Why’d They Put That In A Museum?
Show Notes
Artist: Vincent van Gogh (Zundert, Netherlands, 1853 – Auvers-sur-Oise, France, 1890)
Item: Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear
Details: 1889. Oil on canvas, 60.5 x 50 cm. The Courtauld Gallery, London. https://gallerycollections.courtauld.ac.uk/object-p-1948-sc-175
Vincent Van Gogh: Self-Portrait With A Bandaged Ear
How did Van Gogh go from obscurity during his lifetime to a revered artist after his death? This episode answers that question through a deep look at his masterpiece Self-Portrait With A Bandaged Ear. Beth Bacon and Sarah Lees discuss the layers of Van Gogh’s renowned self-portrait, analyzing the artist’s choice of colors, the impact of his emotional state, and how his beliefs are reflected in his work. Listeners will gain insights into Van Gogh’s relationships with other artists, especially Paul Gauguin who was Van Gogh’s house guest when Van Gogh cut off his ear. Finally we talk about the unsung woman who worked to get Van Gogh’s art into museums after his death.
Contact Us
Say helloAbout the Podcasters
Sarah Lees
Sarah is a museum curator and researcher who has worked in organizations both large and small, and who remembers her first assignment for an art history class – to look into Rembrandt’s eyes and describe what she saw there. She believes everyone can find those kinds of connections to some form of creative expression, whether it’s a painting, a grandmother’s quilt, or a perfectly formed pen-stroke in a manuscript.
Beth Bacon
In addition to being an avid museum-goer, Beth Bacon is an author for young readers. Her books empower today’s kids to learn about themselves and the world through reading. She is also a teacher and branding consultant and a volunteer at the Missouri History Museum. Beth holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts, an MA in Communication Arts from NYU, and a BA in Literature from Harvard University.
Music Credit
The music you hear in the intro and outro was composed by Edward Whelan. We appreciate his contribution to our podcast.
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