Episodes

  • Encore-Woman Holding a Balance by Vermeer
    Jan 11 2025

    While I’m taking a break, I thought you might enjoy this encore presentation of a popular episode from 2019—the gorgeous Woman Holding a Balance at the National Gallery of Art. If you want to follow along, you can find it at alonglookpodcast.com/vermeer.

    And make sure to stick around to the end for a special announcement!

    SHOW NOTES

    “A Long Look” themes are "Easy" by Ron Gelinas https://youtu.be/2QGe6skVzSs and “At the Cafe with You” by Onion All Stars https://pixabay.com/users/onion_all_stars-33331904/

    Episode theme is “Caro Mio Ben in C Major” by Giuseppe Giordani, performed by Joel Meza.
    https://soundcloud.com/joel-meza-1/caro-mio-ben-in-c-major

    “Women Holding a Balance” information
    https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.1236.html

    https://www.nga.gov/collection/highlights/vermeer-woman-holding-a-balance.html

    Vermeer information
    https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.1951.html

    “Essential Vermeer” website (extensive amount of info!)
    https://www.essentialvermeer.com

    Widener information
    “Dutch Paintings at the National Gallery of Art: The Untold Stories behind the Acquisitions of the Rembrandts, Vermeers, and Other Treasures in the Collection” (audio)
    https://www.nga.gov/global-site-search-page.html?searchterm=wheelock+audio

    RECOMMENDED READING
    “Vermeer and the Masters of Genre Painting” by Adriaan Waiboer, et al. Dublin, National Gallery of Ireland, 2017.

    Exhibit brochure
    https://www.nga.gov/content/dam/ngaweb/exhibitions/pdfs/2017/vermeer-brochurel.pdf

    “Vermeer: Faith in Art” by Daniel Arasse

    Transcript available at https://alonglookpodcast.com/encore-woman-balance-vermeer/

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    11 mins
  • Adoration of the Magi by Fra Angelico and Fra Filippo Lippi
    Dec 14 2024

    And you thought YOU were gonna have a lot of holiday company! Poor Mary, who’s only given birth a week or so ago, now faces this onslaught of unexpected visitors in today’s episode.

    We’ll find out who exactly all those folks are, their connection to one of the most powerful families in Europe, and what’s up with the peacock. Pretty sure that wasn’t one of the animals at the Nativity...

    SHOW NOTES

    “A Long Look” themes are "Easy" by Ron Gelinas https://youtu.be/2QGe6skVzSs and “At the Cafe with You” by Onion All Stars https://pixabay.com/users/onion_all_stars-33331904/

    Episode music
    “Joy to the World” and “We Three Kings” performed by John Sayles
    http://www.jsayles.com/familypages/holidaymusic.htm

    “Mass for 4 Voices,” composed by William Byrd, performed by Ensemble Morale. Courtesy of musopen.org

    https://musopen.org/music/44138-mass-for-4-voices

    “Suite in F Major” composed by Michael Praetorius. Performed by Michel Rondeau. Courtesy of musopen.org

    https://musopen.org/music/43633-suite-in-f-major

    Artwork information
    https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.41581.html

    https://www.nga.gov/collection/highlights/angelico-lippi-the-adoration-of-the-magi.html

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adoration_of_the_Magi_(Fra_Angelico_and_Filippo_Lippi)

    https://www-jstor-org.dclibrary.idm.oclc.org/stable/20074684?seq=6 (JSTOR article, may need to log in through your library)

    Magi gifts
    https://uscatholic.org/articles/202212/why-did-the-magi-bring-jesus-gold-frankincense-and-myrrh

    https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/jesus-historical-jesus/why-did-the-magi-bring-gold-frankincense-and-myrrh/

    Medici information
    https://www.britannica.com/topic/Medici-family

    Karen’s favorite illuminated manuscript
    “The Hours of Catherine of Cleves” https://www.themorgan.org/collection/Hours-of-Catherine-of-Cleves

    Recommended Reading:
    “Fra Angelico” by Laurence Kanter and Pia Palladino. Published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Yale University Press, 2005. Pgs 278-283. Explains Magi’s visitation. (Free PDF)
    https://cdn.sanity.io/files/cctd4ker/production/f9c70388da067f22ea0e43e5e512fb5f8d2b0d33.pdf

    Transcript available at https://alonglookpodcast.com/adoration-magi-angelico-lippi/

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    13 mins
  • On the Coast of New Jersey by William Trost Richards
    Nov 22 2024

    Today’s episode is all about relaxing, taking a little break after a long year and before the holidays hit. So I offer you a quiet beach at the Jersey Shore in this serene painting by William Trost Richards.

