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

October 13, 2025 44 mins
Larry Roberts was a Chicago-based artist best known for his abstract paintings with rich colors and textures. I was able to interview Laurie Roberts, his wife, about how he created his work and how she is carrying on his legacy. This will be a two part interview. This week I have Laurie sharing about Larry's life and his work. In next week's episode, Laurie will share her experience in the design field and how she is translating La...
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Bridget Riley, born in London in 1931, is a prominent figure in the Op Art movement. Early life experiences, including wartime evacuation to Cornwall and exposure to nature's patterns, influenced her artistic sensibilities. Her style evolved with influences from Seurat, Pollock, and Balla. Riley's breakthrough came in the 1960s with black and white geometric paintings like "Fall" and "Current," which created illusions of movement a...
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Tyler Loftis is a contemporary artist based out of New York. Loftis developed a practice rooted that respects traditional practices like drawing and painting from observation, but also celebrating and embracing art as a dialogue with the audience's perceptions having equal weight to the artist's intention. Believing that "artists are course correctors," he is committed to democratizing the art world by removing elitism and fosterin...
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October 3, 2025 21 mins
Jeff Koons, born in 1955, displayed an early interest in art. As a teenager, he called Salvador Dali's hotel and arranged to meet the artist. He was inspired by Dali and went on to study art in college. Koons supported himself with various jobs, including working at the ⁠Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago⁠, working the information desk at ⁠MoMA⁠ and as a commodities broker in New York. He gained recognition in the 1980s with his...
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September 29, 2025 13 mins
Le Corbusier (born Charles-Édouard Jeanneret) was a pioneer of modern architecture whose ideas reshaped our urban landscapes. A Swiss-born, French-naturalized architect, designer, and urban planner, Le Corbusier championed a new vision for living in the 20th century. His philosophy centered on the idea of a house as a "machine for living in." He envisioned a space defined by function, efficiency, and a stark, geometric beauty strip...
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September 26, 2025 13 mins
Medieval European architecture is defined by two major successive styles: Romanesque and Gothic. Romanesque architecture (c. 1000–1200 CE) is characterized by massive, thick walls, rounded arches, and a heavy, fortress-like appearance. In the 12th century, Gothic architecture introduced innovations like the pointed arch, the ribbed vault, and the flying buttress. These engineering advancements functioned as an external skeleton, di...
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September 22, 2025 13 mins
Explore the life and work of Tarsila do Amaral, a foundational artist of Brazilian modernism and one of the most celebrated figures in Latin American art history. Born in 1886, Tarsila brought the avant-garde lessons of European Cubism back to her native Brazil, fusing them with local colors and themes to forge a completely new artistic identity for her country. This overview delves into her pivotal role in the Grupo dos Cinco (Gro...
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September 19, 2025 11 mins
Illuminated manuscripts are the stunning, handcrafted books of the medieval world, created through a meticulous process in monastery workshops known as scriptoria. Scribes would copy text onto processed animal skin, or vellum, while artists known as illuminators added intricate illustrations and shimmering gold leaf. The term 'illuminated' comes from this dazzling use of gold and silver, which made the pages glitter like sacred obj...
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September 17, 2025 13 mins
I am putting a special bonus episode in the feed this week to share a new podcast from Getty. If Objects Could Talk is a great family friendly podcast that gives voice to art and artifacts so listeners can explore history in a whole new way. What dangers await Athena’s brave and loyal owl at the Greek marketplace? This Athenian coin shares his take on how money was made and used in ancient Greek city states—and how different st...
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September 15, 2025 12 mins
My TLDR episodes are meant to be short and to the point with a few key facts to know about the artist and a look at one of their major works. This episode explores the life and work of Ibrahim El-Salahi, a pivotal figure in Sudanese and African modernism. Born in 1930 in Omdurman, Sudan, El-salahi's artistic journey began with the study of calligraphy under his father. After formal art training in Khartoum and at London's Slade Sch...
