Ruth and I took a deep dive into the topic of joy. It was such a rich conversation, we decided to share the whole thing, rather than dividing it into its component parts. After each slide, we shared questions we’d love for you to engage with. I’ve also placed the questions below with a photo…
Painting Judith: Caravaggio vs Gentileschi
Artemesia Gentileschi is a recently rediscovered Italian Baroque artist. In our Arting pursuits, Ruth and I used her work quite often. Because we loved it and because there are so few female artists from that time period, at least that we are aware of. We kicked off our interest in her work with this direct…
Mrs. Whistler Meets Venus: An Arting Conversation
In this conversation, Ruth and Shari discuss Beatrice Godwin Whistler, Peach Blossoms and Sandro Botticelli’s Venus, enhance by a portion of John Clare’s poem, I am. The conversation covers the challenges of women artists, and how women are portrayed, a common theme we often return to, because the mysteries are never ending. We hope you…
Finding Your Inner Curator
We talk a lot about Arting As Conversation, as a way of using art to connect to ourselves, to each other and to the world around us. And this is one of the reasons we knew we had to share our experiences with it. The process of Arting, of looking for art and putting pieces…
Our Many Selves: An Arting Conversation
In this conversation, we discuss Stanley William Hayter, Centerausse and Frida Kahlo, The Two Fridas, complemented by John Clare’s poem, I am. The conversation is rich in imagery and in our discussion on how we manage the multiple selves that share our body – how our internal contradictions are challenges yet gifts that make us…
It’s All About Perspective
There is no question that society is in a state of turmoil. Whatever you think about social media and the fracturing of our media infrastructure, it has elevated the truth that perspective matters. Where you stand, how you see and hear, the history you bring to an issue, the way your body processes senses, the…
Autobiographical Themes In Art
The autobiographical theme in artists’ images can relate to your own life, even elicit it in fresh ways. For example, this seemingly subtle, sensuous image below of two dancers by Dorothea Tanning sparks a not so subtle message and visual experience for me. In contrast to typical male dominant positions in classical tango, the dominant…
Learning to See
It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see. Henry David Thoreau Before Ruth and I started Arting, art was an event – a museum to visit, a gallery to drink wine at, a master or trend to check off the bucket list. I enjoyed art but I filed it away in…
Scandalous Women: An Arting Conversation
One of Shari’s favorite paintings is Madame X by John Singer Sargent. The reason she likes it so much is that is that when it was painted, it had been a scandal. Why? Because it represented a married woman as attractive, sensual and sexual. When we compared this with Gerard van Honthorst’s “Smiling Girl, a…
Letting Go of Expectations
How often have you visited museums and art galleries, alone or with someone? I usually went to museums with a friend who was also interested in art, rarely having the quietude and intimacy of being solitary. We tended to move quickly, commenting to one another quietly, not approximating a conversation until we sat down…often to…