    We’ll find out how this Philadelphia-born artist embraced the idea of nature and art as keys to a better life and his connection to the Corcoran Gallery in Washington D.C.

    Thomas Cole and the Corcoran are key parts of the story, so here are previous episodes about them: “A Pastoral Visit” tells the story of the founding of this influential museum and “The Voyage of Life: Childhood” is one of Cole’s dramatic allegorical paintings.

    SHOW NOTES

    “A Long Look” themes are "Easy" by Ron Gelinas https://youtu.be/2QGe6skVzSs and “At the Cafe with You” by Onion All Stars https://pixabay.com/users/onion_all_stars-33331904/

    Episode Music
    "Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
    Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
    https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

    “Database Of Problems, Rolodex Of Lies” by Doctor Turtle
    https://doctorturtle.bandcamp.com/album/free-turtle-archive-everything-cc-by-by-turtle

    Artwork information
    https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.195170.html

    William Trost Richards information
    https://chrysler.org/exhibition/seascapes-by-william-trost-richards/

    https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.2710.html

    New York Times article on Richards
    https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/16/arts/design/william-trost-richards-at-national-academy-museum.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

    “William Trost Richards: American Landscape & Marine Painter” by Linda S. Ferber
    https://archive.org/embed/williamtrostrich0000ferb (archive.org)

    “Niagara” by Frederic Edwin Church
    https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.166436.html

    Episode on the Corcoran Gallery
    “A Pastoral Visit”

    Episode on Thomas Cole
    “The Voyage of Life: Childhood”

    Transcript is available at https://alonglookpodcast.com/coast-new-jersey

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    10 mins
  • Symphony in White, No. 1: The White Girl by James Whistler
    Nov 1 2024

    Welcome back! I hope you all had a great summer. We’ll be spending the rest of 2024 at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, starting off with a stunning portrait of a red-headed Irish beauty that shocked London society. We’ll find out who she is and how she was much more than a pretty face.

    Then we’ll learn about the very mercurial artist she had to put up with, James McNeill Whistler and the chaos he caused in his own life and others!

    SHOW NOTES
    “A Long Look” opening and closing themes are by Ron Gelinas:
    “Ascension” https://youtu.be/jGEdNSNkZoo and “Easy” https://youtu.be/2QGe6skVzSs

    Episode music
    “Chopin Waltz in A Minor, B. 150.” Performed by Aya Higuchi

    String Quartet no. 2 in B minor - II. Minuetto moderato.” Composed by Joseph Miroslav Weber, Performed by Steves Bedroom Band. Courtesy of musopen.org

    Artwork information
    https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.12198.html

    https://www.nga.gov/features/joanna-hiffernan-the-white-girl.html

    https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.12198.html#relatedpages

    https://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/2022/woman-in-white.html

    https://www.nga.gov/collection/highlights/whistler-symphony-in-white-no-1-the-white-girl.html

    https://www.nga.gov/blog/how-whistler-painted-white-in-full-color.html

    James McNeill Whistler info
    https://www.theartstory.org/artist/whistler-james-abbott-mcneill

    Joanna Hiffernan Bio
    https://www.dib.ie/biography/hiffernan-joanna-jo-a9605

    The Peacock Room
    https://asia.si.edu/explore-art-culture/interactives/peacock-room/making-the-peacock-room/

    Transcript available at https://alonglookpodcast.com/symphony-in-white/

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    10 mins
  • What's Ahead for A Long Look?
    Oct 10 2024

    “A Long Look” returns with new episodes soon! Meanwhile, I've been looking down the road trying to figure out the future of the show and realized I've been doing all the talking for the past 7 years! So now, I'd like to hear from you.

    I’ve put together a short audience survey to find out your thoughts and experience with “A Long Look.” To be honest, I'm deciding whether or not to continue the show and your feedback will really help. You can find it at alonglookpodcast.com/survey and it shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes. It's a Google form but you DO NOT need a Goole account to fill it out. The deadline is Nov. 15. I look forward to hearing from you and thanks so much!

    SHOW NOTES
    “A Long Look” themes are "Easy" by Ron Gelinas https://youtu.be/2QGe6skVzSs and “At the Cafe with You” by Onion All Stars https://pixabay.com/users/onion_all_stars-33331904/

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    1 min
  • American Art Finale
    Jul 20 2024

    Well, we’ve reached the end of our brief tour of the Smithsonian American Art Museum! I hope you’ve enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun getting to share this unique place with you and introduce you to some artists you might not have heard of.

