant bodies and represent them in art and visual culture, that the taboo around the topic has started to shift.
This young woman created 784 paintings while hiding from the Nazis
Between 1940 and 1942 Charlotte Salomon, a young German-Jewish artist, created a sequence of 784 paintings while hiding from the Nazi authorities. She gave the sequence a single title: Leben? oder Theater? (Life? or Theatre?). Viewed in the 21st century, Salomon’s artwork could be considered a precursor to the contemporary graphic novel, creating a complex web of narratives through words and images. Together these sequential images tell a family history, focussing on a central character called Charlotte Kann, a semi-autobiographical version of Salomon herself.
