Who Arted: Weekly Art History for All Ages

Who Arted: Weekly Art History for All Ages

Who Arted is art history and art education for everyone. While most art history podcasts focus on the traditional "fine art" we see in museums around the world, Who ARTed celebrates art in all of its forms and in terms anyone can understand. Each episode tells the story of a different artist and artwork including the traditional big names like Leonardo da Vinci, Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol along with lesser-known artists working in such diverse media as video game design, dance, the culinary arts, and more. Who Arted is written and produced by an art teacher with the goal of creating a classroom resource that makes art history fun and accessible to everyone. Whether you are cramming for your AP Art History exam, trying to learn a few facts so you can sound smart at fashionable dinner parties, or just looking to hear something with a more positive tone, we’ve got you covered with episodes every Monday and Friday.

Episodes

December 22, 2025 13 mins
Frederic Edwin Church stands as a titan of nineteenth-century American art, renowned for transforming landscape painting into a high-stakes blend of scientific exploration and cinematic spectacle. A star pupil of Thomas Cole, Church pivoted from his mentor’s moral allegories to embrace a rigorous "scientific realism" inspired by the naturalist Alexander von Humboldt. This dedication led him to retrace Humboldt's paths through South...
Mark as Played
Tamara de Lempicka remains the definitive icon of the Art Deco era, blending polished Cubist techniques with the glamorous, high-stakes atmosphere of the Roaring Twenties. From her harrowing escape during the Russian Revolution to her transformation into a Parisian socialite and eventually a Hollywood favorite, her life was a calculated masterpiece of self-invention. Her signature style, characterized by "soft Cubism" and metallic,...
Mark as Played
December 15, 2025 53 mins
My guest this week is David Hunt, the creator of Earthboard. Earthboard is an earth-sized collaborative mural where you claim real-world locations and doodle over famous landmarks across the globe. Draw King Kong climbing the Eiffel Tower, or collaborate with a famous artist in Tokyo, all in real time. Because all art is created inside the app, Earthboard is the first platform where human creativity is architecturally guaranteed. N...
Mark as Played
From 1912 to 1948, medals were awarded for artistic creations inspired by sport, alongside those for athletic prowess. This unique fusion of disciplines was the brainchild of Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics, who envisioned the Games as a celebration of both physical and intellectual pursuits. Coubertin's vision for the modern Olympics extended far beyond athleticism. He believed in the holistic development o...
Mark as Played
Domenico Ghirlandaio stands as a titan of the Quattrocento, often overshadowed by his most famous student, Michelangelo, yet serving as the vital bridge between the early and high Italian Renaissance. As the head of a prolific family workshop, Ghirlandaio dominated the Florentine art market, capturing the spirit of the age by integrating wealthy patrons like the Medici and Tornabuoni directly into sacred biblical narratives. His ma...
Mark as Played
December 5, 2025 13 mins
German artist Max Ernst was a pivotal figure in modern art history, bridging the anarchic rebellion of the Dada movement with the psychological depths of Surrealism. Born in Bruehl and deeply scarred by his service in World War I, Ernst rejected the rigid rationality of his upbringing to explore the unconscious mind. His artistic evolution took him from the avant-garde circles of Cologne and Paris to a dramatic escape from Nazi-occ...
Mark as Played
Mount Rushmore has a complicated and fascinating history. Long before the faces of American presidents were carved into the granite face of the mountain, the land was sacred to the Lakota. Matthew Davis wrote A Biography of a Mountain: The Making and Meaning of Mount Rushmore. He shares his insights into the history from broken treaties to plans for an attraction to boost tourism. Buy the book A Biography of a Mountain: The Mak...
Mark as Played
An artist’s skillful application of paint will make an artwork good, but a good story makes that artwork great. In 2010, a painting went on auction at Sotheby’s and sold for $1.5 million and I would argue that price is not because of the image, or the artist, but rather the story. Harry Hahn was an American pilot fighting in World War 1. He was fortunate to not only survive the brutal war, but also while serving overseas, he met t...
Mark as Played
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is recognized globally as a holiday spectacle, but it also stands as one of the world's largest exhibitions of public art and engineering. Originating in 1924 as a celebration for the store’s immigrant employees, the event evolved under the artistic direction of puppeteer Tony Sarg. Sarg transformed the parade by replacing live zoo animals with "upside-down marionettes"—sculptures made of rubberiz...
Mark as Played
November 21, 2025 10 mins
In the racially segregated 1950s, a group of twenty-six African American artists from Fort Pierce, Florida, defied the economic limitations of the Jim Crow South by forging a unique path in the art world. Known today as the Florida Highwaymen, these entrepreneurs—including founding figures Alfred Hair and Harold Newton, and the sole female member Mary Ann Carroll—bypassed exclusionary white-only galleries to sell their work directl...
Mark as Played