    I’ll tell you about the two-for-one experience of visiting the museum and its hidden gems. And I have...thoughts...about the stories it tells.

    SHOW NOTES (TRANSCRIPT BELOW)

    “A Long Look” themes are "Easy" by Ron Gelinas https://youtu.be/2QGe6skVzSs and “At the Cafe with You” by Onion All Stars https://pixabay.com/users/onion_all_stars-33331904/

    Smithsonian American Art Museum
    https://americanart.si.edu/

    Luce Foundation Center for American Art
    https://americanart.si.edu/visit/saam/luce

    Lunder Conservation Center
    https://americanart.si.edu/art/conservation

    National Portrait Gallery
    https://npg.si.edu/

    Transcript available at https://alonglookpodcast.com/american-art-finale

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    2 mins
  • Floating Clouds by Hisako Hibi
    Jun 22 2024

    In today’s episode we look at “Floating Clouds” by Hisako Hibi, one of more than 120,000 Japanese Americans incarcerated in prison camps on the West Coast during WWII. Paintings like this served as the only visual record of life in the camps as well as a way for prisoners to deal with the harsh conditions.

    We’ll find out how she and her family were able to build a new life after the war and how she persevered through her art and with the help of fellow immigrants.

    SHOW NOTES
    “A Long Look” themes are "Easy" by Ron Gelinas https://youtu.be/2QGe6skVzSs and “At the Cafe with You” by Onion All Stars https://pixabay.com/users/onion_all_stars-33331904/

    EPISODE MUSIC
    “Timeless One” by Solas Composer
    https://soundcloud.com/solas_composer/timeless-one

    “Eastern Thought” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
    Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
    https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/music.html

    Artwork information
    Hisako Hibi https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/floating-clouds-119617

    Detention camp paintings
    https://janm.emuseum.com/groups/hisako-hibi-collection/results

    Hisako Hibi info
    https://americanart.si.edu/artist/hisako-hibi-33445

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hisako_Hibi

    https://americanart.si.edu/blog/japanese-american-artists-hibi

    https://www.becomingvisible.si.edu/stories/hisako-hibi

    https://womenshistory.si.edu/blog/hisako-hibis-work-artist-was-almost-lost

    Exhibition info
    Pictures of Belonging: Miki Hayakawa, Hisako Hibi, and Miné Okubo

    Transcript available at https://alonglookpodcast.com/floating-clouds

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    10 mins
  • Extended Ep: Happy Anniversary, Impressionism!
    May 18 2024

    Just in time for your Memorial Day travels, here’s an extended episode celebrating the anniversary of Impressionism! We take another look at three of the originals: Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, and Berthe Morisot. Her painting “The Mother and Sister of the Artist” is featured in the upcoming blockbuster “Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment” opening Sept. 8 at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC. Find out more on their site.

    SHOW NOTES
    Opening theme: "Easy" by Ron Gelinas https://youtu.be/2QGe6skVzSs

    Episode Music:
    OFFENBACH CAN-CAN by Light Symphony Orchestra; Offenbach
    https://archive.org/details/78_offenbach-can-can_light-symphony-orchestra-offenbach_gbia0309744b

    EPISODES
    Monet--Grainstack
    Show notes and transcript
    https://alonglookpodcast.com/grainstack/

    Pissarro--Place du Carrousel
    Show notes and transcript
    https://alonglookpodcast.com/place-du-carrousel-by-camille-pissarro/

    Morisot--Mother and Sister of the Artist
    Show notes and transcript
    https://alonglookpodcast.com/the-mother-and-sister-of-the-artist-by-berthe-morisot/

    EXHIBITIONS
    “Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment” National Gallery of Art (Sept 8-Jan. 19)
    https://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/2024/paris-1874-impressionist-moment.html

    “Mary Cassatt at Work” Philadelphia Museum of Art (May 18-Sept. 8)
    https://press.philamuseum.org/mary-cassatt-at-work/

    “The Impressionist Revolution from Monet to Matisse” Dallas Museum of Art (thru Nov. 3)
    https://impressionistrevolution.dma.org/p/1

    SUGGESTED READING
    “Luncheon of the Boating Party” by Susan Vreeland
    https://bookshop.org/p/books/luncheon-of-the-boating-party-susan-vreeland/11716075?ean=9780143113522

    Transcript is available at https://alonglookpodcast.com/impressionism

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    29 mins