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September 12, 2025 11 mins
My TLDR episodes give a short and sweet overview with a few interesting facts about a great artist. Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986) stands as a foundational figure of American modernism, celebrated for her revolutionary contributions to art. Rising from a Wisconsin dairy farm to the forefront of the New York art world, her unique vision was shaped by the vast landscapes of Texas and, most famously, the American Southwest. O'Keeffe's ...
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September 8, 2025 14 mins
As it is back to school season, I thought I would try making a series of episodes that are short and to the point to give students and anyone else interested a quick overview of the artist. Each of my TLDR episodes will give a very brief overview of the artist, 5 interesting things to know about them and a little insight into one of their major works. Claude Monet was a central figure in the Impressionist movement. His childhoo...
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September 5, 2025 12 mins
Gerhard Richter, born in Dresden, Germany, in 1932, is a towering figure in contemporary art, whose life and work were forged by the tumultuous history of 20th-century Germany. Growing up under the Nazi regime and later living in Communist East Germany, Richter's early artistic education was in the state-sanctioned style of socialist realism. In 1961, he escaped to West Germany, where his career began to flourish. Rejecting adheren...
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September 1, 2025 15 mins
Since it is back to school season, I thought I would make a series of episodes optimized for classrooms to give students a quick overview and a few interesting facts about an artist. I am labeling these episodes with TLDR and each of them will follow the same format. First, I will give a very quick bit of biographical information. Second I'll list 5 interesting facts about the artist. Finally I'll talk about one of the artist's wor...
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August 29, 2025 10 mins
Pioneering 19th-century photographer Eadweard Muybridge is celebrated for his groundbreaking work in capturing movement, which laid the foundation for modern cinema. After immigrating to the United States and gaining fame for his stunning landscape photographs of the American West, his career took a decisive turn in 1872. Muybridge was commissioned by railroad tycoon and former California governor Leland Stanford to settle a popula...
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August 25, 2025 45 mins
My guest this week is Mark Vernon, author of Awake! William Blake and the Power of Imagination. We discussed William Blake, the famous poet and visual artist known for his spiritually charged work. The piece we discussed was The Ancient of Days. Check out my other podcasts  Fun Facts Daily | Art Smart | Rainbow Puppy Science Lab Who ARTed is an Airwave Media Podcast. If you are interested in advertising on this or any other Air...
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August 22, 2025 16 mins
Today, I wanted to share an episode of my other podcast, Fun Facts Daily, with some interesting information about clay and ceramics. You'll learn what makes things blow up in the kiln and how to avoid it. The episode also covers interesting facts from ancient uses of ceramics to modern applications in smartphones and even space shuttles. Check out my other podcasts  Fun Facts Daily | Art Smart | Rainbow Puppy Science Lab Who A...
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My guest for this episode is Kathleen Langore, author of a new book about the artist, Amalia Kussner. She was a highly successful portrait artist who specialized in miniatures. Kussner drew her subjects in a realistic but soft and flattering style that left her patrons feel like she was giving them the best version of their likeness. Her miniature portraits were a big deal as she traveled to Europe painting for royalty. Pick up ...
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August 15, 2025 10 mins
Explore the life and work of celebrated American artist Wayne Thiebaud, known for his vibrant and textured paintings of everyday objects. Born in 1920, Thiebaud's early experiences as a sign painter and an apprentice animator at Walt Disney Studios shaped his understanding of visual communication and iconic forms. Though often associated with the Pop Art movement of the 1960s, Thiebaud’s approach was distinct. While artists like An...
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August 11, 2025 41 mins
Man Ray was a pioneer of cameraless photography. His signature technique was the "Rayograph" created by placing objects directly onto light-sensitive paper often manipulating them during exposure. Of course, that was not his only trick. Man Ray experimented with solarisation and in his piece Ingres's Violin, he painted on a photograph, then took another picture of the manipulated image. For this episode, my guests were Mark Smal...
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