My guest this week is Peter Elliott, author of the new book, Looted! The Nazi Plunder of Jewish Families in France. Tens of thousands of artworks were taken around the time of World War 2. This new book focuses on the experiences of the families who lost their collections. In the interview, Peter shared his tremendous insights into not only the problems of the theft, but also the struggles with restitution in the decades following...
Mark as Played
November 14, 2025 14 mins
Domenikos Theotokopoulos, better known as El Greco, was a singular figure in art history who bridged the gap between Byzantine tradition and Western modernism. Born in Crete in 1541, he trained as an icon painter before moving to Venice and Rome, where he absorbed the vibrant colors of the High Renaissance. However, his bold personality and vocal criticism of local heroes like Michelangelo made it difficult for him to thrive in Ita...
Mark as Played
November 10, 2025 15 mins
Explore a global journey through prehistoric art, from the earliest figurative works in Africa to foundational pieces in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. This overview, drawing from the AP Art History Global Prehistory curriculum, examines the complex belief systems, ritual practices, and artistic skills of early humanity through ten key artworks. Apollo 11 Stones (Namibia, c. 25,500–25,300 BCE) Great Hall of the Bulls (L...
Mark as Played
Vincent van Gogh saw little commercial success during his lifetime, but he loved art and he worked to forge relationships with other artists he could learn from. The Starry Night came about late in his short career after Vincent van Gogh was hospitalized. He painted the view from his window, but rather than painting things exactly as he saw them, he painted a sort of composite landscape of views from different nights and even diffe...
Mark as Played
November 3, 2025 12 mins
The Buddhist monks of Tibet who are known for their tradition of sand mandalas destroy the work after completing it. The word mandala comes from Sanskrit meaning “circle” but a mandala is not your average two-dimensional shape consisting of an outer boundary called the circumference made up of points all equidistant from a fixed center point. A mandala representation of the universe. While many people talk about Mandalas in referen...
Mark as Played
Hans Holbein the Younger painted The Ambassadors in 1533. It is a massive, life sized double portrait filled with symbolism that gives us insights into the political and religious upheaval of the day. Still today, it is probably best known for the anamorphic skull cutting across the floor in the composition. In the Ambassadors, Holbein presents the symbol of mortality as a specter that looms ever present though sometimes difficult ...
Mark as Played
October 27, 2025 50 mins
My guest for this episode is Karli Wurzelbacher, curator for The Heckscher Museum of Art. She shared her insights into Emma Stebbins, a great neoclassical sculptor from the 19th century. Around the age of 40, Stebbins left America for Europe, where she studied the classic works found around Italy and rose to prominence as a sculptor. Her work was highly prized during her lifetime, but sadly, after she passed away, her work and neoc...
Mark as Played
October 24, 2025 17 mins
Degas is famous for his beautiful depictions of ballet dancers, but he was also giving a glimpse into the tough reality those dancers experienced. Edgar Degas, born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas in 1834, grew up in a wealthy Parisian family with strong ties to the arts. In 1855, he entered the École des Beaux-Arts, where he trained under Louis Lamothe, a follower of the neoclassical artist Ingres. During this period, Degas focused ...
Mark as Played
October 20, 2025 52 mins
This week I have part two of my interview with Laurie Roberts. Last week, she shared insights into Larry Roberts, her late husband. He made beautiful abstract paintings known for their rich colors. Laurie has given his paintings some new life as she translates some of those paintings into textiles. It was amazing to learn about her design process and how she and her team translate these complex designs with layered colors and orga...
Mark as Played
October 17, 2025 12 mins
Giovanni Battista Lombardi (1822-1877) was a prominent Italian sculptor of the 19th century, originally from Rezzato, near Brescia. After moving to Rome, he studied under the leading neoclassical sculptor Pietro Tenerani, which grounded his style in classical ideals of beauty and harmony. Lombardi's work is celebrated for its blend of the cool perfection of Neoclassicism with the growing trend toward the emotional depth of Realism...
Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

    The Bobby Bones Show

    Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.

    The Joe Rogan Experience

    The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.

    Betrayal: Weekly

    Betrayal Weekly is back for a brand new season. Every Thursday, Betrayal Weekly shares first-hand accounts of broken trust, shocking deceptions, and the trail of destruction they leave behind. Hosted by Andrea Gunning, this weekly ongoing series digs into real-life stories of betrayal and the aftermath. From stories of double lives to dark discoveries, these are cautionary tales and accounts of resilience against all odds. From the producers of the critically acclaimed Betrayal series, Betrayal Weekly drops new episodes every Thursday. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack. And make sure to check out Seasons 1-4 of Betrayal, along with Betrayal Weekly Season 1.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.